About
YEG Ballroom is the space to come for all things Ballroom in amiskwacîwâskahikan – aka Edmonton. We hope to grow the Ballroom scene in YEG and offer educational resources for those interested in learning more.
The YEG Ballroom Mentorship project is managed by Amelia Altmiks (aka Luna/Lucian LaPearl) and Mavi Tolentino, with support from the Edmonton Arts Council and Fruit Loop.
What is Ballroom?
Ballroom is an underground queer subculture where people "walk" (compete), perform, model, dance and lip-sync in a diverse range of categories. These categories play with societal constructs related to gender, occupations, and social classes – allowing for their subversion and reimagining. The Ballroom scene provides a sanctuary from the constraints of reality and a space for diverse queer folks to celebrate their beauty.
Names for the Ballroom scene: drag ball culture, Ballroom community, Ball Culture, the house-ballroom community, Ballroom culture, or simply Ballroom.
History
Ballroom represents a vibrant underground queer subculture with its roots in New York City, primarily among African-American and Latino communities.
Emerging in the latter part of the 20th century, Black and Latino drag queens took the initiative to host their own pageants in response to the racism prevalent within established drag queen pageant circuits. White judges largely oversaw these established circuits.
While Ballroom initially resembled traditional drag queen pageants, the inclusion of gay men and trans women brought about a transformative evolution in the Ballroom scene, shaping it into what it is today: a diverse array of categories open to all queer individuals. Participants in these categories compete for coveted trophies and cash prizes.
In the world of Ballroom, most individuals are affiliated with "houses," where selected groups of friends come together to form chosen families and communities that offer support and camaraderie distinct from their families of origin, from whom they may have become estranged.
Events & Classes
Sunday November 19, 2023
Vogue Fem Fundamentals, 1:30-3:30pm (click here for more information, including how to register)
Hands Performance, 3:45-5:45pm (click here for more information, including how to register)
Vogue Open Session with Legendary Father Twysted Miyake-Mugler, 6:00-8:00pm (click here for more information, including how to register)
Educational Resources
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