The action centers around voguers competing in various categories to win cash prizes and glory for their respective crews or “Houses.” DJs are usually stationed off to the side, and must know how to play the right tracks for each category at lightning speed while working with the night’s MC. The music played at balls, which often take place in community centers and banquet halls, is primarily functional. Started in the late-1970s by black and latino drag queens in Harlem, ballroom is a quintessentially queer, New York–bred underground subculture that has always been rooted in the city’s late-night streets and clubs. All Rights Reserved.īallroom culture is in vogue once again, this time sashaying straight into America’s living rooms thanks to the smash success of FX’s Pose - Ryan Murphy’s dance-musical series set in New York City’s 1980s vogue scene. Photo: JoJo Whilden/FX/Copyright 2018, FX Networks.