Paris is indeed… still burning. The 1991 documentary, Paris Is Burning, by Jennie Livingston is considered one of the most inspirational documentaries and the world’s introduction to the vibrant underground world of Ballroom. Though the filmmaker has been met with controversy regarding her treatment of the film’s subjects, Paris is Burning sparked popular media’s infatuation with the subculture of Ballroom. Started in the 80s in New York City, Ballroom is an underground culture of African American and Hispanic gay men, drag queens and transgender women who compete in “categories” involving fashion runways and vogue dancing battles. Numerous competitors aiming for trophies belong to “Houses” (Pendavis, Extravaganza, LaBeija), functioning as substitute families and social circles within a largely young community. Ballroom served as a form of expression, in a world and time where Black queer people were dying at alarming rates (due to hate crimes and HIV/AIDs), through these competitions could feel glamorous, admired, and desired. Nowadays, Ballroom is becoming more mainstream, voguing and house music are being adopted by artists like Drake and Beyonce, words like “read” and “shade” are now popular slang, and shows like Pose and Legendary have garnered many viewers bringing more visibility to Ballroom.

The popularity of Ballroom as a culture to take inspiration from has led to Beyonce’s 7th Studio Album, Renaissance. Renaissance is a dance album that takes inspiration from House music and Ballroom. The album is a thank you to Black Queer people, specifically her late uncle-Johnny, who died from HIV-complications. She has stated, “He was my godmother and the first person to expose me to a lot of the music and culture that serve as inspiration for this album,” Beyoncé said in a post. “Thank you to all of the pioneers who originate culture, to all of the fallen angels whose contributions have gone unrecognized for far too long. This is a celebration for you.” The album included collaborations by many Black queer icons like Big Freida, Kevin JZ Prodigy, TS Madison, and Kevin Aviance. The album has garnered mass critical and commercial success. After the album, she revealed the Renaissance World Tour, which would further highlight Ballroom by hiring dancers from the ballroom scene like Honey Balenciaga and Carlos Lanvin, and including voguing within her choreography. All of this can be credited to the impact of Paris is Burning, and it all came full circle when Beyonce dropped the documentary: Renaissance: A Film by Beyonce on December 1, 2023. While the documentary doesn’t directly address the same themes as Paris Is Burning, it embodies a celebration of Black queerness that owes its foundation to the groundwork laid by the earlier film. It indirectly illuminates the journey from individuals voguing in underground clubs, as portrayed in Paris Is Burning, as a means of self-expression without the threat of homophobic violence, to headlining sold-out world tours that joyously celebrate their culture.