Krewes of Femme Fatale & Carrolton

It was sunny and in the upper 70’s for Sundays parades. Another perfect day for parades – 4 of them! Mystic Krewe of Femme Fatale debuted in 2015. Founded entirely by African-American women, membership is open to women of all colors and creeds and the signature throw, a mirrored compact, symbolizes both inward and outward reflection. My fellow Pussyfooters were included in the lineup so I wore my Pussyfooters t-shirt in celebration. Other adult parade groups were the Original Treme Baby Dolls, Skinz N Bonez, fabulous divas on Batman-like motorcycles, goddess warriors called The Amazons and the Black Storyville Baby Dolls. Though the Pussyfooters were the first adult dance krewe of the modern era, they drew their inspiration from the original Baby Dolls who paraded at the turn of the century so it was wonderful to see 2 Baby Doll krewes in the mix.

Krewe of Freret Parade 2017

The Krewe of Freret paraded for 40 years until the 1990’s then was rebirthed on the parade route 4 years ago. Many members of the new Krewe are the children of the previous membership. I loved that they opened with traditional Baby Dolls, the inspiration for the adult dance troupes you see in parades today. In Saturday’s parade, those troupes included The Chorus Girl Project, Nyxettes and my vote so far for best new dance krewe of the year – Alter Egos. Between their purple afros and their fun, funky moves, they were an instant crowd favorite. The Dames de Perlage put on a great show with their intricately beaded corsets honoring local “saints” like the fictitious Ignatius Reilly, the very real culinary legend Leah Chase and the surreal Big Freedia. Bearded Oysters’s diaphanous wing-capes and Lucha Krewe’s fight-dance moves filled out the entertainment.