Ballroom’s Many Stories
Mikelle Street has been a follower and fan of ballroom for a decade. In 2017 that changed into telling the scene’s stories in various formats. In 2021, he co-created and hosted The Let Out, the official companion podcast for HBO Max’s Legendary.
After watching Legendary season one, Mikelle had the desire to give viewers a look into the legacies of the houses they saw on screen. The product of that became The Let Out: A Legendary Podcast created in collaboration with Spoke Media. As the official companion podcast for Legendary season two, he functioned as a producer and host, interviewing each eliminated house about their departure and what led up to their time on the series.
Selected Clips
Harpers - How YouTube Helped Ballroom Go Global
GQ - How Jack Mizrahi Gucci Brought Ballroom to the Mainstream
Paper - Meet 8 Stars of HBO Max’s Legendary (digital cover)
Elle - Legendary’s Eyricka Lanvin is the Mother of all Mothers
The Philadelphia Inquirer - Past and Present of Philly Ballroom
Billboard - Jamari Balmain on Sam Smith’s “Promises” Video
Out - Rest In Power Hector Xtravaganza, Grandfather of Ballroom
The history of the ballroom scene traces back to at least the 1920s. While the specifics of the origins are unclear, there was a shift in the early 1970s with the advent of the first “house.” Shortly thereafter, the balls began to be a place for drag queens (some of whom we would know as trans women today) to meet, convene, and compete. The art form of voguing began to be cultivated here as well, and slowly butch queens (gay men) began to compete as well.
Today, ballroom is a global industry that encompasses well over 50 international houses, micro-economies, and the ball circuit — the latter functions as a bit of a sport with trophies, titles, and cash handed out.
Mikelle Street has watched, covered, commented on, and dissected this community for publications like Harper’s, Vogue, GQ, Aperture, Out, The Cut, Allure, Paper, Billboard, INTO, Them, HypeBae, as well as others. He has also hosted panels including an event with the judging panel of HBO Max’s Legendary that aired during ATX’s 2020 Virtual Festival.
Mikelle’s work has been referenced in the New York Times, Fashionista, Jezebel, and more. He was also noted in the acknowledgements of the book Legendary Children: The First Decade of RuPaul’s Drag Race and the Last Century of Queer Life.
(photo credit from top: Cyle Suesz for Allure, Kia LaBeija for Out, Stefan Ruiz for Aperture)
Work with Mikelle
If you are working on a ballroom-related project and need help with curating, ideating, or casting, feel free to reach out to inquire about consulting services. Mikelle is also available to commission for writing about the ballroom community.
