May 28, 20206 yr Ballroom! I love it. The dances were great, the dressing was amazing, and the back stories were intriguing. HBO Max.
May 31, 20206 yr Author I think what I love most about this was I was able to meet people from these houses many years back when I lived in NYC. I met a lot of young men who were just coming into their own and these houses saved their lives. I also had an ex who was a drag queen and he would have been a great house mother. My biggest regret from my days in NYC was not being as encouraging as I could have for him to be more of himself.
May 31, 20206 yr Active Members I bought a sound bar that is arriving tomorrow or Tuesday. I am trying not to watch TV or movies until then. THIS IS TOP OF MY LIST.
June 4, 20206 yr Active Members GRACIAS @TotallyOz for this recommendation! I am so glad I waited to have my new sound bar up and installed. This is so fucking good and uplifting. The perfect break from all the current drama. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
June 5, 20206 yr Author Glad you are liking it. I liked the 2nd show of the season as well. It is fascinating to see all the back stories.
June 5, 20206 yr Active Members The first episode is a nuke. I felt like I had taken some energizing substance during viewing it. After that intro, the show is very uneven depending on the quality of the challenge the competitors are presented to, and their performances. Excellent show and a great window to the new ballroom culture.
June 18, 20206 yr Active Members Still watching, @TotallyOz? It has become one of my favorite shows. I think what I like the most is the positive and constructive message and spirit, so far away from the bitter bitching mainstream in other queer competitions. I just so Episode 5, I could not help dancing.
October 3, 20205 yr Am I the only one who felt like this show got repetitive after like the first couple of episodes. Like, it was all the same moves over and over again.
July 24, 20215 yr Author Season 2 is fabulous! I love it and it got even better each episode. This is really a great show all around. The music is amazing, the fashion is out of this world, and the competition is awesome!
July 25, 20215 yr I wanted to love Legendary- but after watching a couple of episodes,I’m not a fan - cultural appropriation for mass marketing purposes is how I see it. Very little of real ballroom culture on display - please let me know why Meghan Thee Stallion is there, other than than to lure in another demographic. Ballroom was created by/for LGBTQ youth of color as a place for freedom,belonging & expression. Somehow ciswomen dressing in “drag” for TV doesn’t seem authentic to the artform. HBO never passes a chance to monetize a marginalized community. Hard pass
July 25, 20215 yr Active Members 1 hour ago, Slvkguy said: I wanted to love Legendary- but after watching a couple of episodes,I’m not a fan - cultural appropriation for mass marketing purposes is how I see it. Very little of real ballroom culture on display - please let me know why Meghan Thee Stallion is there, other than than to lure in another demographic. Ballroom was created by/for LGBTQ youth of color as a place for freedom,belonging & expression. Somehow ciswomen dressing in “drag” for TV doesn’t seem authentic to the artform. HBO never passes a chance to monetize a marginalized community. Hard pass Well, sure there has been a compromise. If you google the initial controversies when Season 1 came up, Meghan was not the most questioned incorporation but Jameela Jamil. You will find D Wesley and L Maldonado passionately defending those incorporations because of the very reason you so easily discard: reaching out to new audiences. Without the demographics that Meghan and Jamila bring, HBO would have never close the deal. I agree with you, there is a loss, there is an evident compromise. I also think you do not see the gains. My knowledge of ballroom culture is very superficial, but I understand that Leiomy and Dashaun are unquestionable icons of the subculture. They have celebrated the joining of those ciswomen you exclude as a great accomplishment and another demonstration of the inclusive spirit of ballroom. Additionally, the show gives opportunity to broadcast to millions beauty, talent, and a mindset that otherwise would remain unknown. And provides the opportunity to these amazing artists to make a difference in their lives and get a lift out of poverty and marginality. I am sure that when you say that "Ballroom was created by/for LGBTQ youth of color as a place for freedom,belonging & expression", you did not mean belonging for ever to marginalized and excluded groups. I think that when you and I feel nostalgia at the losses, we do it from our place of privilege (I apologize if I am misrepresenting you). I bet you that Ballroom artists see this as a cultural triumph, as a dream made reality, as a huge opportunity to reach out with their talent to more people, and as a unique opportunity to make a decent living from what they love and enjoy doing.
July 25, 20215 yr Author I have many transgendered friends that watched Season 1 and were pissed at the concept that the younger trans community don't understand what they waited so long. It is for the same reason I didn't come out until my late 20's. I didn't feel there was an option 40 years ago. But, time changes those things and now more and more can come out and feel more comfortable with it thanks in part to all those that came before them. Reaching different markets is important. As a gay man who has zero fashion style, I love seeing the outfits and the dancing. I am very jealous. I also have friends in NYC who were a part of this community when I lived there and I didn't get all the references back then, but this show has helped me to understand more.
July 25, 20215 yr Jameela Jamil may have been most questioned - but, she’s “Co-Executive Producer” …..that’s why she’s there. She had something to do w packaging the whole thing together as a concept. She’s got an interesting background - coming out as “queer” only when the show got backlash. Still seems like a half baked idea….but, I do get that people like the spectacle…especially during Covid. I mean - I watched “The Circle” on Netflix…..just awful, but watched it anyway….ugh I used to work in film & television in LA…..ripping off other people’s stories is generally how it’s done…..ala Legendary. Almost always
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