Beyoncé and ‘Legendary’: Ballroom culture went mainstream. Now it looks to preserve its roots

Kevin Jz Prodigy was absolutely fascinated when he first entered ballroom culture, watching contestants strut, vogue or walk the runway in categories like “butch queen,” going all out in front of judges for their 10s. Shows like HBO Max’s “Legendary” and FX’s “Pose” have given audiences a glimpse into the scene created by the LGBTQ+ community, bringing ballroom into the popular culture. Prodigy’s song “Feels Like” with Mike Q and an Aviance song with a title that can’t be printed here starts off the 15th track of “Renaissance.” The feature is “monumental” and just the latest example of ballroom’s influence on mainstream culture, Prodigy says — “the words, the slang, the attitude, the style of music, the chants, the shade.” The phenomenon stretches back to the 1990 documentary “Paris Is Burning,” Madonna’s “Vogue” and Madonna‘s decision to bring Jose Gutierez and Luis Camacho from the House of Xtravaganza on her “Blonde Ambition” world tour. Gucci says he’s “a VHS girl” who started voguing in mini balls across Los Angeles and would watch ballroom events on VHS tapes and DVDs shared within the community. “This door has opened up and we came through so fiercely and brought all our friends with us.” As the scene continues to get attention, Ebony wants it to be recognized as “one of the greatest American art forms ever created.” She adds, “It is American history.” Aviance says despite ballroom’s popularity, the spaces must be places for people to express themselves.