Ballroom

Ballroom is the underground Black and Latinx LGBTQ+ culture that originated in Harlem in the 1960s and 70s, evolving out of drag balls into an elaborate scene of competing houses, vogueing, runway walking, and deeply creative dress across dozens of competitive categories. The 1990 film 'Paris Is Burning' documented it. Clothing varies dramatically by category. Hyper-feminine femme queen looks call for couture-level evening gowns. Butch realness demands passing-standard masculine office or street clothing. What unifies the categories is impeccable execution and reading correctly.