SHREVEPORT, La. (KSLA) – ArkLaTex Artistry’s Brittney Hazelton takes an in-depth look at the unique and mysterious subculture organization, the Vampyre Court of Shreveport (VCS).

Shreveport isn’t new to having goths and vampires, but now one group has made an official one Shreveport Vampire Courtsimilar to those in New Orleans, New York and Dallas. King of the Court James Fisher sits down with Brittney Hazelton to talk about the organization, the importance of art in the Vampyre subculture, and its goals in the community.

What is the Vampire Court?

In short, it is a place for those who feel out of place and who enjoy the romance and beauty of night and darkness. It’s a place where they can feel safe and express themselves, but there’s more to it than that.

“Around the 60s, there weren’t many alternative places for people, kind of outcasts, to go. So they began to adopt the vampire lifestyle. As Anne Rice said, “The vampire is a metaphor for the outcast.” So we all started adopting these lifestyles and sort of ended up in a larger subculture with its own knowledge and its following. And with that, more communities have grown since the 60s, and now there are communities all over the world, more vampire courts and covens, and at the core, most of them are trying to do things to benefit their surrounding communities,” explains Jamie Fisher. , King’s Vamypre Court of Shreveport.

Vampire organizations have been a part of Louisiana for some time, and as of 2020, the Shreveport Vampyres began their official court after being upheld by the courts in New Orleans, La. and Dallas, Texas.

“I’ve been part of the subculture of the vampire community since the early 2000s when I first discovered it, kind of when it was going through its heyday with New York nightclubs known as ‘moms’ and other places where these individuals started coming. together. Fangsmiths began to emerge, creating fangs for people and creating intricate families and homes. I was a little too young back then to get into it, obviously,” Fisher explains. “I’ve been through my life, growing up, and I’ve never had one here (vampire yard). When I got back from the Marine Corps and had been back for a while, he started dating around here and I started dating. more people who have been in and out of culture throughout their lives.”

At first, it struggled because as soon as it was formed in 2020, when the COVID pandemic hit the country. Now, the court is growing its membership and hopes to bring in more members who are interested in improving the community and have the same love for the subculture.

What does the Vampire Court do?

In October, the court held a blood drive in collaboration with the LifeShare Blood Center. According to VCS, it collected enough blood donations to save 51 lives. In addition, the organization participated in the SBC Zombie Walk, which benefited several nonprofit organizations.

Fisher and the Queen of the Vampyre Court, Allysandra Rolavo, worked together to bring the organization together and grow it. They host other events such as Goth Night at the Korner Lounge. A big goal of the organization would be to eventually hold a masquerade ball like the other larger courts, where most of the funds raised would go to charity. Fisher hopes these events will become a place for people who feel like outcasts to find community.

“I started as a royal advisor. I didn’t want to be king at that time, I never really wanted the position, but as we got closer (Rolavo and himself), we realized that working together and being in the same equal position, we had a chance bigger to make it a growing and safer environment for other (alternatives), goths and people of culture in this area. To give them a place where they can hopefully come one day, express themselves and give back to the community,” says Fisher.

What does art have to do with it?

The vampire subculture is full of fashion, design and art, and the same goes for Shreveport’s backyard.

“It’s totally a big part of the vampire community, period. Everything in our community is about beauty. When people think of vampires, they think of more black, silver, and gothic colors. But within our community, we love and express it all. We know, what we call pastel vampires, they dress in periwinkle and chartreuse and are gorgeous. They are living forms of art, like clocks from the walking period. And, a lot of people in the community are rooted in art and they make things, they make paintings, they make jewelry, they make resin work and caskets,” Fisher explains passionately. “The arts are a huge part of our community.”

At their booths, they always have a lot of beautiful handmade goods, charms, crystal books and resin works, all works that catch the eye and are especially beautiful. They are always fashionably dressed in vintage clothing and vampiric styles, making them living works of art.

Vampire Art:

What do they say to people who are skeptical or judgmental about them?

“Down here in the south, sometimes it can be really hard. Many people, as soon as they see something they don’t understand, instantly run to “it’s wrong”, “it’s bad”, “there’s something wrong with it”. Especially when they think of vampires, when people think of vampires, witches, Wiccans, they instantly think we’re all worshiping you-know-who, they think we’re worshiping the devil,” says Jamie Fisher. “In the vampire community and subculture, we don’t have a set religion. You can go into our subculture and worship whoever you feel you need to worship or not worship at all. We will never force any kind of religious path on you. We just don’t see it as a need to be part of the community.”

“The vampire community is just a beautiful elegance of what humans would call outcasts. People like to give things up all the time, but where there’s one person’s outcast, that’s another person’s mentor, that’s another person’s guiding light,” Fisher explains.

Furthermore, a vampire, goth, or alternative person who has a community is no longer an outcast.

If you are interested in Vampyre Court in Shreveport, visit them on Facebook or Instagram.

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