How Queer Ballroom Influenced House Music – A Collaborative Event

In a one-of-a-kind event in LA, we rejoiced in the name of house music and its queer origins by taking part in a community vogue ball (presented by Banjee Ball Foundation) after our Roland 909 product demo and giveaway, which followed our initial conference-style panel. It sure was an evening to be remembered with smiles and delight shared all around.

Yet, we’re here to dissect the panel discussion, to dig into the real substance of what was discussed. We’ll be covering the main discussion points of what was spoken about for any readers out there who may have missed out on the actual event. This time around, our panel consisted of four members, plus our moderator, Isla. The panel featured: Shaun Ross, DJ Monte Cristo, Larry Tee, and Vivian Host.

Without further hesitation, let’s dive in!

The Evolution of Ballroom Music Crash Course

Before kicking things off, Isla introduced our panellists one by one. After the extravagant introduction to our panel members, as well as their accolades, we were first shown an Evolution of Ballroom Music Crash Course video. This video, on the big screen, was played back with some blaring house music.

The quickfire history lesson started with the 1970 Disco Era, highlighting Larry Levan’s influence at Paradise Garage. It was followed by introducing DJ Frankie Knuckles developing his sound at the Warehouse. Did you know Frankie Knuckles and Larry Levan were high school friends? Together, their influence helped shape the sound that became house music.

The presentation covered nearly five whole decades of house music history, as it ended with the 2022 Banjee Ball 9th Anniversary in Los Angeles.

Kicking Off the Conference

Larry was first up, as Isla popped the question, asking how he reacted to watching House’s evolution from initial disco music in New York to becoming a global phenomenon across a few decades. He expressed, “It was like the Motown of House music when I was able to DJ at The Roxy”

Isla soon followed up by asking, “What was the feeling on the dance floor when it (the music) shifted into House music?”. Larry said he remembers there being a break between disco and house, where many key musical evolutions happened all at the same time. He exclaimed that Hip-hop and New Wave also occurred in this time, so it was exciting for music across the board. He ended by saying there was a bridge between New Wave and House, and he can remember being in Atlanta at the time.

Passing the Mic

Next up, Isla honed in on the 90s, when the movement really started to form the music. She directly requested Monte Cristo if he would be able to speak on this point, given his expertise. Isla even asked how the relationship between dancers, producers and DJs influenced things.

Monte Cristo quickly replied, saying, “Without the dancers, there’s kind of… no music.” He stated that the dancers are what bring it all to life. Things just wouldn’t be the same without the harmony between music and dancers. He followed up by saying that’s why, in all the early videos, especially in the 90s, you always see that vogue femme. These were Hip-Hop records, but they go hand in hand. We cannot live without each other.

He went on to finish, saying that even people from today are continuing to switch things up more and more. “They’re vogueing different”, were his exact words.

Shaun’s Turn in the Hot Seat

Soon enough, Isla moved on to Shaun to ask for his input on things. She stated, “Ballroom has influenced dance, language, fashion and music globally… What parts of ballroom culture have been celebrated and what parts still haven’t been properly understood or credited?”

Shaun expertly remarked that in order to fully embrace something, you have to fully embrace where it came from, and that’s where the world still has an issue, given the music’s (and ballroom’s) queer and black roots.

He went on to say how he understands both sides of the coin, where ballroom’s influence has been crucial to the development of house, but as an industry, ballroom often gets left out of the picture.

Vivian Host’s turn

After Shaun wrapped up his response, it was time for Isla to pop Vivian a question. Isla opened by saying “I’m just gonna go straight for the heart…”, so we knew it was going to be a juicy topic of discussion. As Vivian writes about a lot of underground dance movements, and has done for decades, Isla thought it would be appropriate to ask her, “Why do you think it’s been so difficult for ballroom music to be given its own genre?”

Vivian answered swiftly, saying she thinks it’s mostly because of the niche nature of the music itself. She said brilliantly, “Random club kids are not necessarily going to a vogue ball unless they’re already a part of it”, expressing that the scene can feel somewhat gatekept. “…there is a layer of non-exposure”, which is what keeps ballroom from growing itself as a standalone genre.

Wrapping up

Hopefully, this article has given you a sneak peek into what was discussed about Ballroom and House’s queer origins at the most recent LA Plugin Boutique collaborative event. If you’d like to read another one of these event breakdowns, our Christ Avantgarde Masterclass could be an ideal candidate. Otherwise, we hope to see you again soon.