Ballrooms, Houses, Fashion & Pride: It’s A Culture

New York City is world-renowned in the ballroom scene thanks to the work of Crystal and Lottie LaBeija in the 1970s. While components of the ballroom that we see today existed before their efforts, ballroom was mainly for white people and people who could lighten their makeup enough to be respected. Already competing in that scene, Crystal and Lottie were tired of battling against people that white judges clearly preferred and instead created a more inclusive ballroom culture by being the first to create a house, The House of LaBeija, and a ball that would accept people of color, The 1st Annual House of LaBeija Ball. Winning for your house is and was more than street credit or a credit to your skills because winning typically comes with a trophy and/or money. The monetary prizes from the balls could be just enough to put food on the table or pay rent. Their efforts and the efforts of those who attended that ball created a community for individuals who were looking to express themselves, a sense of family or belonging, and safety regardless of sexual orientation or gender expression. While ballroom has been around for years, it was mainly underground due to homophobia and violence toward the LGBTQIA+ community. Today, we see ballroom entering mainstream culture by acceptance via television (i.e., Pose, Legendary, Dead End: Paranormal Park, and more).

Houses

The ballroom community is about legacy, mentorship, and showcasing one’s talents, authenticity, and personality. When an individual joins a house, they are enveloped in the ballroom scene. There are houses around the world, and when accepted into a house, its family members (the people who make up the house) are its legacy. Some houses are founded on excellence and the expectation that they will win trophies, while other houses are focused on creating community; each house is different in its own unique way, given who the founder(s) was and the values they instill as part of their legacy. Houses also have a House Mother/Father, while some have both. In the LGBTQIA+ community, the House Mother/Father doesn’t have to identify as the traditional female or male gender. House names are also typically connected to a fashion brand because, in ballroom, fashion is one of the first ways to make it or break it in your category. Then, there are three types of scenes that houses can choose to exist in mainstream, kiki, and kitten. The mainstream scene is typically houses that have built a name and legacy for themselves in the ballroom community; people who were pioneers and icons in their community either created or joined a mainstream house. A few of those pioneers went on to create the kiki scene. The kiki scene is the part of the ballroom that allows anyone of any skill level to enjoy the competition and become a stronger performer by walking categories that differ from their norm. The best part is that a performer can be part of both scenes because the values and knowledge you gain in a kiki house will help you grow in a mainstream house type of ballroom seen on television. The kitten scene is a less formal ball than the kiki scene and is mainly for teenagers and young adults now entering ballroom or looking to just have fun.

Categories & Statuses

There are dozens of categories, and in a few years, more categories will be created. Categories are the different types of performance allowed in a ball. There are a few main categories, and at every ball, the categories might be a little different. Primary categories, and a few that are were created from them, include:

• Commentator vs Commentator - the commentators battle it out to win the trophy, the money, and their respect from the judges/crowd.

• Runway - the focus on how strong the performers walk, creativity in posing, and their facial expressions

  • Big Girl or Big Boy - two competitions reserved for performers (trans and cisgender men/women) over 250lbs

• Vogue - the emphasis here is on using the five elements of vogue: hand performance, catwalk, duckwalk, floor performance, and dips & drops 

  • Old Way - is all about clean lines and precision while using the 5 elements

  • New Way - is similar to Old Way, but it's more intricate and smoother in its transitions. The style of hand performance in this category plays more on symmetry and contorting the body in ways that emphasize/highlight how the body can move in peculiar ways. The whole performance itself is really a show of not only contortion and symmetry but also flexibility.

*To see the difference between Old and New Way Vogue, click here

• Butch Queen (BQ) Vogue Femme - for male performers that typically dress in women’s clothing and/or heels, depending on what the category calls for. Typical performers in this category have one or the other style of voguing: soft & ‘cunt’ (feminine) or dramatics

• Face

  • Butch Queen (BQ) Face - a gay/bi cisgender man deemed by the community to have strong or striking facial features

  • Femme Queen face - a trans or feminine-presenting woman 

• Performance -  

  • Female figure - a drag queen, transgender, or feminine-presenting woman whose gestures, body, and overall look are that of an elegant woman.

• Realness - the goal is to embody the type of gender expression. 

  • Butch Queen (BQ) Schoolboy Realness - “a person should be a cisgender male, not a butch cisgender female or transgender male (FTM).” 

The House of Luna has created a more in-depth list of ballroom categories here.

Now, let’s talk about status. Statuses are levels or titles in the scene. 

You have:

• STAR: A talented beginner who is winning balls in the mainstream scene

• STATEMENT: Statements are making moments or statements throughout their years; someone to watch as they continue to grow. 

• LEGEND: A master of your talent/category who has been on the scene for years and is now viewed as a leader

• ICON and PIONEER: These are two different categories but becoming an Icon can help grow a performer to be deemed a Pioneer, where you are the blueprint of your talent/category and a pillar in the community.

Culture

Quiet as it’s kept, modern fashion and language are heavily influenced by ballroom culture. Not only does the audience want to see how well a performer can “sell a look,” but also how they altered a look to suit them and their category in the competition. This starts with the houses and transfers to each competition. In each competition, performers are expected to sell their walk and wow viewers and judges with their costumes and the goal is to receive a 10 from all the judges. While walking and judging, it’s easiest to hear the language and slang being used in the scene. The ballroom scene has such a hold on mainstream culture, that slang is now being used in different corners of the world across different types of people. Common slang includes:

• “It’s giving”

• “Banjee”

• “Bitch and cunt” as terms of respect (sometimes)

• “Slay”

• “It’s no shade”

The speech and energy in ballroom is meant to push the limits and fearlessness (of a person or otherwise); adding fashion to the mix makes a performer feel unstoppable. However, as much as components of ballroom culture have mixed into mainstream society, it’s important to pay respect and credit where it is due and apply that to the way we advocate for the culture of those we are using.

If you’ve never been to a ball and haven’t performed, but would like to, you still can! Here’s what you need to know:

• Find a scene that’s OTA (Open to All) and observe! Get comfortable being there and understand what’s going on

• You would be considered a “virgin”: someone who’s never walked a ball before 

• If you’re not in a house, you would be considered walking “007”: you’re a solo agent, not represented by anyone

Walking under these as a virgin or 007 is highly respected because people in the community recognize the nerve it takes to show up and walk. Your work will not go unnoticed, whether you walk away with a trophy or not. If you’re not looking to walk, now you have information to support and understand those who do.