The Life Currency and The House of Juicy Couture present DeVante London. Working behind the scenes as an Executive Assistant to Whitney Headen, the founder of The Life Currency and co-founder of 19th & Park; DeVante is the glue (for each team). He functions as part of the operations team. “I focus on ensuring that everything we do connects well and that the Ball keeps rolling to the next task. I’ve really enjoyed working for both companies. It’s been affirming for me because the programs we run and a lot of the articles we publish speak to struggles or questions I’ve had in my life.”

I had the pleasure of sitting with DeVante to learn more about what he does as part of TLC’s operations team and how he found his way as one of the members of The House of Juicy Couture.

Although DeVante has been working with TLC for a while, he’s been a member of The House of Juicy Couture for a few years. Ballroom started in New York City and definitely has influence all over the world. However, DeVante grew up in Arizona and moved to New York to go to college. “So, I really didn't ever kind of have that relationship with Ballroom and I wasn’t even adjacent to the scene. Ballroom found me in a lot of ways. I remember being a freshman in college and I was in the city for a conference with the Pride Network, an LGBTQ+ collective that I was a part of at my university. One day, they had a vogue workshop as a part of the conference and as a dancer outside of Ballroom, naturally I was familiar with Madonna and her work (speaking of her vogue-era).” Attending that workshop opened DeVante to Ballroom and other parts of himself.

“I met Symba McQueen, who is legendary in the mainstream and Kiki scene. Another good friend of mine is Kimiyah Juicy Couture. The two of them introduced me to Ballroom and took us through this workshop. They educated us on houses and the culture and the lingo. Then we had a mock Ball and by the end, they picked me up. They wanted me to walk a Ball that following Friday!” DeVante laughs as he recounts how uncertain he was. “I was nervous and I remember telling them, ‘I don't know what that means, but sure.’” DeVante stuck to his word and attended the Ball, trying to remember tips and information from people on the sidelines who were teaching him before it was his turn to walk. “Everything happened so fast when it was finally my turn to walk. Before I could even think about what I just did, I won the category”. 

DeVante reaches for his trophy, looking over it with a sense of pride on his face. December 2nd, 2015, the night of the Red Ball where he walked Butch Queen (BQ) Face for the first time and the first Ball he won. “Honestly, it was very nerve-racking. I'll never forget that feeling. I think I get that feeling every time. It’s like you're about to step on the floor and like the nerves really kick in. I still haven't gone back and watched the video from my first Ball. I know it's on YouTube somewhere, but I just refused to watch it because it was my first time and I kind of blacked out. I'll be honest, I just kind of went out there and felt the energy. I battled a few people back to back and next thing I know, I won”. DeVante shares that Symba and Kimiyah didn’t want him to leave and they wanted him to join their house.

“I am in the House of Juicy Couture but I didn’t start out that way. Courtney Balenciaga is the founding mother of the House of Juicy Couture and she was on the panel that night. After I walked that night, I kind of disconnected from Ballroom. I kind of left the scene without really understanding what just happened to me. It was my first time seeing a Ball and being around that type of energy. Then to win on top of it, after just breaking into the scene? It was a lot for me to grasp. A few months later, I got a message on Facebook from Courtney asking if I remember her and that she’d been looking for me. She said that she wanted me to join their house. The night of the Ball was a blur, but now that I’d had time to process some things, I said yes to joining and went to a couple of practices. I realized that the House of Juicy Couture lives up to its name of being a legendary Kiki house- the best of the best; the greats.”

DeVante attributes some of his courage and perspective to Ballroom. “I've transformed a lot, through Ballroom. I graduated college, decided to stay in New York City, probably because of the Ballroom scene. I wanted to remain open to new experiences, and grow professionally and personally and now, Ballroom and being a Juicy was part of that. Being a Juicy does make me stand taller. Being a Juicy is living up to the standard of the House, knowing that we are the greatest and we show up that way- even outside of Ballroom. That’s one of the things I love most about Juicy; we're very serious about the success of our people. For example, education and working. We have younger people in the house and if we notice that they are doing Balls more than they are at school or doing their homework, that's something that the House will flag because at the end of the day, we want you to be great and finish school as well. While I've been on this journey, I’ve been able to share my milestones of graduating from college and breaking into the professional world. I've made those my priorities and Ballroom has kind of come second, but it's always been that very close second. Juicy and Ballroom have been an integral part of my personal life and have helped me grow in ways I couldn’t imagine. Before walking the Red Ball in 2015, I was timid and very shy. I'm still that person, but I’m more confident now. I attribute that to the nature of being a Juicy as well though. The Juicy’s build and produce the greatest talent because they will break you down and help you rebuild. I think back to some of the tough conversations that I've had to have with Courtney and other leaders of the house about me, my life, what I want to do and where I want to go. It all gets connected- even the way I view myself. When I’m nervous or doubt my abilities, I remember that I’m a Juicy and have overcome so many moments to be where I am right now.” 

DeVante continues, “I think from the outside looking in, people see Ballroom, the shade and the drama- and I think some forget that it’s all part of a real culture that is very much alive beyond that. This life is our lifeline in a lot of ways, and for me, I’ve felt so connected to the Juicy’s from the beginning of my journey that they became my second family. I’m from the opposite side of the country and I'm the only one here, so they are kind of like my grounding family, so to speak. When I'm going through really hard personal things, they notice. They make the effort to be there for me and not make me feel alone. Having people like that in my corner keeps me above water.” It doesn’t hurt that some of the people in DeVante’s corner are heavy hitters in the Ballroom community either. Having the person who started The House of Juicy Couture is a major flex, even if DeVante is humble about it.

“Courtney is the face girl. She walks face for the House of Balenciaga and she started the House of Juicy. She calls me ‘The Chosen One’ because Courtney hand-picked me to be in The House of Juicy. Her direction and the leadership of others have helped me elevate my walk. When I started as a Juicy, she was that person really breaking us down and telling us what we needed to hear to take us to the next level. The critiques are important, even when it’s not what I want to hear. Everyone needs that sometimes. It doesn’t stop at Ballroom and real life issues though, it’s about values and leadership as well. Juicy believes in mentorship and positioning the next generation of Juicy’s to be successful from the top down. Although Courtney has stepped down as the Mother of the house, she's still the overall Founding Mother. We now have a new mother; Nicki Juicy Couture. Nicki is a great mother and she has stepped up to lead us after Courtney stepped down. It’s so interesting to see the changes happening in front of you and remembering that one day there will be someone new and that I’m part of this history being made. My gay Father in the scene, Antonio Miyake Mugler, has been a great influence to me as well. He took me under his wing and has been a great father figure to me. He doesn't really have to do much and I think that's what makes him so great. It’s as if he knows that me and the rest of his kids are very self sufficient. He knows that we want to be the greatest so he pushes us together in a lot of ways. Through him, I have five gay siblings in Ballroom. Another aspect I love about the people in my life is their willingness to share information. While I’ve learned a lot from my family, I’ve met a lot of influential people through them as well. My Father has introduced me to the Mugler’s, in the mainstream scene and they’ve influenced my work as well. Quite a few houses have influenced me: The House of Miyake Mugler, The House of Garçon, and many more.” 

DeVante shares that his time in the Ballroom scene and The House of Juicy has reminded him it’s normal for engagement to wax and wane as one learns more about themself. “One piece of advice I’d give to someone who might feel intimidated by the time commitment that this part of the culture could demand is to remember that Ballroom will be here when you are ready. All these things are cyclical, so you can be a star one year, but maybe the next year you really have to focus on your job or school so Ballroom will get less of your attention. You may not be a star that same year, but it doesn't mean that your time in Ballroom is over or that you can no longer have a career in Ballroom. Sometimes, I have to remind myself that I’ve learned a lot in my short time in the scene”. 

Whether you’re a virgin (someone who has never walked a Ball), or a vet, here are a few tips about Ballroom culture that DeVante has picked up along the way:

• It's going to be a journey of self-discovery and self-expression. You'll discover what you do and don’t like by understanding what feels natural. When it comes down to it, if it doesn't feel comfortable in your body, then trust that.

• Challenge yourself to try other categories, especially since we do have categories at Balls that are OTA (open to all).  For example, a Kiki Ball might be the place where you feel more comfortable if you don’t want to walk mainstream. It might take some nerve to walk out alone if you're not in a house, but that kind of nerve does not go unseen and people will respect it. 

• Be authentic. When you’re authentically yourself and you believe in who you really are, it shows up in your work.

• You never know who's watching. There's been so many times where I feel like I'm kind of like the underdog face kid or that people aren't really watching, but after walking, somebody has come up to me or messaged me on social media to let me know how great they think I did. 

“I’m grateful for the people I’ve met, the experiences I’ve had, and the community I’m connected to. I’ve grown personally and professionally because Ballroom and The Juicy’s have helped me find my path toward who I am”, DeVante mentions. You can follow DeVante on Instagram to keep up with his work and you can watch The House of Juicy battle it out on HBO Max’s show Legendary, which aired on May 19th!