Ballroom may be more popular than ever thanks to documentaries like Paris Is Burning and TV shows like Pose, but ballroom culture, which actually dates back to the 1920s, is rich in history and is dedicated to marginalised groups such as the LGBT+ community. Ballroom hailed from Black and Latina trans women and is continuing to flourish from it's creation.
Originating back in New York City, houses competed in balls for their chance of securing a grand prize. Be it voguing, drag, body and more, competitors would go head to head in an effort to make their mark. Seen as a respected and sacred part of black LGBT+ culture more specifically, revelers of ballroom are normally only permitted to participate if they know the history and respect the celebration it has earned over the decades.
Ostracised from mainstream culture, participants of balls would get together to compete and celebrate each other where society often wouldn't. Judged on their sexuality, colour and gender identity in the outside world, a ball was a safe haven for society's outcasts to showcase their creativity and uniqueness.
