Girls Rock

How Ballroom Culture Arrived In Roanoke, Virginia

For LGBTQ youth in Appalachia, estrangement from their families of origin can be a common and heartbreaking experience. So, some LGBTQ people rely on “chosen family." In Roanoke, Virginia, the culture of ballroom offers the safety and stability of family, along with traditions that are handed down — traditions like vogueing. Mason Adams reported this Folkways story, in collaboration with Brad Kutner and Kelley Libby.