ballroom culture

American  

[bawl-room kuhl-cher] / ˈbɔlˌrum ˈkʌl tʃər /

Also ball culture also ballroom scene

noun

1. a subculture centered on competitive events called balls, featuring categories of fashion, performance, and dance: originating primarily among Black and Latino LGBTQ+ communities in the United States during the 1960s–1970s.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ballroom culture

I would argue it’s one of the earliest representations of ballroom culture in the famous Emerald City sequence.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2024

He died near the start of Beyoncé's career from an Aids-related illness, but her embrace of gay and ballroom culture on Renaissance can be traced back to him.

From BBC ● Nov. 30, 2023

The 2005 documentary “The Aggressives” provided a novel view of ballroom culture, or the underground pageant scene which emerged as a haven for queer Black and Latino youths in the 1980s and ’90s.

From New York Times ● Nov. 17, 2023

Modern ballroom culture, or ball culture, traces its roots to the rent parties and dance halls of 1920s Harlem, where queer Black residents could not only gather in public, but openly celebrate their identities.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 5, 2023

The 16 tracks in “Renaissance” draw from house, disco and bounce music, genres that hark back to underground ballroom culture from the 1970s.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 29, 2022

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