Celebrating DJ Blackcatt, the Toronto nightlife pioneer bringing generations together through ballroom

From bringing R&B, hip-hop and soca to Toronto’s Church-Wellesley Village to helping build the city’s ballroom scene, DJ Blackcatt has spent more than three decades creating space for Black Queer culture. Now, the Toronto nightlife pioneer is bringing a new cast of cartoon characters to the ballroom floor for the latest edition of The Almighty Ball.

These days, it’s impossible to go out in The Village without hearing about DJ Blackcatt. From Black sounds Toronto’s Church and Wellesley Village to helping build the city’s ballroom scene, Blackcatt, born Mykel Hall, has been creating space for Black Queer culture in Toronto since the early 1990s. 

Now, the DJ and event organizer is bringing his latest vision to the floor: a Looney Tunes-themed ball celebrating fashion, performance and competition. Taking place Sunday, Oct. 11 at Cake Cabaret, The Almighty Ball will challenge ballroom performers to reinterpret classic cartoon characters through high-fashion looks and fierce battles.

But Hall’s influence on Toronto’s 2SLGBTQIA+ nightlife extends far beyond a single event.

DJ Blackcatt’s decades-long career

Reflecting on his career, Hall tells Queer & Now that his journey as a DJ began with a love of house music and a desire to learn how to mix tracks like one of his favourite DJs, Kevin Williams. After spending about a year practising at a friend’s studio and recording his sets on cassette tapes, Hall landed his first club gig in April 1992.

And believe it or not, Hall’s first event didn’t go very well.

“It was a Queer party called Banjie Boy, which is a term that they used to use in Queer life for more of a rough Black guy, and the party did not do very well,” he laughed. “It was on a Wednesday, and the party didn’t go very well.”

But he tried again, putting on a Sunday night event at what is now known as Crews and Tangos. That was the beginning of what became Blackcatt Sundays. 

“The lineup was down the road, it was really something to behold,” Hall explained.

“Not only was I like the first Black Gay man to be on Church St. in that capacity, it was also the first time that Church St. had seen R&B, hip hop, soca, like that kind of urban sound has never been on Church St. in that capacity.”

While the party series was a success, Hall says his work was not initially welcomed by everyone. The DJ recalls facing noise complaints and efforts to shut down the event. 

“Being Black and Queer was not popular. It was very taboo 30 years ago,” he said.

Hall explained that in Toronto, the majority of Black 2SLGBTQIA+ nightlife in the 90s took place at house parties, in basements and in community spaces rather than established venues at Church and Wellesley. But when he first started booking gigs as a DJ, and even organizing events, Hall initially saw it more as an opportunity to play music and earn money, not realizing the broader impact his work would have on the culture.

“It was really just me playing music, but not realizing that what I was doing was really going to change how people viewed the music in the community and their space in the community,” he explained. 

As more Black Queer people sought spaces to connect and celebrate, that demand helped pave the way for events such as Blockorama, the annual Black 2SLGBTQIA+ celebration at Toronto Pride, an event that saw Hall join the lineup as one of the event’s original DJs, alongside Nick Red and Berilia.

His portfolio also includes a five-year stint as Program Curator for Toronto Pride, bringing endless talent to the city, including none other than Queen of Dancehall Spice, who headlined the festival back in 2022. 

But while Blackcatt is now a household name, he almost had a totally different moniker entirely. Explaining that he initially considered calling himself “1071,” Hall says people often confused the original name with Toronto radio station 107.1 FM. He then landed on Blackcatt, paying homage to one of his favourite songs, Janet Jackson’s 1990 hit “Black Cat.”

The Almighty Ball takes on Looney Tunes

Hall is also a titan in the world of Toronto ballroom. Having joined the House of Monroe in 2006, he first founded The Almighty Ball in 2009, giving members of his house an opportunity to compete against other houses and independent performers.

Hall explained that he organized five balls before taking a break because of the costs involved. After the pandemic, he revived the event alongside Father Nova Monroe, the House of Monroe’s father.

This year marks the ninth Almighty Ball, with the 10th anniversary planned for 2027. Hall hopes the event will also help make Toronto’s mainstream ballroom scene more visible. While the city has a larger kiki ballroom scene, Hall wants more people to experience the culture firsthand.

“I believe that everybody should attend a ball and experience that. It’s like experiencing drag for the first time… the excitement of it. Ballroom culture is very, very live and very exciting.”

This year’s edition of The Almighty Ball will bring the colourful world of classic Looney Tunes cartoons to the ballroom floor. The theme was developed by Father Nova Monroe, who has an affinity for cartoons and anime. Previous editions have drawn inspiration from Janet Jackson, Wonder Woman and other superheroes.

This time, performers will reinterpret cartoon characters through fashion and performance across 11 categories. One category, sex siren, takes inspiration from Jessica Rabbit, with competitors encouraged to wear sequins and incorporate cartoon-style details, such as lipstick kisses or a visual suggestion of a heart beating out of the chest.

Other categories include face, runway, hands versus arm control, body and realness, alongside best dressed, one of Hall’s personal favourites. But the event’s take on best dressed has a Looney Tunes twist, with competitors able to draw colour inspiration from Pepé Le Pew, Daffy Duck or Foghorn Leghorn. Rather than dressing as the characters themselves, they must translate their signature colours into a polished fashion look.

The ball will also feature male figure, female figure and gender non-conforming divisions, allowing competitors different ways to approach the categories. Hall explained that an audience-friendly category called “Shake That Ass” will also give attendees a chance to join the fun.

For Hall, the event is an opportunity to introduce more people to a culture he has spent decades helping to build and sustain. The Almighty Ball takes place Sunday, Oct. 11, at Cake Cabaret, 627 Danforth Ave., near Danforth and Pape. Doors open at 5 p.m.