The West Village and Ballroom
The NYC neighborhood was home to the Ballroom community, especially Christopher Street.
Ballroom Throwbacks/Destination Tomorrow
Words adapted from Miasha "Meeka" Forbes
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Ballroom Culture is Intrinsically Tied to New York
and nowhere more than the West Village.
First Christopher Street Liberation Day March, 1970 (1970-06-28) by Leonard FinkThe Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center
Safe
“The Neutral Zone,” a Christopher Street space, was a place where young, queer kids could hang out and feel safe.
Legendary FQ Moldavia La Beija, Octavia Saint Laurent, Carmen Xtravaganza (1990) by Chantal RegnaultBallroom Throwbacks/Destination Tomorrow
The Houses and Christopher Street
Different Houses would hold court on Christopher Street; specific houses would have distinct spots on various corners, characterized by people laughing, kiki-ing,and unapologetically loud.
Copacabana ZALDY (1992) by Chantal RegnaultBallroom Throwbacks/Destination Tomorrow
Ballroom, Rejection, and the Village
Ballroom was rejected by some members of the LGBTQ+ community in the Village, but by the 1990s, Ballroom culture reshaped the neighborhood.
Icon Dede Lancin FQ Mugler Ball (2019-10) by Gerard H. GaskinBallroom Throwbacks/Destination Tomorrow
Nightlife
As soon as the sun went down, Ballroom emerged. As it became darker, the Village turned into a sea of people, stirring. And as you got closer to the water, the louder it got!
Marsha P. Johnson at the West Side Piers (1982) by Leonard FinkThe Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center
At the Piers
By the water, all you heard was music. You saw people voguing, dancing, crowds, seas of beautiful young queer Black people.
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And before it got dark, there was Washington Square Park.
In between the East and the West Village, Wastington Saure Park, hosted the youth, congregating, while waiting for the village to activate.
