"Safe spaces are necessary in Cardiff, Wales, as well as all over the world, and Ballroom enables you to be your truest self. ".
Leighton Rees is referring to the Welsh Ballroom Community, the first and sole organization of its kind for LGBTQ+ individuals in Wales.
Leighton, a dancer and choreographer, founded the group in an effort to learn more about the dance and performances associated with ballroom.
Leighton asked, "I wondered if there was a need for it in Cardiff. "So, after posting a status on Facebook and receiving an overwhelmingly positive response, [I thought] there should be a community in Wales. ".
LGBTQ+ individuals congregate to practice and perform in "balls" in what is also known as the "ballroom scene.".
The "houses" compete against one another at balls by performing various ballroom dances as they approach the judges.
Voguing, which includes floor performances, spins, dips, catwalks, and duckwalks, is one of the more well-liked competition categories.
Voguing can be done the Old Way, New Way, or Vogue Femme ways.
There is a fashion trend called Vogue Femme, which is a more feminine version of voguing, because Leighton speculated that female royalty would have thought "this is all too masculine for me.".
FQ Realness is a different category where contestants are scored on how well they can pass for cisgender (when a person's gender corresponds to the sex they were assigned at birth) women.
Another option is BQ Realness, where competitors are evaluated on how well they can pass for gay men.
Additional categories include Runway, Bizarre, Labels, and Face.
Ballroom participants are primarily but not exclusively members of "houses.".
Homes serve as surrogate families for community members who are occasionally shunned and abandoned by their biological family members.
So the queer people of color who would have been rejected by their biological family members discovered [surrogate] gay parents, brothers, and sisters who would have been in the community, and that would have turned into [their] chosen family, according to Leighton. .
However, not everyone resides in a house.
Alia, a femme queen in the area, declared, "When you're not in a house, you're a 007.".
Despite the fact that we are free agents, our community—which is akin to our family—still has our back. " .
The first balls were held in New York in the 1920s, during the so-called "Harlem Renaissance," which was an intellectual and cultural upsurge of African American literature, dance, music, and art.
Queer African-Americans had a safe place to congregate and display their artistic creations and selves during the Harlem Renaissance without worrying about rejection or criticism. .
When black and Latino LGBTQ+ people were unable to participate in drag queen pageants and competitions at the time, they made the decision to create their own, creating a safe space where anyone's sexual identity and race were not only welcomed but celebrated.
Balls were regarded as underground, subculture gatherings that were held in opposition to the racism and discrimination they had encountered at the events that were held in more prominent locations.
Ballroom began to gain popularity as the years went on and began to appear in other US cities, including Washington, DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia, St. Louis, and others.
In Wales, the scene is currently enjoying its most recent incarnation and is now widely celebrated.
The Welsh Ballroom scene has made itself known, according to Malori, a transwoman who only came out after joining it.
"We have been very busy. You probably can sense it, too. ".
As Cardiff prepares to celebrate this year's Pride, the neighborhood will be busier than usual this weekend.
Cardiff Castle will play host to a special performance by the Welsh Ballroom Community as part of a number of events taking place in the Welsh capital this weekend and throughout the month.
We're working with FA Wales in the castle, Leighton said. We have clothes made by local Welsh designers that match the Welsh football uniform.
And we'll essentially just be attending Ballrooms, having a good time, sharing in Pride festivities, and dressing fabulously as we always do. ".
According to Malori, it offers queer people in Wales a different outlet and something new to strive for.
"Queer people, in general, and trans people in particular, have a tendency to be very isolated.
The existence of a queer community is crucial because you don't really have any role models. ".
It's crucial, Rosy the fem queen concurred. In such a safe environment, people discover their sexuality.
People become aware of who they really are. ".
The value of safe spaces like the Welsh Ballroom Community was something Leighton was keen to emphasize.
He explained, "I feel like Ballroom is needed all over the world because some people don't know where to go.
"Though times have changed, there is still a long way to go before people can be who they truly are.
. "
