| The Origins and Linage of the Legendary House Of Karan... |
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At the end of the 80’s, the ballroom scene migrated south from its birthplace New York City to the city of brotherly love, Philadelphia. In the early 90’s the House of Excellence put Philadelphia on the map with the guidance of Stewart, then Revlon and the leadership of Raphael and Lisa. Excellence was Philadelphia’s first powerhouse. Amongst these pioneers were two young and ambitious individuals, Tyrell and Renee Excellence. These best friends were a dynamic duo and had strength of presence from the very beginning. Tyrell was the realness and performance boy on the block and Renee was the rock socking baby girl of the house of Excellence and Raphael and Lisa’s only femme queen daughter. Renee became the hottest femme queen Philadelphia had ever seen. In 1991 in a small hotel in Chinatown, at a ball most of us have either forgotten or never knew, a star was born. Making girls like Keisha Ebony, then Revlon and her sister LaTisha (at the time two of New York’s baddest chicks) sit up and pay attention. Renee blossomed into the epitome of realness, a performance diva and of course a breathtaking face ruler! By 1992 Tyrell and Renee had blossomed as individuals and grew beyond what their Excellence family could offer. They were ready to branch out on their own and take the ballroom by storm. With Raphael’s support, in the spring of that year (‘92), in club Roses, they became Mother Renee and Father Tyrell Karan; the city of Philadelphia would never be the same! Young, wild, underestimated and misunderstood, against all odds they made the now Legendary House of Karan their own. Like most enterprises, it started small and though ball walking was important, the house was built on Renee and Tyrell’s love for one another and what they created and strived for was a family. To this day, love or hate us, right-or-wrong, we are a family first. In the early days it wasn’t important what you did or didn’t walk, what was important was, were you strong enough to stand up for yourself? And then were you loyal enough to stand with the family? What Renee and Tyrell built was not a house, but a home where it’s member were sheltered, protected and loved. Sadly, in February 1994 the Karan family lost its founder, Father Tyrell Karan. This was the first of many devastating blows that we would suffer, but it is this kind of loss, which has made our bond stronger. Immediately following Tyrell’s death, Cha-Cha Karan (Butch Realness) stepped up to the plate and became the second father of the house. This was the dawn of a new era. Cha-Cha had vision; he took the house to the next level. By 1995 a new batch of Karan children were born, Meechie Karan, Season Karan, Joey Karan, Naiyma Karan, just to name a few. Cha-Cha was a militant leader and through his stubborn and aggressive fathering the house was now beginning to show even more promise on the Ballroom floor. In the spring of 1996, after a strong two years, Cha-Cha could take the house no further and stepped down. The torch was passed to, then over-seer, John Karan. The merging of Renee and John proved to be the right combination. In the years to follow, under John’s rule the house and Renee reached new heights. It was through John that the glass ceiling known as New York City was no longer out of reach. He formed strong alliances with powerful people and became very influential and respected in the Ballroom. Prentice Revlon left a Legendary House for Karan power, Alphy Revlon did the same; Glenn Ebony (Movado) left a Legendary House for Karan power and in time so would Raymond and Reality Jourdan. This added star power to an ambitious and ever evolving House. The little house that nobody really took seriously, the house that at one time some considered to be only Renee, Will (Revlon) and Tyrell. The house born from a powerhouse is now a powerhouse itself. On August 16, 2002, 10 yeas and 5 months after the dream began; we lost our most prized and precious soul. Our Angel, the greatest femme queen Philadelphia has produced to date, The Legendary Icon Mother Renee Karan passed away. We have never known pain like this, but we have survived though we miss her so. Her memory lives on in all of us. As was her request, from her legacy a new mother has been named. Dawn Karan, just like her mother was to Excellence, was our baby girl. Under close scrutiny and much training and wisdom from John and Renee, Dawn is ready to take her place in the sun. Today the House of Karan is a household name, a force to reckon with from state to state. We have members in New York City, Connecticut, Washington DC, Baltimore and Atlanta. We have established ourselves as not one, not a few, but a house full of Legends, statements and stars. We are known for effects, for productions, we snatch countless grand prizes, as a house categories, awards and cash. We are respected, idolized, revered, envied, loved and hated. We are the Legendary House of Karan, 11 years strong and standing! |