All Female Krewe Brings Finesse to Uptown Route

By Jade Myers

The 2018 Mardi Gras Season kicked off to an early start, entertaining locals and visitors with music, and news takes on character-themed floats. The Mystic Krewe of Femme Fatale, founded in 2013, was among the several parades to make their moves on Feb. 4th. Femme Fatale is the first Krewe founded by African-American Women, for African-American Women, though all women of all backgrounds are welcomed. Femme Fatale’s colors are candy apple red, black and white and their signature throw is a designer lady’s compact, which symbolizes a constant inward and outward reflection. The parade began at 11 a.m., making its way Uptown. The krewe started on Jefferson Avenue, then made its way down Magazine Street, and proceeded through St. Charles Avenue and ended on Poydras Street.

Though this is the krewe’s sixth year hosting a parade, Femme Fatale’s routines were well rehearsed. The parade started off with the krewe’s very own female dance crew, “Cherchez La Femme.” Some residents who attended the parade said that they’ve been going to the earlier parades almost all their life.

“In New Orleans, Mardi Gras parades are part of the traditions down here, that are passed down from generation to generation, and it’s about enjoying family and friends,” said Germaine Broussard, a St. Charles resident.

“I remember when I was a child, we were living near here and my mom dressed me and my brother up as little clowns for the parades, with the little hat and red and white polka dots,” Broussard said.

Like Broussard, for many residents, Mardi Gras is part of their lives. It’s something that they grew up with, something that will always be a piece to their puzzle. For other residents, they get a little bit more out of the parades than traditions and entertainment, but this is an opportunity for them to interact with individuals from other cities across the world.

“Mardi Gras is a time to get out and mingle with different people, you see so many people from different places, and it’s just a way for them to see what our City is about,” said Patrice Lewis, a New Orleans East resident.

Femme Fatale’s Queen for their Sixth Annual Parade was Kimberly Prater McPherson. The all-female krewe had a total of 400 members with 18 floats. Some floats matched the theme of the parade, but others were designed from a range of characters depicted from movies like “Beauty and the Beast,” “Chicago and Annie,” and “Les Misérables.” The krewe threw the crowd their signature compact themed beads, Barbie dolls and bags shaped like a lipstick.

“My favorite part about Mardi Gras, used to be about me and my friends getting together and enjoying the parades, but now I enjoy watching my grandkids experience the parades,” said Ronald Dolliper, an Uptown New Orleans resident.

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