How the Ballroom scene changed queer culture: Tayce and UK Ballroom legends speak with Gay Times and Garnier

In a roundtable hosted by Drag Race UK icon Tayce, five leading voices from the UK’s Ballroom scene came together to reflect on its history and enduring impact on mainstream culture.

From its roots back in 70's New York, the influence of Ballroom can be found everywhere today – fashion, music, makeup, hair, drag, even the phrases we use and the ways we show up for each other and our chosen family. Gay Times and Garnier Micellar Water have once again joined forces, this time to trace this history of influence and explore how the Ballroom scene birthed so much of what we love today.

This marks a third sequential Pride collaboration for Gay Times and Garnier, amplifying the brand’s Pride campaign by celebrating its status as the UK's #1 Micellar Water* and heralding Micellar Water as the "Mother of All Cleansers”. Alongside spotlighting LGBTQIA+ voices and culture, Garnier Micellar Water is supporting the charity Just Like Us for a third consecutive Pride Month, having donated more than £80,000 this year to help young LGBTQIA+ people across the UK.

Filmed in the iconic and recently re-opened LGBTQIA+ pub The Black Cap in Camden, London, Tayce opened the discussion by highlighting Ballroom’s often-overlooked influence on modern queer culture. "A lot of people think phrases like 'tea' and 'shade' came from drag culture,” she said, “when so much of that brilliant language was actually shaped right within Ballroom culture by Black and Latinx queer and trans communities."

Bambi Laveaux, “the up-and-coming Legendary Mother of the UK chapter of Maison Laveaux”, was quick to unpack how Ballroom terminology has been reinterpreted by the mainstream. She explained that while phrases like "clock it" or "clocked" are now often used positively or as a form of praise, they originally referred to a queer person attempting to pass as heteronormative before being recognised, or "clocked", by others.

The conversation also tackled another widely misunderstood piece of Ballroom vocabulary. Jay Jay Revlon Laveaux – “a legend, UK Ballroom pioneer, international DJ and multidisciplinary artist” – pointed out that what is commonly referred to in popular culture as a "death drop" is, in fact, a "dip", correcting one of the most persistent misconceptions to emerge from the scene.

Amani Laveaux, the UK Princess of Maison Laveaux, went on to explain that Ballroom exists because it has to. In an increasingly hostile political climate – particularly for queer and trans people of colour – Ballroom provides a safe space to find community and belonging. As she says: “If the world was perfect, we wouldn’t need Ballroom.”

This was a sentiment echoed by Cherry Basquiat (also known as “The Cherry on Top”), who explained that Ballroom isn’t just a “dance-out” – “it’s an act of resistance”. A member of the UK and West Coast chapter of the House of Basquiat, she added: “This is who we are. Despite society ostracising [us], we are still beautiful and we are going to create our own lane.”

As an Asian woman, Basquiat said she found solace in Ballroom because she was often told she was “too much” and “fetishised by other cultures, and then within my culture I'm kind of told to be quiet, submissive, cute and weak.” Ballroom gave her the confidence to reject those expectations and stereotypes entirely.

Cash, “aka Cash Money, the founder of Black Transhood and the baby of Maison Laveaux”, said that, as a trans man, walking Ballroom categories allowed him the opportunity to express himself through fashion. “Typically, trans men walk realness, they wanna be trade,” he said, “but I feel like with performance categories, I have an opportunity to experiment with femininity.”

Tayce asked the panel how fans of Ballroom can help uplift and support the scene authentically. Immediately, Amani, Bambi and Cash stressed the importance of donations. Cherry highlighted the difference between appreciation and appropriation, noting that she often sees dancers who have never attended a Ballroom function adopting its choreography for their own work.

“If [you] want to bring that Vogue vibe, maybe what you should do is actually educate yourself,” she said. “Involve yourself in the scene. Funding people in the scene, also, can be as simple as going to their class, or paying a spectator ticket to the Ball.”

As the discussion came to a close, the panellists reflected on what Ballroom has taught them that they’ve adopted into their everyday lives.

“Not everyone is going to like you,” said Jay Jay, while Bambi added: “No one is coming to save you. But, no one’s coming to stop you. If I wanna do something, I’m gonna do it. If there’s no space in the scene for the girls, I’m going to make it. If you tryna hide my hormones from me, bitch, I’m gonna take it!”

Cash said that Ballroom has taught him that trans women are “the epitome and the foundation of so much of this world”. He went on to illustrate how the current news cycle is perpetuating harmful misconceptions about the trans community “in a way they don’t need to. At the end of the day, we’re minding our business, so you should mind yours too.”

Watch Gay Times and Garnier's conversation celebrating the history, culture and impact of Ballroom below.

Find out more about Garnier Micellar Water and discover how to keep your skin gentle while living loud here.

*Verify at www.garnier.co.uk/terms/number1

Cast

Amani Laveaux - UK Princess Maison Laveaux
Bambi Laveaux - Up & Coming Legendary UK Mother Maison Laveaux
Cash Laveaux - House of Maison Laveaux
Cherry Basquiat - Haus of Basquiat
Jay Jay Revlon Laveaux - Legendary Overall Father Maison Laveaux
Tayce - Drag Icon

Location

The Black Cap, Camden

Garnier Micellar Water

Cathal Finnegan - Product Brand Manager, Garnier
Rebecca Delaurance - Business Director, Publicist

Gay Times

Solomon Thomson - Executive Producer
Benji Hammond - Producer
Colette Chalmers - Account Manager
Taali Kwaten - Casting & Creative Consultant
Augusto Molina - Runner