A Glimpse into New York City’s Ballroom Scene, 1980’s

By Jake Benjamin Roiter

After a long evening of walking the Christopher Street Pier, the crepuscular moon gleams upon

the West Village, beautifying this insipid sepia-filtered world with a bit of panache; a bit of class.

Suddenly, your gait turns to strut, your posture fortifies, your arms sway with confidence. And

those men that took advantage of you, with little passion and dehumanizing curiosity - those

same confused men march like troglodytes, promoting policies that further suppress you. But,

tonight none of that matters, at least at the ball - they’re now in the distant past. After dodging

glares along West Street, you enter the backroom of an abandoned warehouse, and the faint

sound of disco cleanses your mind of that heteronormative nausea. You pick a dress off the rack

and slip it on. It compliments your lithe figure, cinches the waist and terminates at the base of

your thighs; you’re femme, you’re chic. You fix your face, bubblegum lipstick pops, but not as

much as that aquamarine eyeshadow, and those arched eyebrows; YOU’RE FEMME, YOU’RE

CONFIDENT, YOU’RE EVERYTHING, YOU’RE THE MOMENT. The category is announced,

femme queens rise with an air of elegance, and strut onto the runway - you walk in. The light

gleams and traces your arms as glitter dances on your skin. Whitney Houston is booming on the

speaker, and the audience is screaming as you enter the room. You feel renewed, refreshed;

you feel like a woman.

WHAT IS BALLROOM?

During the 1920’s, transgenderism was an unutterable concept, being reduced to merely

‘freakish’. But despite its taboo, an underground community formed with a propensity toward

self-expression - although this form was mostly populated by white homosexual men dressed in

drag. People of color were often cast aside, and if femme queens, or transgender women (M to

F), were to walk a category, they were pressured to mask their faces with white powder. Thus, it

became apparent that the ballroom community was divided along racial lines. In the 1960’s,

trailblazers of the ballroom were fed up with this racist system, most notably Crystal LaBeija, of

the legendary house of LaBeija. In the documentary, “Paris Is Burning,” she read for filth...

Eventually, the community broke away, establishing their own ball for people of color in the

LGBTQ+ community. The 1980s were pivotal for the trans community. The feeling of guilt that

lingered within that perhaps their identities were merely figments of their imagination, or truly a

disease, dissipated; the validity of transgenderism was now not in question. And with the

emergence of HIV/AIDS, the community became angry and hungry for the representation and

respect that they were deprived of for decades.

Houses (LIVE)

The 80s was a severe time to be anything but a cisgender heterosexual. The HIV epidemic

ravaged the Ballroom, leading catholic fundamentalists to declare it a sort of divine intervention.

During this time, parents more frequently kicked out and ostracized their children upon the

realization of their differences. Children as young as 13 years old would be forsaken. And all of

those children would crawl to New York City, racked with uncertainty, hope and a myriad of guilt.

Those children would enter the city resourceless and confused, having to navigate a life of

drugs, prostitution, and crime. And as inevitable was the incessant exodus of the queer youth

into NYC, was their adoption into ‘Houses.’

“Blood does not family make. Those are relatives. Family are those with whom you share your

good, bad, and ugly, and still love one another in the end. Those are the ones you select.”

Houses were the family you chose, or which chose you. Their names were influenced by top

fashion houses, influential models, or captivating symbols. Members of the house would adopt

its name as their own surnames (e.g. Hector Xtravanganza of the Legendary House of

Xtravaganza).

And the category is...(WERK)

These Houses would compete in ballroom competitions. These competitions consisted of a

variety of jaw-dropping fashion, vibrant lights and disco music, until finally a voice beam in

transatlantic vernacular across the ballroom... “the category is ____.” One’s ‘look’ was

assembled according to the category announced. Intricate outfit designs were prepared to be

flaunted on the runway. For example, “Labels,” were judged on the basis of the aesthetic of a

designer brand. However, categories could also be determined by the contestant's natural

features. For example, the category “realness,” was walked by participants who aimed to

“pass,” or appear cis-gender. Another category, face, was determined by the symmetry of the

contestant’s physical features; how symmetrical their face is. There could also be an array of

dances, such as “Sex Siren,” in which contestants had to seduce the emcee and judges or the

infamous... “vogue”

VOGUE

Voguing has matured as the centerpiece of ballroom history and culture. Its development is

mysterious and strikes frequent debate with members of the community. However, the dance is

often credited to Willie Ninja, known as “the grandfather of vogue,” however, Jennie Livingston,

the director of the documentary “Paris is Burning,” claims he did not invent the dance form but

merely refined it. The inspiration, however, of the dance is clear, being eponymous for the

magazine, “Vogue,” in which dancers are required to ‘strike a pose’ as models do in magazines.

This persists as a popular category in which contestants demonstrate their fluidity and skill. The

category is separated into three subcategories, ranging in skill and experience, culminating in

“Hand Elements,” in which contestants will demonstrate their skill by ‘telling a story.’ Vogue is

also a key element which brought the ballroom community into the mainstream, with Madonna’s

1990 song, “Vogue,” popularizing the dance across the United States, whether it be a form of

cultural celebration or appropriation.

The ballroom community persists in its recognition as a cultural achievement in the queer

community, to which even under immense pressure, bonded itself together, finding community,

culminating in a renaissance, and like a phoenix, rising from the ashes.