Paris is Burning gives viewers a first hand look into the glamourous, if somewhat grimey, life in New York City Ball Culture of the late 80′s. Richly populated by characters and queens, the elaborate balls were getaways for black, latino, gay and transgendered communities who would compete for trophies in a slew of categories focusing on drag.
Of the many things that came out of Ball Culture, the most prominent may be the creation of Voguing. We all recognize the appropriation by Madonna, but what might not be known is that voguing had actually been evolving in the gay bars and drag shows of Harlem since the 60′s.
Paris is Burning is available on Netflix Instant Streaming right now. Watch it.
