New look for Sleaze Ball
The board of New Mardi Gras have done an about-face on the marketing imagery for the upcoming Sleaze Ball, a little over one week from the event.
Co-chair Steph Sands said the new campaign, photographed by Jamie Dunbar and designed by Ian Jopson, was a sexy new image that is indicative of the party we are planning.
Sands said the new campaign (which includes two advertisements -“ one featuring boys and one featuring girls) was partly an acknowledgment that the community felt strongly about the old campaign but she maintained that many community members had responded positively to the previous campaign’s lighthearted depiction of diversity.
The new campaign also plays with the party’s Flesh: Dressed Up theme by retitling it Flesh Undressed.
NMG board member Mark Orr said this was not a change of theme, but a development. The board had tried to balance the idea of Sleaze Ball as a costume party with the idea of the party as a more upfront, sexy and sleazy event, he said.
Plans for the party are now well advanced, with Orr revealing there will be six shows during the evening throughout the halls. Of these, two will bookend the party, while the other four will take place without a break in the music.
Orr advised party-goers to look up for an aerial show to be performed by former Russian Olympian and Cirque de Soleil performer, Dmitri Kalinine.
Dmitri will feature in a show that tells the story of good and evil, with a soundtrack that ranges from O Fortuna to Marilyn Manson, Orr said.
Another show will feature an array of winners from the recent DIVA awards, fronted by Vida Las Vegas and Sexy Galexy.
Instead of one focus on a single main stage, we will be spreading the shows throughout the halls so everyone gets the chance to have a front-row seat. You can expect surprises throughout the night -“ I recommend you watch out for the window cleaners, Orr said, somewhat cryptically. Soundtracks for the shows will be mixed in to the DJs performances -“ which means that there will be no breaks to disturb people in a groove.
NMG co-chair Michael Woodhouse said ticket sales for the party had picked up considerably in the past three days.
We know that people buy their tickets late, he said. Having seen a serious pick-up in the past three days, it gives me confidence that we can meet our targets. We expected a kick in sales, and that has happened.
