View source for Ball culture

{{short description|Black and Latino LGBT subculture in the United States}}
{{hatnote|Not to be confused with [[Ball (dance party)]].}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2020}}
[[File:Drag on Ball - Voguing Ball in Berlin 2018 - 1.jpg|thumb|Dancer at a ball in Berlin in 2018]]
The '''Ballroom scene''' (also known as the '''Ballroom community''', '''Ballroom culture''', or just '''Ballroom''') is an [[African Americans|African-American]] and [[Latin Americans|Latino]] underground [[LGBTQ culture|LGBTQ+ subculture]]. The scene traces its origins to the [[cross-dressing ball|drag balls]] of the mid-19th century [[United States]], such as those hosted by [[William Dorsey Swann]], a formerly [[Slavery in the United States|enslaved]] Black man in [[Washington, D.C.|Washington D.C.]]. By the early 20th century, [[Racial integration|integrated]] drag balls were popular in cities such as [[New York City|New York]], [[Chicago]], [[New Orleans]], [[Baltimore]], and [[Philadelphia]]. In the mid-20th century, as a response to [[Racism in the United States|racism]] in integrated drag spaces, the balls evolved into house ballroom, where Black and Latino attendees could "walk" in a variety of categories for [[Trophy|trophies]] and cash [[prize]]s. Most participants in ballroom belong to groups known as "houses", where [[Family of choice|chosen families]] of friends form relationships and communities separate from their families of origin, from which they may be estranged.<ref name="HIV/AIDS risk reduction strategies for2">{{cite web |last=Podhurst |first=L. |author2=Credle J. |date=June 10, 2007 |title=HIV/AIDS risk reduction strategies for Gay youth of color in the "house" community. (Meeting Abstracts) |url=http://gateway.nlm.nih.gov/MeetingAbstracts/102231503.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090817103315/http://gateway.nlm.nih.gov/MeetingAbstracts/ma?f=102231503.html |archive-date=August 17, 2009 |access-date=October 20, 2007 |publisher=[[U.S. National Library of Medicine]] |page=13 |volume=12 |issue=913 |location=Newark}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite book |last=Stuart |first=Baker |title=Voguing and the house ballroom scene of New York City 1989–92 |date=January 1, 2011 |publisher=Soul Jazz Records |isbn=9780955481765 |oclc=863223074}}</ref> The influence of ballroom culture can be seen in dance, language, music, and popular culture, and the community continues to be prominent today.

==History==
{{Quote box
| title = Langston Hughes describes his experience at a New York drag ball in the 1920s
| quote = "Strangest and gaudiest of all Harlem spectacles in the '20s, and still the strangest and gaudiest, is the annual Hamilton Club Lodge Ball at Rockland Palace Casino. I once attended as a guest of A'Lelia Walker. It is the ball where men dress as women and women dress as men. During the height of the New Negro era and the tourist invasion of Harlem, it was fashionable for the intelligentsia and social leaders of both Harlem and the downtown area to occupy boxes at this ball and look down from above at the queerly assorted throng on the dancing floor, males in flowing gowns and feathered headdresses and females in tuxedoes and box-back suits."
| author = [[Langston Hughes]]
| source = ''[[The Big Sea]]'', Spectacles in Color<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hughes |first=Langston |url=https://pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca/thebigsea/chapter/spectacles-in-color/ |title=The Big Sea |date=1940 |publisher=[[Alfred A. Knopf]] | isbn=0809015498 |language=English}}</ref>
| align = right
| width = 21%
}}
Since the beginning of colonial settlement in the United States, there have been individuals contradicting gendered expectations.<ref name=":02">{{Cite book |last=Stryker |first=Susan |url=https://archive.org/details/transgender-history-the-roots-of-todays-revolution-2nd-edition-by-susan-stryker-2017-z-lib.org/mode/2up |title=Transgender History: The Roots of Today's Revolution |date=November 2017 |publisher=Hachette Book Group |isbn=978-1-580-05690-8 |edition=2nd |location=New York, NY |language=en}}</ref> However, it was not until the mid-19th century, as urbanization allowed for increased independence and anonymity, that cities provided a space for [[LGBTQ|LGBTQ+]] communities to form.<ref name=":02" /> In the 1880s, [[drag balls]] became a popular gathering space for people living different gendered lives. [[William Dorsey Swann]], the first person known to describe himself as a [[drag queen]], hosted secret balls in [[Washington, D.C.]]. Many of the attendees were Black men, and Swann himself was a formerly [[Slavery in the United States|enslaved]] person. Swann and other attendees were arrested in police raids numerous times, but the balls continued. By the 1890s, drag events were also being organized in New York City, and by 1930, racially integrated public drag balls in Chicago, New Orleans, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and other US cities were bringing hundreds of cross-dressing and gender-nonconforming individuals together and attracting large crowds.<ref name="Beemyn2">{{Cite book |last=Erickson-Schroth |first=Laura |url=https://archive.org/details/laura-erickson-schroth-editor-trans-bodies-trans-selves-a-resource-for-the-trans/mode/2up |title=Trans Bodies, Trans Selves |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2014 |isbn=978-0199325351 |location=New York |pages=501–536 |language=en |url-access=registration}}</ref> Use of family terms such as "mother" to denote rank among ball participants were recorded in the early 20th century, and phrases such as "strike a pose" and "vogue" can be traced back to the 1930s.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Joseph |first=Channing Gerard |date=January 31, 2020 |title=The First Drag Queen Was a Former Slave |url=https://www.thenation.com/article/society/drag-queen-slave-ball/ |access-date=February 6, 2024 |work=The Nation |archive-date=February 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210202152031/https://www.thenation.com/article/society/drag-queen-slave-ball/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

As the 20th century progressed, organizations advocating for transgender rights were established and community spaces for LGBTQ+ people grew in number, but many were white-dominated and exclusive.<ref name=":02" /> Though drag balls were often integrated, Black performers faced racism at balls, leading to a rise of Black balls in the 1960s. In 1972, Harlem drag queens Lottie and [[Crystal LaBeija]] founded the first house, the [[House of LaBeija]], and drag balls evolved into house ballroom.<ref name=":4"/> In the ballroom scene, Black and Latino drag performers could achieve glory, find surrogate families, and feel a sense of belonging.<ref name="Beemyn2" /> Miss Major, who came out as transgender in her teens in late 1950s Chicago and was part of African American drag ball culture, describes the balls in a 1998 interview.<ref name=":02" /><blockquote>"[The balls] were phenomenal! It was like going to the Oscars show today. Everybody dressed up. Guys in tuxedos, queens in gowns that you would not believe—I mean, things that they would have been working on all year. There was a queen in the South Side who would do the South City Ball. There was one on the North Side who would do the Maypole Ball. There were different ones in different areas at different times. And the straight people who would come and watch, they were different than the ones who come today. They just appreciated what was going on. They would applaud the girls when they were getting out of one Cadillac after another. It was just that the money was there, and the timing was right, and the energy was there to do this thing with an intensity that people just don't seem to have today. It seems to have dissipated. Then it was always a wonder—whether you participated, whether you watched, whether you just wore a little cocktail dress and a small fur coat —it was just a nice time." —Miss Major</blockquote>

Ball culture was captured and shown to a mainstream audience in [[Jennie Livingston]]'s documentary ''[[Paris Is Burning (film)|Paris is Burning]]'' (1991). In 2006, [[Wolfgang Busch]] released the documentary ''[[How Do I Look]]'', a response to ''[[Paris Is Burning (film)|Paris is Burning]]'', featuring [[Pepper LaBeija]], [[Willi Ninja]], [[Octavia St. Laurent]], [[Jose Xtravaganza]] and [[Kevin Omni]]. Ball culture has since migrated to such countries as [[Canada]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/arts/8-canadian-vogue-and-ballroom-stars-you-need-to-know-1.6384505|title=8 Canadian vogue and ballroom stars you need to know|author=Miyake-Mugler, Twysted|date=March 17, 2022|publisher=[[CBC Arts]]|access-date=February 16, 2025|archive-date=March 25, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250325233437/https://www.cbc.ca/arts/8-canadian-vogue-and-ballroom-stars-you-need-to-know-1.6384505|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Japan]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gaytimes.com/originals/how-japan-is-raising-its-own-legendary-ballroom-scene/|title=How Japan is raising its own legendary ballroom scene|author=Joplin, Kat|date=August 17, 2023|magazine=[[Gay Times]]}}</ref> and the [[United Kingdom]].<ref>{{cite web|website=[[HuffPost]]|title=London Is Burning! How Ballroom Culture Is Flourishing Abroad|author=Londyn, Andrew Londyn|date=December 12, 2017|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/london-is-burning-how-queer-ballroom-culture-flourishes_b_5a2e660ce4b04e0bc8f3b682|access-date=March 13, 2022|archive-date=November 22, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221122105958/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/london-is-burning-how-queer-ballroom-culture-flourishes_b_5a2e660ce4b04e0bc8f3b682|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Cities with prominent ball culture==
===New York City===

[[LGBT culture in New York City|New York City]] is the center of the world's drag ball culture. [[Cross dressing ball]]s have existed in the city since the 1800s; the [[Hamilton Lodge Ball]] in 1869 is the first recorded drag ball in US history.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stabbe |first=Oliver |date=2016-03-30 |title=Queens and queers: The rise of drag ball culture in the 1920s |url=https://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/queens-and-queers-rise-drag-ball-culture-1920s |access-date=2022-10-27 |website=National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution |language=en |archive-date=March 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230328111957/https://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/queens-and-queers-rise-drag-ball-culture-1920s |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Fleeson |first=Lucinda |date=June 27, 2007 |title=The Gay '30s |url=https://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/November-2005/The-Gay-30S/ |access-date=2022-10-27 |website=Chicago Magazine |language=en-US |archive-date=February 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210211004954/https://www.chicagomag.com/chicago-magazine/november-2005/the-gay-30s/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In the 1920s, female impersonators competed in fashion shows in bars two or three times a year. Black queens would sometimes participate but rarely won prizes due to discrimination.<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal |last=Bailey |first=Marlon M. |date=April 21, 2014 |title=Engendering space: Ballroom culture and the spatial practice of possibility in Detroit |journal=Gender, Place & Culture |volume=21 |issue=4 |pages=489–507 |doi=10.1080/0966369X.2013.786688 |issn=0966-369X |s2cid=15450392}}</ref> In the 1970s, Black queens [[Crystal LaBeija]] and her friend, Lottie, began their own drag ball titled [[House of LaBeija]], kickstarting the current ballroom scene in New York.<ref name=":3" /> Crystal and Lottie are credited with founding the first House in ballroom.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-lgbtq-icon-behind-frank-oceans-endless/|title=The Iconic Drag Queen Behind Frank Ocean's 'Endless'|last=Street|first=Mikelle|date=August 19, 2016|website=Vice|language=en|access-date=November 30, 2019|archive-date=June 14, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180614025840/https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/kwkwqy/the-lgbtq-icon-behind-frank-oceans-endless|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1989, The House of Latex was created as a call to action in the ballroom community to bridge the gap between [[HIV]] and STI prevention and ballroom culture.<ref name=":4"/>

=== Washington, DC ===
[[File:Voguing Masquerade Ball (30384506411).jpg|thumb|Dancer in a ball at Washington, DC's [[National Museum of African Art]], 2016 ]]
[[William Dorsey Swann]] organized a series of drag balls in the DC area during the 1880s and 1890s.<ref name=Whiting>{{cite web |url=https://www.whiting.org/content/channing-gerard-joseph#/ |title=2019 Creative Nonfiction Grantee: Channing Gerard Joseph |website=whiting.org |access-date=February 8, 2020 |archive-date=February 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200208175213/https://www.whiting.org/content/channing-gerard-joseph#/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

This account from the metropolitan [[Washington, D.C.]] area describes how ball culture and drag houses developed about 1960:

{{blockquote|Some regular house parties became institutionalized as drag "houses" and "families". The leader, or "mother", often provided not only the opportunity for parties but also instruction and mentoring in the arts of make-up, selecting clothes, lip-synching, portraying a personality, walking, and related skills. Those taught became "drag daughters", who in turn mentored others, creating entire "drag families". Drag houses became the first social support groups in the city's gay and lesbian community. House names often came from addresses of the house 'mother', such as Mother Billy Bonhill's Belmont House at 15th and Belmont NW, or associations with the "mother's" chosen personality, as Mame Dennis's Beekman Place.<ref name="DragDC">{{cite web |title=Drag in DC |url=http://www.rainbowhistory.org/drag.htm |website=rainbowhistory.org |publisher=The Rainbow History Project |access-date=3 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080515145528/http://www.rainbowhistory.org/drag.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=15 May 2008}}</ref>}}

The dance styles which later characterized drag houses had not been developed; competitions between houses involved standard drag performances in which entertainers lip-synced or, rarely, sang. In contrast to the New York houses in ''[[Paris Is Burning (film)|Paris Is Burning]]'', some of the Washington, D.C. house mothers were white.{{citation needed|date=February 2020}} African-American drag queens were a prominent part of the community:

{{blockquote|Venues for drag shows and competitions were a constant challenge in the 1960s. The Uptown Lounge sponsored monthly drag contests, an event later duplicated at Johnnie's on Capitol Hill. Chunga's drag shows at the Golden Key Club in [[North Beach, Maryland|North Beach]], Maryland, were a popular Sunday event. The major hotels' resistance to drag events was not broken until February 1968 when African-American drag impresario Black Pearl staged the gala Black Pearl International Awards at the [[Washington Hilton]]. It was the drag event of the year.<ref name="DragDC" />}}

The Washington, D.C. ball community consists primarily of African-American and Latino participants, and has adopted many attributes seen in ''Paris Is Burning''. Nineteen-sixties-style drag shows and competitions still exist, with their own audience. Ball patrons will find similar categories (such as "banjee thug realness" and "vogue") as audience members.

The Washington ballroom scene was created by Icon Founder Lowell Khanh (Lowell Thomas Hickman, (1987)) and Icon Eric Christian-Bazaar. The House of Khanh was the first House outside of New York that wasn't a part of a New York house. From the House of Khanh came the House of Milan.
During the 1990s, more houses appeared in the area due to the efforts of Twain Miyake-Mugler ("father" of the House of Miyake Mugler, D.C. Chapter), Icon Harold Balenciaga (founder of the house of Balenciaga), Icons Shannon Garcon and Whitney Garcon (founders of the House of Garcon<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://projects.aljazeera.com/2014/on-the-runway/|title=Ovahness Ball|work=[[Al Jazeera America]]|access-date=June 27, 2018|archive-date=February 27, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160227014750/http://projects.aljazeera.com/2014/on-the-runway/|url-status=live}}</ref> and charter members of The Legendary House of Miyake-Mugler).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://walk4mewednesdays.com/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130302220820/http://walk4mewednesdays.com/|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 2, 2013|title=Walk For Me Online|date=March 2, 2013|access-date=June 27, 2018}}</ref> The city hosts a series of annual balls, in which contestants compete for trophies and cash prizes.

===Baltimore===
[[Baltimore, Maryland|Baltimore]] has a well-established ball community.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/skarlan/capturing-baltimores-hidden-world-of-ballroom-voguers|title=Capturing Baltimore's Hidden World Of Ballroom Voguers|first=Sarah|last=Karlan|website=BuzzFeed|date=April 23, 2014 |access-date=December 26, 2019|archive-date=December 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191226000353/https://www.buzzfeed.com/skarlan/capturing-baltimores-hidden-world-of-ballroom-voguers|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1931, the newspaper ''[[Baltimore Afro-American]]'' covered a local [[Cross dressing ball|drag ball]]. The article detailed the "coming out of new debutantes into gay society". By the 1930s, the drag ball culture was starting to emerge in the Black communities in major cities such as [[LGBT culture in Baltimore|Baltimore]], [[LGBT culture in Chicago|Chicago]], and New York. ''The Afro'' reported that "The coming out of new debutantes into homosexual society was the outstanding feature of Baltimore's eighth annual frolic of the pansies when the art club was host to the neuter gender at the Elks' Hall."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/outofthepast/past/p3/1931.html|title=Coming Out|website=Out of the Past: 400 Years of Lesbian and Gay History in America|publisher=PBS Online|access-date=May 18, 2019|archive-date=May 7, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190507150642/http://www.pbs.org/outofthepast/past/p3/1931.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Philadelphia===
[[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|Philadelphia]] has a well-established ball community.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/23/style/celebrating-the-modern-ballroom-scene.html|title=Celebrating the Modern Ballroom Scene (Published 2019)|first=Jewels|last=Dodson|newspaper=The New York Times|date=November 23, 2019|access-date=July 3, 2020|archive-date=July 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200703220917/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/23/style/celebrating-the-modern-ballroom-scene.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Philadelphia's first ball was the Onyx Ball which took place in August 1989.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.inquirer.com/philly/blogs/things_to_do/philadelphias-ballroom-scene-makes-a-comeback-with-a-monthly-night-at-woodys-20181114.html |title=Philadelphia's ballroom scene makes a comeback with a monthly night at Woody's |last=Street |first=Mikelle |publisher=The Philadelphia Inquirer |date=November 14, 2018 |access-date=December 20, 2020 |archive-date=November 5, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201105010431/https://www.inquirer.com/philly/blogs/things_to_do/philadelphias-ballroom-scene-makes-a-comeback-with-a-monthly-night-at-woodys-20181114.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.out.com/film/2019/12/10/new-legendary-documentary-captures-philly-ballroom-scene |title=Watch 'Legendary' Documentary That Captures Philly Ballroom Scene |last=Street |first=Mikelle |publisher=Out |date=December 10, 2019 |access-date=December 20, 2020 |archive-date=January 22, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122063952/https://www.out.com/film/2019/12/10/new-legendary-documentary-captures-philly-ballroom-scene |url-status=live }}</ref>

The documentary ''[[How Do I Look]]'' partially focused on the ball community in Philadelphia.

===Atlanta===
[[Atlanta Black Pride|Atlanta]] has one of the most prominent ball communities south of Washington, D.C.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://nylon.com/atlanta-is-burning |title=THE SOUTH'S BALLROOM SUBCULTURE IS HERE, AND IT'S THRIVING |date=November 14, 2018 |publisher=Nylon |access-date=December 20, 2020 |archive-date=November 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201102145904/https://www.nylon.com/atlanta-is-burning |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.wussymag.com/all/2019/1/1/state-of-the-atlanta-queer-scene-2019-edition |title=State of the Atlanta Queer Scene in 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101223602/https://www.wussymag.com/all/2019/1/1/state-of-the-atlanta-queer-scene-2019-edition |archive-date=November 1, 2020 |work=WUSSY Magazine}}</ref> In 2018, ''[[Vogue Magazine]]'' published an article discussing Atlanta's underground ball scene.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.vogue.com/article/red-bull-music-atlanta-is-burning-ball-ballroom-party-drag-queer-morph-southern-fried-queer-pride | title=See All of the Bold Looks from This Massive Atlanta Dance Party–Ball Hybrid | date=November 19, 2018 | access-date=October 19, 2023 | archive-date=January 17, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210117010134/https://www.vogue.com/article/red-bull-music-atlanta-is-burning-ball-ballroom-party-drag-queer-morph-southern-fried-queer-pride | url-status=live }}</ref>

Several balls are held in Atlanta each year. Also several major houses established in other major cities have opened chapters in Atlanta.<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://www.redbull.com/us-en/music/events/red-bull-music-atl-is-burning-ball|title = Red Bull Music Presents: ATL is Burning Ball|website = [[Red Bull]]|access-date = October 14, 2019|archive-date = October 14, 2019|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191014212314/https://www.redbull.com/us-en/music/events/red-bull-music-atl-is-burning-ball|url-status = live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://i-d.co/article/atlanta-is-burning-vogue-ballroom-culture/ |title=Meet the Ballroom Legends of Atlanta's Underground Voguing Scene |first=Michelle |last=Lhooq |date=November 19, 2018 |access-date=December 21, 2020 |archive-date=December 4, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201204035617/https://i-d.vice.com/en_us/article/8xpq8a/atlanta-is-burning-vogue-ballroom-culture |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.wussymag.com/all/2016/2/21/wussytv-atlanta-house-of-escada |title=WussyTV: Atlanta's House of Escada Celebrates 20th Anniversary Ball |publisher=Wussy |date=February 22, 2016 |access-date=December 21, 2020 |archive-date=April 22, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422025951/https://www.wussymag.com/all/2016/2/21/wussytv-atlanta-house-of-escada |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.essence.com/lifestyle/latex-ball-heavenly-first/ |title=ESSENCE Staffers Go To Heaven For Their First Latex Ball Experience |last=Pointdujour |first=Danielle |publisher=Essence |date=June 28, 2019 |access-date=December 21, 2020 |archive-date=July 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200719031523/https://www.essence.com/lifestyle/latex-ball-heavenly-first/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== St. Louis ===
Most of St. Louis' ballroom scene is intertwined with the drag scene since the ballroom scene is not as major as the other metropolitan cities like Chicago, Atlanta, New York, etc. According to Mapping LGBTQ STL, the first ball in St. Louis was called 'Miss Fannie's Artists' Ball', which began in the mid-1950s and was organized by the Jolly Jesters Social Group, and the ball helped to raise funds for charitable institutions in the Black community. This was at a time when those participating were called 'female impersonators', whom we refer to today as drag performers. Currently, there is a distinct separation between both drag culture and performers and ball culture and performers, even though as stated previously, most artists and performers participate in both.<ref>{{Cite web |last=continue |first=scroll down to |date=2021-06-02 |title=Miss Fannie's Ball |url=https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/79e71cc8385f4a6e9e6d6caed39cc8e0 |access-date=2022-10-19 |website=ArcGIS StoryMaps |language=en}}</ref>

There is also a Kiki scene in St. Louis, smaller than both the drag and ballroom scene, but emerging.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Straube |first=Trent |date=2021-10-01 |title=Kiki With a Legendary HIV Advocate |url=https://www.poz.com/article/kiki-legendary-hiv-advocate-ballroom-vogue-maven-lee |access-date=2022-10-20 |website=POZ |language=en |archive-date=October 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221020122723/https://www.poz.com/article/kiki-legendary-hiv-advocate-ballroom-vogue-maven-lee |url-status=live }}</ref> One of the organizers for the Kiki and mainstream balls is Maven Logik Lee and one of the commentators/MC is Meko Lee Burr. A major ballroom house in the scene is the House of Ebony, St. Louis chapter, founded by Spirit Ebony.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Andoe |first=Chris |date=2021-05-03 |title=Two St. Louis natives reveal the world of kiki in a new streaming series |url=https://www.stlmag.com/api/content/859cc128-9887-11eb-955f-1244d5f7c7c6/ |access-date=2022-10-20 |website=www.stlmag.com |language=en-us}}</ref>

=== San Juan, Puerto Rico ===
San Juan, Puerto Rico also has a prominent ballroom community. 

Laboratoria Boricua de Vogue, or the House of Labori, is a major house in Puerto Rico that was established in 2021 and holds multiple balls each year. Puerto Ricans have influenced ball culture outside of the archipelago, with many New York houses having Puerto Rican presence and influence.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Rivera Velázquezq |first=Celiany |date=Summer 2024 |title=Caribbean Kiki: The Cuir Irreverence of Puerto Rican LaBoriVogue and Dominican Draguéalo |url=https://centropr.hunter.cuny.edu/publications/centro-journal |journal=Centro Journal |volume=36 |issue=2 |via=EBSCOHost}}</ref>

== HIV/AIDS epidemic ==
{{Update section|date=June 2024}}
The ball community is heavily impacted by the [[HIV/AIDS]] epidemic, as transgender people of color and [[men who have sex with men]] (MSM) are the highest risk communities for contracting the virus in the US.  Since the 1980s, many notable members of the ball community died due to HIV/AIDS complications including [[Willi Ninja]], [[Hector Xtravaganza]], and [[Angie Xtravaganza]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://umsi580.lsait.lsa.umich.edu/s/a-history-of-ballroom-documenting-the-era-of-ballroom-1972-1990/page/legends-of-ballroom | title=Legends of Ballroom · UMSI580 }}</ref> In the United States, MSM make up roughly 83% of all estimated HIV diagnoses in males.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=HV Surveillance Supplemental Report: Estimated HIV Incidence and Prevalence in the United States, 2018–2022 |url=https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/156513 |language=en}}</ref> Young black men have been found to be especially at risk for contracting the virus. From 2006 to 2009, the percentage of black MSM aged 13–29 who were diagnosed with HIV increased by 48%.<ref name="CDC2">{{Cite web |date=May 2012 |title=Fact Sheet HIV among Gay and Bisexual Men |url=https://chipts.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2012/05/Fact-Sheet_HIV-among-Gay-and-Bisexual-Men.pdf |website=chipts.ucla.edu |access-date=June 29, 2024 |archive-date=June 29, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240629162731/https://chipts.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2012/05/Fact-Sheet_HIV-among-Gay-and-Bisexual-Men.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2022, new HIV diagnoses in MSM aged 13-24 decreased by 31%, although new HIV diagnoses amongst black MSM decreased by 16%.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sanchez |first=Enrique |date=2024-09-26 |title=2024 National Gay Men's HIV/AIDS Awareness Day - CHIPTS - Center for HIV Identification, Prevention and Treatment Services |url=https://chipts.ucla.edu/news/2024-national-gay-mens-hiv-aids-awareness-day/#:~:text=In%202022,%20the%20estimated%20number,bisexual%20men%20aged%2013-24 |access-date=2025-02-28 |language=en-US}}</ref> Many healthcare providers and medical service professionals have reached out to the community to perform research, teach sex education, offer free testing, and host balls to promote safe sex, such as the Latex Ball that is hosted by the Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC) in New York.<ref name=":7">{{Cite web |last=Barksdale |first=Aaron |date=2017-08-02 |title=The Latex Ball's HIV Advocacy Highlights Young Queer People of Color |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-latex-balls-hiv-advocacy-highlights-young-queer-people-of-color/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211025201514/https://www.vice.com/en/article/evng7j/the-latex-balls-hiv-advocacy-highlights-young-queer-people-of-color |archive-date=2021-10-25 |access-date=2024-03-01 |website=Vice |url-status=live |language=en}}</ref>

Researchers with ProjectVOGUE also reached out to the ball community for assistance with vaccine trials and testing because minority participation is generally very low. The lack of participation stems from a historical distrust that African-Americans and [[Latinos]] have had of the government due to government-sponsored projects such as the [[Tuskegee syphilis experiment]].<ref name=":6">{{Cite journal |last1=Alio |first1=Amina P. |last2=Fields |first2=Sheldon D. |last3=Humes |first3=Damon L. |last4=Bunce |first4=Catherine A. |last5=Wallace |first5=Stephaun E. |last6=Lewis |first6=Cindi |last7=Elder |first7=Heather |last8=Wakefield |first8=Steven |last9=Keefer |first9=Michael C. |last10=for the NIAID HIV Vaccine Trials Network |date=2014-07-01 |title=Project VOGUE: A partnership for increasing HIV knowledge and HIV vaccine trial awareness among House Ball leaders in Western New York |journal=Journal of Gay & Lesbian Social Services |volume=26 |issue=3 |pages=336–354 |doi=10.1080/10538720.2014.924892 |issn=1053-8720 |pmc=4308092 |pmid=25642120}}</ref> ProjectVOGUE is led by researchers and professionals from the [[University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry]], [[Florida International University]], the [[Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center]], and the MOCHA (Men of Color Health Association) Center. They aimed to create a partnership with the [[Western New York]] ball community and held monthly meetings where safe sex methods were taught along with information about the HIV trial vaccine. Community members were initially incentivized to attend with $25 gift cards and transportation vouchers.<ref name=":6" />

These joint meeting sessions also branched out to cover topics such as substance abuse, [[Sexually transmitted infection|STI]] prevention, violence within the ball community, and more. ProjectVOGUE researchers utilized the House "family" structure by taking 15 "mothers", "fathers", founders, and more on a retreat to gauge the community's knowledge of HIV, while encouraging them to teach their "children" about HIV prevention. At the end of the study, participants had an increased knowledge about HIV, HIV vaccine research, and were more likely to participate in a study.<ref name=":6" /> The ballroom family structure amongst many Houses may also include HIV prevention activities internally, with house "mothers" helping educate their children on safe sex behaviors.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Arnold |first1=Emily A. |last2=Bailey |first2=Marlon M. |date=2009-04-23 |title=Constructing Home and Family: How the Ballroom Community Supports African American GLBTQ Youth in the Face of HIV/AIDS |journal=Journal of Gay & Lesbian Social Services |language=en |volume=21 |issue=2–3 |pages=171–188 |doi=10.1080/10538720902772006 |pmid=23136464 |issn=1053-8720 |pmc=3489283 }}</ref> However, HIV prevention workers have expressed concerns that additional measures are needed to ensure that such behaviors are applied in practice.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Susman |first=Tara |date=2000 |title=The Vogue of Life: Fashion Culture, Identity, and the Dance of Survival in the Gay BalIs |journal=DisClosure: A Journal of Social Theory |volume=9 |issue=1 |url=https://uknowledge.uky.edu/disclosure/vol9/iss1/15/ |language=en |doi=10.13023/DISCLOSURE.09.15}}</ref>

Many other partnerships have formed across the country between the healthcare industry and the ball community to encourage HIV prevention. Although HIV/AIDS took, and continues to take, the lives of many ball participants, the community has grown tighter as a result of collective mourning and shared celebrations of life in the wake of grief.<ref name=":7" /> In the ballroom scene, the spread of HIV/AIDS has resulted in an increase of non-traditional thematic performances, as a means to express collective grief and solidarity while also fighting the stigmas associated with such diagnoses.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Buratta |first=Ben |date=2020 |title=Dance-Floor Dramaturgy: Unlearning the Shame and Stigma of HIV through Theatre |url=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/760705 |journal=Theatre Topics |volume=30 |issue=2 |pages=57–68 |doi=10.1353/tt.2020.0029 |issn=1086-3346 |url-access=subscription |archive-date=May 7, 2025 |access-date=April 18, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250507071942/https://muse.jhu.edu/article/760705 |url-status=live }}</ref>

{{anchor|Personality}}

==Houses==
Houses function as alternative families, primarily consisting of [[African Americans|Black]] and [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Latino]] LGBTQ+ individuals, and provide shelter for those who feel ostracized by conventional support systems.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.standardhotels.com/culture/a-gif-guide-to-voguing--short-history|title=A GIF Guide to Voguing (+ Short History)|access-date=May 2, 2017|language=en|archive-date=June 12, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612142226/http://www.standardhotels.com/culture/a-gif-guide-to-voguing--short-history|url-status=live}}</ref> Houses are led by "mothers" and "fathers" who are experienced members of the ballroom scene, typically [[drag queen]]s, [[gay men]] or [[trans woman|transgender women]], who provide guidance and support for their house "children".<ref name="auto">{{Cite journal|last=Bailey|first=Marlon|title=Gender/Racial Realness: Theorizing the Gender System in Ballroom Culture|journal=Feminist Studies|year=2011|volume=37|issue=2|pages=365–386|doi=10.1353/fem.2011.0016|s2cid=146493953}}</ref> The children of a house are each other's "siblings".<ref name="auto"/>

All houses were founded in U.S. cities, mostly in the [[northeastern United States|Northeast]]. These include [[New York City]], [[Newark, New Jersey|Newark]], [[Jersey City, New Jersey|Jersey City]], [[Philadelphia]], [[Pittsburgh]], [[Baltimore]], [[Washington, D.C.]], [[Atlanta]]<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Jackson|first=Jonathon|title=The Social World of Voguing|journal=Journal for the Anthropological Study of Human Movement|volume=12|pages=26–42}}</ref> as well as [[Chicago]]<ref name="AJPH">{{Cite journal |last1=Singer |first1=Randi Beth |last2=Crooks |first2=Natasha |last3=Singer |first3=Rebecca |last4=Green |first4=Noel |last5=Stamps |first5=Jahari |last6=Patil |first6=Crystal |last7=Matthews |first7=Alicia |date=January 2022 |title=Ballroom Icons and the Power to Promote COVID-19 Vaccination Among Black and Brown LGBTQ + Individuals |journal=American Journal of Public Health |language=en |volume=112 |issue=1 |pages=17–20 |doi=10.2105/AJPH.2021.306581 |issn=0090-0036 |pmc=8713606 |pmid=34936395}}</ref> and [[Oakland, California|Oakland]], California. Houses that win trophies and gain recognition through years of participation (usually ten years) reach the rank of legendary. Houses with 20+ years of participation are deemed iconic.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|last=Susman|first=Tara|title=The Vogue of Life: Fashion Culture, Identity, and the Dance of Survival in the Gay BalIs|journal=DisClosure: A Journal of Social Theory|volume=9}}</ref> Typically, house members adopt the name of their house as their last name.<ref name="Legends of the Ball: Paris Is">{{cite web|url=http://www.villagevoice.com/2000-01-11/news/legends-of-the-ball/|title=Legends of the Ball: Paris Is Still Burning|last=Trebay|first=Guy|date=January 12–18, 2000|work=[[The Village Voice]]|author2=Credle J.|access-date=October 20, 2007|archive-date=August 3, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080803043518/http://www.villagevoice.com/2000-01-11/news/legends-of-the-ball/|url-status=live}}</ref> Those currently not in a house carry the last name "007" (pronounced "double-oh seven").

===Notable houses===
Notable houses include:
* The [[House of LaBeija|Royal House of LaBeija]] (founded by [[Crystal LaBeija]], co-founder of [[ballroom culture]]; and chiefly run by [[Pepper LaBeija]] in the 1980s and 1990s)<ref name="dc">{{cite web|url=http://www.rainbowhistory.org/html/drag.html|title=The Rainbow History Project: Drag in DC|date=2000–2007|publisher=Rainbow History Project|access-date=October 20, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140614052021/http://www.rainbowhistory.org/html/drag.html|archive-date=June 14, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="paris">{{Cite web |url=http://www.combustiblecelluloid.com/archive/parisburn.shtml |title=Paris Is Burning |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061026170242/http://www.combustiblecelluloid.com/archive/parisburn.shtml |archive-date=October 26, 2006 |date=1991 |work=Combustible Celluloid Review}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.howdoilooknyc.org/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070207121541/http://www.howdoilooknyc.org/|archivedate=February 7, 2007|title=How Do I Look}} ''How Do I Look'', an instruction DVD with limited distribution in New York City and Philadelphia, delves into the houses of the New York City ball culture.</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.tribecafilm.com/films/house-of-labeija-2022 | title=The House of LaBeija &#124; 2022 Tribeca Festival | access-date=April 21, 2022 | archive-date=March 27, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327044106/https://www.tribecafilm.com/films/house-of-labeija-2022 | url-status=live }}</ref> 
* The House Of Christian 
* The House Of Omni 
* The House Of Prodigy 
* The House Of Jourdan
* The [[House of Aviance]] (founded by [[Mother Juan Aviance]])<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lewis |first=Darvin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YEjREFmJP7cC&dq=%22house+of+aviance%22&pg=PA129 |title=How Big Is Your Faith |date=2008-01-21 |publisher=Darvin Lewis, author |isbn=978-1-4348-3347-1 |pages=129 |language=en}}</ref>
* The International House of Chanel (founded by RR Chanel in 1974)<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lubbers |first=Max |date=2021-11-24 |title=House of Chanel creates charitable foundation to promote community service across ballroom scene, beyond |url=https://windycitytimes.com/2021/11/24/house-of-chanel-creates-charitable-foundation-to-promote-community-service-across-ballroom-scene-beyond/ |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=Windy City Times |language=en-US}}</ref>
* The House of Balenciaga (founded by Harold Balenciaga)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ballroom {{!}} The House Of Balenciaga |url=https://www.houseofbalenciaga.org/ |access-date=2023-03-26 |website=House of Balenciaga |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-03-25 |title=Pop icons are 'mothers' now. The LGBTQ ballroom scene wants credit. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2023/03/25/mother-lgbtq-ballroom-expression/ |access-date=2023-03-26 |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Balenciaga |first=Overall Mother Shannon |title=Overall Mother Shannon Balenciaga |url=https://shannonbalenciaga.com/star |access-date=2023-03-26 |website=Overall Mother Shannon Balenciaga |language=en-US |archive-date=March 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326052223/https://shannonbalenciaga.com/star |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=Billy Porter Is Joined By Ballroom Legends To Serve 100% Pure Queer Excellence! {{!}} BET Awards '22 |date=June 26, 2022 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VIecTT_m-0 |access-date=2023-03-26 |language=en |archive-date=March 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326055216/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VIecTT_m-0 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Shannon Balenciaga - YouTube |url=https://www.youtube.com/@ShannonBalenciaga |access-date=2023-03-26 |website=www.youtube.com}}</ref>
* The House of Dupree (founded by [[Paris Dupree]]; currently{{when|date=February 2022}} closed).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Gay History Is Black History: These 10 Icons Prove It|url=https://www.theroot.com/gay-history-is-black-history-these-10-icons-prove-it-1835618603|access-date=2021-06-19|website=The Root|date=June 29, 2019 |language=en-us|archive-date=May 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210522202811/https://www.theroot.com/gay-history-is-black-history-these-10-icons-prove-it-1835618603|url-status=live}}</ref>
* The House of Ebony (founded by Larry Preylow Ebony and Richard Fears Ebony)<ref>{{Cite web |title=A timeline of Houses founded between 1972-1989 by Kevin Omni Burrus |url=https://umsi580.lsait.lsa.umich.edu/s/a-history-of-ballroom-documenting-the-era-of-ballroom-1972-1990/page/houses |access-date=17 March 2025 |website=A History of Ballroom: Documenting the Era of Ballroom (1972-1990)}}</ref>
* The House of Ferré<ref name=AJPH /> (founded by Jasmin Alexander Ferré){{Citation needed|date=April 2024}}
* The House of Garçon (founded by Whitney and Shannon Garçon)<ref>{{Cite web|last=Londyn|first=Andrew|date=December 12, 2017|title=London Is Burning! How Ballroom Culture Is Flourishing Abroad|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/london-is-burning-how-queer-ballroom-culture-flourishes_us_5a2e660ce4b04e0bc8f3b682|access-date=June 27, 2018|website=Huffington Post|language=en-US|archive-date=June 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200613072902/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/london-is-burning-how-queer-ballroom-culture-flourishes_b_5a2e660ce4b04e0bc8f3b682|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Riley |first=John |date=2023-11-06 |title=House of Garcon Serves Legendary Realness |url=https://www.metroweekly.com/2023/11/house-of-garcon-serves-legendary-realness/ |access-date=2023-11-21 |website=Metro Weekly |language=en-US |archive-date=November 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231121194325/https://www.metroweekly.com/2023/11/house-of-garcon-serves-legendary-realness/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Shannon Garcon - 2017 Unsung Hero Awardee {{!}} DC Black Pride 2017 |url=https://dcblackpride.org/2017/garcon-shannon.htm |access-date=2023-11-21 |website=dcblackpride.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Garcon |first=Shannon |date=2023-10-18 |title=The House of Garçon Celebrates 15 Years of Excellence with A Spectacular Anniversary House Ball |url=https://www.einpresswire.com/article/657890912/the-house-of-gar-on-celebrates-15-years-of-excellence-with-a-spectacular-anniversary-house-ball |access-date=2023-11-21 |website=EIN Presswire |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Mosby |first=Kwin |date=2023-08-07 |title=How D.C.'s House of Garçon Gives Voice and Visibility to Ballroom Culture |url=https://traveler.marriott.com/washington-dc/house-of-garcon-ballroom/ |access-date=2023-11-21 |website=Marriott Bonvoy Traveler |language=en-US |archive-date=October 16, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241016065234/https://traveler.marriott.com/washington-dc/house-of-garcon-ballroom/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Garcon |first=The House of |title=The House of Garcon makes history as one of the largest LGBTQ Organizations in attendance to the NAN March on Washington |url=https://www.prweb.com/releases/the-house-of-garcon-makes-history-as-one-of-the-largest-lgbtq-organizations-in-attendance-to-the-nan-march-on-washington-882918830.html |access-date=2023-11-21 |website=[[PRWeb]] |language=en}}</ref>
* The [[House of Ladosha]]<ref name=swag /> (founded by La Fem LaDosha and Cunty Crawford)
* The House of Latex<ref>{{Cite web |title=House of Latex Ball By Sir Honey Davenport |url=https://getoutmag.com/house-of-latex-ball-by-sir-honey-davenport/ |access-date=2025-03-17 |language=en-US |archive-date=February 19, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250219124953/https://getoutmag.com/house-of-latex-ball-by-sir-honey-davenport/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
* The House of Lauren<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lane · |first=Eden |date=2023-04-26 |title=Ballroom scene is emerging in Colorado, and it's a celebration of LGBTQ culture and its contributions to society |url=https://www.cpr.org/2023/04/26/ballroom-scene-is-emerging-in-colorado-and-its-a-celebration-of-lgbtq-culture-and-its-contributions-to-society/ |access-date=2024-04-11 |website=Colorado Public Radio |language=en |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613143050/https://www.cpr.org/2023/04/26/ballroom-scene-is-emerging-in-colorado-and-its-a-celebration-of-lgbtq-culture-and-its-contributions-to-society/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
* The House of Labori (also known as Laboratoria Boricua de Vogue)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Inside the World of Puerto Rico's Vogue Scene |url=https://www.advocate.com/people/puerto-rico-vogue-ballroom |access-date=2025-04-18 |website=www.advocate.com |language=en}}</ref>
* The House of Maison Margiela (founded by Vinny Margiela)<ref name=":10">{{Cite web |date=2024-07-15 |title=Ballroom New Houses |url=https://www.swervmagazine.com/entertainment-2/ballroom-new-houses/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240715204944/https://www.swervmagazine.com/entertainment-2/ballroom-new-houses/ |archive-date=15 July 2024 |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=Swerve Magazine}}</ref>
* The House of Mizrahi (founded by Andre Mizrahi)<ref>{{Cite web|date=2016-04-28|title=Tens across the board: The iconic House of Mizrahi|url=https://thegavoice.com/culture/tens-across-board-iconic-house-mizrahi-gay-lgbt/|access-date=2021-06-19|website=Georgia Voice - Gay & LGBT Atlanta News|language=en-US|archive-date=June 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624202236/https://thegavoice.com/culture/tens-across-board-iconic-house-mizrahi-gay-lgbt/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* The Iconic International House Of Miyake-Mugler (founded by The Iconic Overall Founding Father David Miyake-Mugler, Raleigh and Julian Mugler)<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/fashion-blog/2014/nov/18/-sp-vogueing-dance-came-back-into-vogue-madonna|title=How voguing came back into vogue|last=Hunt|first=Kenya|date=November 18, 2014|work=The Guardian|access-date=October 13, 2017|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077|archive-date=October 4, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171004010237/https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/fashion-blog/2014/nov/18/-sp-vogueing-dance-came-back-into-vogue-madonna|url-status=live}}</ref>
* The House of Ninja (founded by [[Willi Ninja]])<ref>{{Cite web|title=Willi Ninja, godfather of 'voguing,' dies at 45|url=https://www.today.com/popculture/willi-ninja-godfather-voguing-dies-45-wbna14688473|access-date=2021-06-19|website=TODAY.com|date=September 5, 2006 |language=en|archive-date=November 10, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191110025028/https://www.today.com/popculture/willi-ninja-godfather-voguing-dies-45-wbna14688473|url-status=live}}</ref>
* The House of [[Freddie Pendavis|Pendavis]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=House of Pendavis |url=https://umsi580.lsait.lsa.umich.edu/s/a-history-of-ballroom-documenting-the-era-of-ballroom-1972-1990/item/2049#?c=&m=&s=&cv=&xywh=1028%2C592%2C817%2C384 |website=University of Michigan |access-date=April 5, 2023 |archive-date=April 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405043116/https://umsi580.lsait.lsa.umich.edu/s/a-history-of-ballroom-documenting-the-era-of-ballroom-1972-1990/item/2049#?c=&m=&s=&cv=&xywh=1028%2C592%2C817%2C384 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* The House of Xclusive Lanvin (founded by Meechie, Keona, Kenny, and Kennidy Lanvin)<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-09-25 |title=Ballroom's House of Xclusive Lanvin Joins Its Fashion Namesake for a Legendary Project {{!}} Vogue |url=https://www.vogue.com/article/xclusive-house-of-lanvin-joins-forces-with-lanvin |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240925215835/https://www.vogue.com/article/xclusive-house-of-lanvin-joins-forces-with-lanvin |url-status=dead |archive-date=2024-09-25 |access-date=2025-03-17 }}</ref>
<!-- * The House of Verocity<ref name=AJPH /> -->
* The [[House of Xtravaganza]] (founded by Hector Valle, and chiefly run by [[Hector Xtravaganza]] and [[Angie Xtravaganza]] in the 1980s)
* The Royal House of Nina Oricci (founded by Gillette and Omari Mizrahi Oricci)<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jacolbe |first=Jessica |date=2 July 2021 |title=Artist Spotlight Omari Wiles |url=https://www.pbs.org/articles/artist-spotlight-omari-wiles |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=PBS |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-09-30 |title=A Queer Fashion Show for National Coming Out Day |url=https://www.outsmartmagazine.com/2021/09/a-queer-fashion-show-for-national-coming-out-day/ |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=OutSmart Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref>
* The House of West (founded by James, Afrika, Anthony, and Porkchop West)<ref>{{Cite web |date=27 June 2023 |title=Ballroom's James Conley III Takes Us Inside the House of West |url=https://www.ebony.com/ballrooms-james-conley-iii-house-of-west-pride-2023/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231115233727/https://www.ebony.com/ballrooms-james-conley-iii-house-of-west-pride-2023/ |archive-date=15 November 2023 |access-date=17 March 2025 |website=Ebony}}</ref>
* The House of Du'Mure Versailles (founded by Aaliyah Du'Mure Versailles and Scott Alexander Du'Mure Versailles)<ref name=":10" />
* The House of Balmain (founded by Rodney Balmain)<ref name=":10" />
* The Gorgeous House of Gucci(founded by Gorgeous Jack Mizrahi Gucci, Kelly Mizrahi Gucci, Marlon Mizrahi Gucci and Trace Gucci)<ref name="AJPH" /> 
* The House of Amazon (founded by [[Leiomy Maldonado]]).<ref>{{Cite news |date=June 26, 2017 |title=Nike's New Ad Stars Vogue Legend Leiomy Maldonado |language=en |work=ELLE |url=http://www.elle.com/fashion/news/a46227/nikes-newest-campaign-stars-vogue-legend-leiomy-maldonado/ |url-status=live |access-date=October 13, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171014092142/http://www.elle.com/fashion/news/a46227/nikes-newest-campaign-stars-vogue-legend-leiomy-maldonado/ |archive-date=October 14, 2017}}</ref>

==Competition==
To compete against each other, Houses walk a plethora of categories at a given ball. Participants dress according to the guidelines of the category in which they are competing. These guidelines are created by the promoters of a Ball and may/may not adhere to an overall theme for the Ball. Regardless, participants are expected to display appropriate adherence to the rules of a category.<ref name="levy">{{cite web |last=Levy |first=Emanuel |title=Paris Is Burning (film review) |publisher=Emanuellevy.com |date=2004–2007 |url=http://emanuellevy.com/article.php?articleID=2151 |access-date=October 20, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927184728/http://emanuellevy.com/article.php?articleID=2151 |archive-date=September 27, 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Balls range in scale from "mini balls" (typically characterized by a small selection of categories, few people walking, and a runtime of 1 to 2 hours) to mainstream events (characterized by the presence of most, if not all, categories in Ballroom, a significant number of participants for each category, and a runtime exceeding 4 hours with the largest of Balls capping at 8 hours).<ref name="levy" />

=={{anchor|Influence}}Influences==
New York's ballroom culture has had a highly significant cultural impact from the 1980s to the present day.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jun/24/burning-down-the-house-debate-paris-is-burning|title=Burning down the house: why the debate over Paris is Burning rages on|last=Clark|first=Ashley|date=June 24, 2015|work=The Guardian|access-date=May 2, 2017|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077|archive-date=July 5, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170705044836/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jun/24/burning-down-the-house-debate-paris-is-burning|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Fashion===
Ball culture has influenced "the über-puffed-up peacock sexuality" of contemporary mainstream hip hop.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/fashion-blog/2014/nov/18/-sp-vogueing-dance-came-back-into-vogue-madonna|title=How voguing came back into vogue|last=Hunt|first=Kenya|date=November 18, 2014|work=The Guardian|access-date=November 30, 2019|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077|archive-date=September 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190930200001/https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/fashion-blog/2014/nov/18/-sp-vogueing-dance-came-back-into-vogue-madonna|url-status=live}}</ref> A professor at [[New York University]] said about gay black culture that "today's [[queer]] mania for [[ghetto fabulous]]ness and [[bling]] masks its elemental but silent relationship to even more queer impulses toward fabulousness in the 1980s."<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.e.bell.ca/filmfest/2005/films_description.asp?id=211 |title=Pic Up the Mic |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070202123550/http://www.e.bell.ca/filmfest/2005/films_description.asp?id=211 |archive-date=February 2, 2007  |work=Toronto Film Festival}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.emplive.org/education/index.asp?categoryID=26&ccID=127&xPopConfBioID=463&year=2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060822085314/http://www.emplive.org/education/index.asp?categoryID=26&ccID=127&xPopConfBioID=463&year=2005|url-status=dead|title=Don't Hate on Us, We're Fabulous: Notes on the History and Culture of Black Glam|archive-date=August 22, 2006}}</ref>

==={{anchor|Mainstream influence}}Mainstream entertainment===
In September 2006, [[Beyoncé]] told a reporter from ''[[The Independent]]'' "how inspired she's been by the whole drag-house circuit in the States, an unsung part of black American culture where working-class gay men channel ultra-glamour in mocked-up catwalk shows. 'I still have that in me', she says of the 'confidence and the fire you see on stage'".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.independent.co.uk/people/profiles/article1223035.ece |title=Beyoncé Knowles: Queen B |work=[[The Independent]] |access-date=December 21, 2020 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071001104054/http://news.independent.co.uk/people/profiles/article1223035.ece |archive-date=October 1, 2007}}</ref>

==Dance==
The most notable influence of ball culture on mainstream society is [[Vogue (dance)|voguing]], a dance style originating in Harlem ballrooms during the latter half of the 20th century. It appeared in the video for [[Malcolm McLaren]]'s ''[[Deep in Vogue]]'', released in 1989, and [[Madonna]]'s "[[Vogue (Madonna song)|Vogue]]", released in 1990 (one year before the documentary ''[[Paris Is Burning (film)|Paris Is Burning]]'').<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuJQSAiODqI |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211214/GuJQSAiODqI |archive-date=2021-12-14 |url-status=live|title=Madonna – Vogue (video)|website=Youtube|date=October 26, 2009 }}{{cbignore}}</ref> The dance group Vogue Evolution, from ''[[America's Best Dance Crew]]'', has again sparked interest in voguing.<ref name=godfather>{{cite web |url=http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/arts/story.html?id=523c9eac-b15e-4824-ad95-9c92ff811018&k=61095 |title=Willi Nija, godfather of voguing, star of 'Paris is Burning,' dead at 45 |last=Franklin |first=Marcus |date=September 6, 2006 |access-date=December 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070311135917/http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/arts/story.html?id=523c9eac-b15e-4824-ad95-9c92ff811018&k=61095 |archive-date=March 11, 2007}}</ref>

Voguing started in Drag Balls held by the queer community of color. The competitions were divided up into Houses that then competed in different categories, including voguing. Named after ''[[Vogue (magazine)|Vogue]]'' magazine, voguing required dancers to mirror the poses held by models, with emphasis placed on arm and hand movements. Dancers would play out elaborate scenes such as applying makeup or taking phone calls while dancing down the catwalk.<ref name="Marra">{{Cite book|title=Staging desire : Queer readings of American theater history (Triangulations: lesbian/gay/queer theater/drama/performance).|last=Marra|first=K|location=Ann Arbor |publisher=University of Michigan Press|year=2002}}</ref>{{Page needed|date=November 2018}} Dancer and choreographer [[Willi Ninja]] has been recognized as the "Grandfather of Vogue" and the dance, as well as Ninja himself, were covered in the documentary ''Paris is Burning''.<ref name=godfather /><ref name="Marra" />

==Language==
Ballroom dialect became more widely used in [[gay slang]], fashion industry [[jargon]] and mainstream [[colloquialism|colloquial]] language.<ref>{{cite book |last=Baker |first=Paul |date=May 25, 2004 |title=Fantabulosa |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T72TJfZoywAC |publisher=[[Bloomsbury Publishing]] |isbn=9780826473431 |access-date=December 21, 2020 |archive-date=March 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220313165037/https://www.google.com/books/edition/Fantabulosa/T72TJfZoywAC?hl=en |url-status=live }}</ref>
* Reading: to read a person is to highlight and exaggerate all of the flaws of a person, from their ridiculous clothes, to their flawed makeup and anything else the reader can come up with. It is a battle of wit, in which the winner is one who gets the crowd to laugh the most.<ref name=":2">{{cite web |url=https://www.vogue.com/article/art-of-shade-instagram-account |title=The Art of Shade Is the Instagram Account You Never Knew You Needed |last=Garcia |first=Patricia |work=Vogue |date=May 24, 2016 |access-date=December 21, 2020 |archive-date=November 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201121082756/https://www.vogue.com/article/art-of-shade-instagram-account |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Throw shade|Shade]]: shade is an art form that developed from ''reading''. Rather than aiming to insult, the speaker works with the medium of backhanded compliments. An example is to suggest that someone's beautiful dress makes people almost forget that she has [[five o'clock shadow]].<ref name=":2" />
* Voguing: dance invented in 1970s Harlem and performed notably by [[Willi Ninja]].<ref name=":5">{{Cite news|url=https://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2018/01/09/linguistic-legacy-paris-is-burning/|title=The linguistic legacy of Paris is Burning – OxfordWords blog|date=January 9, 2018|work=OxfordWords blog|access-date=May 5, 2018|language=en-US|archive-date=May 6, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180506035538/https://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2018/01/09/linguistic-legacy-paris-is-burning/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* Mopping: shoplifting, usually clothes to walk in at a ball.<ref name=":5" />

==Music==
{{Infobox music genre
| name              = Ballroom music
| other_names       = {{hlist|Ballroom beats|Vogue beats|Runway beats|Ballroom house|Vogue house}}
| image             = Kevin Jz Prodigy Cunt in a Box.ogg
| caption           = "Cunt in a Box" (2005) by ballroom MC [[Kevin Jz Prodigy]]
| stylistic_origins = {{hlist|[[House music|House]]|[[disco]]|[[Hip hop music|hip hop]]|[[Contemporary R&B|R&B]]|[[Jersey club]]}}
| cultural_origins  = 1990s to 2000s, [[New York City|New York]]
| instruments       = {{hlist|[[Music sampler|Sampler]]|[[vocals]]}}
}}
A key element of balls is also the music, which is typically characterized by distinct uptempo beats that are overlaid with the "raps" of commentators or emcees.<ref name=":8" /> Lyrics are just as stylized as the beats and often praise queerness and femininity through typically vulgar language and usage of words like "cunt" and "pussy".<ref name=":9">{{Cite web|last=Lhooq|first=Michelle|date=2018-07-24|title=20 Tracks That Defined the Sound of Ballroom, New York's Fierce Queer Subculture|url=https://www.vulture.com/2018/07/20-tracks-that-defined-the-sound-of-ballroom.html|access-date=2021-06-19|website=Vulture|language=en-us|archive-date=December 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201218215853/https://www.vulture.com/2018/07/20-tracks-that-defined-the-sound-of-ballroom.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Historically, the music featured at balls has been whatever is popular within the black LGBT community at the time, ranging from disco, to club music, to house, to rap and R&B. House music, the primary sound of the balls, is always upwards of 120 beats per minute and has African roots, which is reflected in the rhythm.<ref name=":8">Bailey, Marlon M. ''Butch Queens up in Pumps: Gender, Performance, and Ballroom Culture in Detroit''. The University of Michigan Press, 2013.</ref>

Today, it is common for older house classics like "Work This Pussy" by [[Junior Vasquez|Ellis D]], "Cunty" by [[Kevin Aviance]], and "The Ha Dance" by [[Masters at Work]] to be remixed into new hits by the current wave of DJs and producers.<ref name=":9" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=Key Tracks: "The Ha Dance"|url=https://daily.redbullmusicacademy.com/2019/02/key-tracks-ha-dance|access-date=2021-06-19|website=daily.redbullmusicacademy.com|language=en|archive-date=June 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210628023653/https://daily.redbullmusicacademy.com/2019/02/key-tracks-ha-dance/|url-status=live}}</ref> Ballroom Icon DJ's Vjuan Allure, [[Angel X]], and [[MikeQ]], were the first DJs considered to have developed the first remixes of ballroom sound. In order, Vjuan Allure was the first to remix "The Ha Dance" in 2000, followed by Angel X in 2002, and then MikeQ in 2005.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-03-16|title=Musicians and artists pay tribute to ballroom pioneer Vjuan Allure|url=https://crackmagazine.net/2021/03/musicians-and-artists-pay-tribute-to-ballroom-pioneer-vjuan-allure/|access-date=2021-06-19|website=Crack Magazine|archive-date=June 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624204833/https://crackmagazine.net/2021/03/musicians-and-artists-pay-tribute-to-ballroom-pioneer-vjuan-allure/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2012-01-31|title=MikeQ explains the ballroom scene and sound. "It's just that c*nt feeling..."|url=https://www.factmag.com/2012/01/31/mikeq-explains-the-ballroom-scene-and-sound/|access-date=2021-06-19|website=Fact Magazine|language=en-US|archive-date=June 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624201254/https://www.factmag.com/2012/01/31/mikeq-explains-the-ballroom-scene-and-sound/|url-status=live}}</ref> Overall, ball culture has been a fertile ground for new forms of [[house music]] and other genres of [[electronic dance music]] through its [[Disc jockey|DJs]].<ref>{{Citation |last1=Villa |first1=Marco La |title=Hang the DJ |url=https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004RJEM |access-date=2024-03-01 |language=English |last2=Villa |first2=Mauro La |archive-date=January 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220124225634/http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004RJEM |url-status=live }}</ref>

According to [[PBS]] Sound Field interview with [[MikeQ]], one of ball music's pioneers, ball music started as house music that was being played at ballroom parties.<ref name="PBS Sound Field">{{cite web|title=The Sound of NYC's Underground Vogue Scene (feat. Qween Beat)|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULzamIl1Ehw|publisher=Sound Field|work=[[PBS]]|date=Aug 5, 2019|access-date=July 6, 2022|archive-date=July 6, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220706114109/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULzamIl1Ehw|url-status=live}}</ref> Over time, distinct features of ball music emerged, for instance the "Ha" crash, being placed on the every fourth of [[Four to the floor|4 beats]] and the minimal repetitive vocals, provided by ball commentators.<ref name="PBS Sound Field"/> The "Ha" crash cymbals often signify the time for ball dancers to strike a pose or hit the floor.<ref name="PBS Sound Field"/> Modern vogue music, along with house, incorporates elements of [[disco]], [[funk]], [[hip hop music|hip hop]], [[contemporary R&B]], [[Jersey club]] and other electronic music.<ref name="PBS Sound Field"/>

The culture has also influenced a wave of [[LGBT hip hop|queer hip hop]] artists such as [[Zebra Katz]], [[House of Ladosha]], and [[Le1f]].<ref name="swag">{{Cite web |last=Battan |first=Carrie |date=2012-03-21 |title=We Invented Swag: NYC's Queer Rap |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/article/8793-we-invented-swag/ |access-date=2024-03-01 |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |language=en-US |archive-date=February 2, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240202020850/https://pitchfork.com/features/article/8793-we-invented-swag/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Citation|title=Zebra Katz – Ima Read (ft. Njena Reddd Foxxx) [Official Full Stream]|date=January 18, 2012|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oo4Sqt2Bmag |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211214/oo4Sqt2Bmag |archive-date=2021-12-14 |url-status=live|access-date=May 2, 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

==In the media==
Most of the New York-based houses of the time appeared in the 1990 documentary film ''[[Paris Is Burning (film)|Paris Is Burning]]''.<ref name="paris" /> In 1997, [[Emanuel Xavier]] published a seminal poetry manifesto titled ''[[Pier Queen (poetry collection)|Pier Queen]]''. In 1999, his novel ''[[Christ Like (novel)|Christ Like]]'' featured the first fictional main character involved with the Houses. The 2016 film ''[[Kiki (2016 film)|Kiki]]'' provided an updated portrait of the ball culture scene. In 2017, as part of a documentary series on New Zealand cultural identity, [[Vice Media]] produced an episode about New Zealand's ball culture, entitled "FAFSWAG: Auckland's Underground Vogue Scene".<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Vice Doco Explores Auckland's Underground 'Vogueing' Scene |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=11851496 |work=New Zealand Herald |location=Auckland |date=May 8, 2017 |access-date=September 13, 2017 |archive-date=September 13, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170913091510/http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=11851496 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2009, [[Logo TV]] aired the [[reality television]] series ''[[RuPaul's Drag Race]]'', a competition show where drag queens face off in a series of challenges heavily inspired by competitions commonly seen in ballroom culture. Created by prominent drag queen [[RuPaul|RuPaul Charles]], competitors sew, act, sing, and lip sync for a chance to win $100,000, a one-year supply of [[Anastasia Beverly Hills]] cosmetics and the title of "America's Next Drag Superstar". The show has won a plethora of [[List of awards and nominations received by RuPaul's Drag Race|awards]] and spawned several [[Drag Race (franchise)|spin-off series]]. The competition format, slang, and type of drag exhibited on the show is heavily influenced by ball culture.

In 2018, [[Viceland]] aired a [[docuseries]], ''[[My House (2018 TV series)|My House]]'', following six people in the New York City ball culture.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Street|first1=Mikelle|date=April 25, 2010|title='My House' Highlights The Modern Ballroom Scene Post-'Paris Is Burning'|work=INTO Link is broken.|url=https://intomore.com/culture/My-House-Highlights-The-Modern-Ballroom-Scene-PostParis-Is-Burning/49242e7ca78b4bbb|url-status=dead|access-date=May 12, 2018|archive-date=May 18, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180518130004/https://intomore.com/culture/My-House-Highlights-The-Modern-Ballroom-Scene-PostParis-Is-Burning/49242e7ca78b4bbb}}</ref> 

Additionally, In the spring of 2018, the television series ''[[Pose (TV series)|Pose]]'' premiered, set in New York and following participants in ball culture, as well as others in the 1980s [[Manhattan]]. The show was created by [[Steven Canals]], [[Brad Falchuk]], and [[Ryan Murphy (writer)|Ryan Murphy]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/New-Ryan-Murphy-Musical-Dance-Series-POSE-Gets-Full-Season-Order-20171227 |title=New Ryan Murphy Musical Dance Series POSE Gets Full Season Order |date=December 27, 2017 |website=Broadway World |access-date=December 21, 2020 |archive-date=December 28, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228171841/https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/New-Ryan-Murphy-Musical-Dance-Series-POSE-Gets-Full-Season-Order-20171227 |url-status=live }}</ref> The show's third and final season aired on May 2nd, 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Swift |first=Andy |date=2021-03-05 |title=Pose Ending With Season 3 on FX |url=https://tvline.com/news/pose-ending-season-3-premiere-date-final-episodes-fx-1234646745/ |access-date=2025-04-11 |website=TVLine |language=en-US}}</ref>

On April 18, 2019, it was announced that the premiere of the feature film ''[[Port Authority (film)|Port Authority]]'', a New York love story between a black trans woman from the ballroom scene and a cisgender man from the Midwest would compete in the ''Un Certain Regard'' competition at the prestigious [[2019 Cannes Film Festival]]. It was backed and produced by [[Martin Scorsese]] and RT Features. [[Leyna Bloom]]'s debut in ''Port Authority'' was the first time in the festival's history that a trans woman of color was featured in a leading role. The film is credited with authentic casting and representation. ''Port Authority'' features scenes at balls, as well as during rehearsals and of queer youths' chosen family.<ref name=LeynaBloom>{{cite web |url=https://www.out.com/film/2019/4/18/leyna-bloom-port-authority-cannes-premiere |title=Meet Leyna Bloom, First Trans Woman of Color to Lead a Cannes Premiere |last=Street |first=Mikelle |publisher=Out |date=April 18, 2019 |access-date=December 20, 2020 |archive-date=October 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191030211044/https://www.out.com/film/2019/4/18/leyna-bloom-port-authority-cannes-premiere |url-status=live }}</ref> Almost every actor that plays a role of significance in the ballroom scenes in the film, including competitors, judges, and house members, are active members of the ballroom scene today. Prior to being cast, [[Leyna Bloom]] became known internationally as a model and dancer, and she is active in the mainstream ballroom scene as New York City mother of the House of Miyake-Mugler. She is known in ball culture as the "Polynesian Princess", having made an international name for herself walking the category of face.<ref name=LeynaBloom />

In 2020, the [[Vogue (dance)|voguing]] reality competition web series ''[[Legendary (TV series)|Legendary]]'' premiered on the [[HBO Max]] streaming service. The series followed members of eight prominent houses as they navigate their way through nine balls (dancing, voguing, etc.), with a $100,000 prize awarded to the winner.<ref>{{Cite web|publisher=Condé Nast|date=2021-05-05|title=Megan Thee Stallion, Law Roach, and Their Fellow 'Legendary' Judges on the Ballroom Competition's Triumphant Return|url=https://www.vogue.com/article/legendary-hbo-max-season-two-judges-interview|access-date=2021-11-25|website=Vogue|language=en-US|archive-date=November 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211125051334/https://www.vogue.com/article/legendary-hbo-max-season-two-judges-interview|url-status=live}}</ref> The show was cancelled after three seasons in December 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |last=White |first=Peter |date=2022-12-06 |title='Legendary' Canceled At HBO Max After Three Seasons |url=https://deadline.com/2022/12/legendary-canceled-hbo-max-three-seasons-1235190344/ |access-date=2025-04-11 |website=Deadline |language=en-US |archive-date=December 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221206211820/https://deadline.com/2022/12/legendary-canceled-hbo-max-three-seasons-1235190344/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2022, the [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]] premiered the web series ''[[CBX: Canadian Ballroom Extravaganza]]'', which challenged teams consisting of one ballroom performer and one emerging filmmaker to create short films highlighting performances in each of five ballroom categories.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.cbc.ca/arts/cbx-canadian-ballroom-extravaganza-is-a-new-kind-of-ballroom-competition-and-it-s-getting-fierce-1.6378674 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220309200813/https://www.cbc.ca/arts/cbx-canadian-ballroom-extravaganza-is-a-new-kind-of-ballroom-competition-and-it-s-getting-fierce-1.6378674 |archive-date=2022-03-09|title=CBX: Canadian Ballroom Extravaganza is a new kind of ballroom competition — and it's getting fierce |work=[[CBC Arts]]|date=March 9, 2022}}</ref>

In 2024, the [[Andrew Lloyd Webber]] musical ''[[Cats (musical)|Cats]]'' was reimagined off-Broadway at the [[Perelman Performing Arts Center]] as ''Cats: The Jellicle Ball'', taking several pages from Ball culture. Junior LaBeija, the emcee featured in ''Paris is Burning'', portrays Gus.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://pacnyc.org/whats-on/cats-the-jellicle-ball/|title=Cats: The Jellicle Ball|work=PAC*NYC|accessdate=June 23, 2024|archive-date=June 23, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240623101657/https://pacnyc.org/whats-on/cats-the-jellicle-ball/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|LGBTQ|United States}}
* [[Banjee]]
* [[Drag show]]
* [[Drag pageantry]]
* [[Imperial Court System]]

'''Works:'''
* ''[[Paris Is Burning (film)|Paris is Burning]]''
* ''[[Pose (TV series)]]''
* ''[[How Do I Look]]''
* ''[[Saturday Church]]''
* ''[[Legendary (TV series)]]''

'''General:'''
* [[LGBT culture in New York City]]
* [[African-American LGBT community]]
* [[Protect the Dolls]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* Jackson, Jonathan David  "The Social World of Voguing". ''Journal for the Anthropological Study of Human Movement.'' 12: 26-42.
* [https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2019/11/nyc-kiki-community/599830/ In the Kiki Ballroom Scene, Queer Kids of Color Can Be Themselves - The Atlantic]

==External links==
{{commons category}}
*''Paris Is Burning'' at [[IMDb (identifier)|IMDb]] – feature-length documentary
* Weems, M. (2008). A History of Festive Homosexuality: 1700–1969 CE. In The Fierce Tribe: Masculine Identity and Performance in the Circuit (pp.&nbsp;81–100). Logan, Utah: University Press of Colorado. doi:10.2307/j.ctt4cgq6k.14
{{Navboxes
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{{Ball culture|state=collapsed}}
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[[Category:Ball culture| ]]
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[[Category:African–Hispanic and Latino American relations]]
[[Category:Drag (entertainment)]]
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[[Category:Transgender culture]]
[[Category:Transgender history in the United States]]