"A Ball", a history.

So rather then just go on Wikipedia, and copy and paste the history of Ball culture/scene I'm just going to do it myself..If you get some parts wrong then I'm truly sorry..so here goes..

Ball Culture first appeared in New York city, around the 30's-40's, and were for Drag Queens to compete. Drag queens would come together (uptown) in lavish costumes, looking more or less like Las Vegas Showgirls. The one huge problem was, that these Balls were mostly, if not strictly for White Queens. Blacks either were not allowed to participate, and if they did, they would never be allowed to win. So the Black Queens decided to head to Harlem and start their very owns Balls. While the Balls uptown started to die down the Balls in Harlem grew larger and became an important part of Gay culture (mostly for Black, and Latino LGBT peoples).

In the mid to late 70's a Queen known as Crystal Labeija decided to throw her very own Ball, under the name "the house of Labeija". Thus the idea of having a house was born (a group of people (LGBT), again usually Black or Latino who come together to form a "family" and compete at Balls under their house name. Some even replacing their surnames with their house name.) Labejia of course was the first house, but it didn't take long before numerous houses started as well, each having their own house "mother" and "father" (essentially the leaders, and ones who nurture growth of their children in their craft)

Balls themselves had changed aswell. Gone were the days of  big Las Vegas type costumes. Queens of the new era came and competed looking like their favorite movie stars and screen actresses. At this time new categories had also come to fruition. Categories such as "realness", runway walking, best dressed, and so many others. Now it was possible for everyone who wanted to take part to compete, and not just a select group of Drag Queens.

Voguing (which btw did not start with Madonna) was a form of dance which started in the 60's (to my knowledge) and became a popular category within the Ball Room scene. Many would say that Voguing, had become the most popular of all the categories. Today probably becoming the main event and the reason some come to the Balls (in my opinion).

Ballroom culture spread all over the US from New York, to DC, to San Fransisco, but it wouldn't be until 2005 that it would hit Toronto. In 2005 The very first house (in Toronto) established itself. The House of Monroe. Others would try to create their own houses but failed, leaving the House of Monroe as the only house in Toronto, to this day.

Recetnly KiKi houses (which are "training" houses, allowing individuals to practice their craft before joining a real house) came to Toronto aswell. These houses like the house of Pink Lady and Xpradaganza have become the main staple of the ballroom scene in Toronto. Each hosting their own, or coming together to host a Ball. While the "scene" has usually drawn in Black LGBT peoples it has come to include people of different races and those who support the LGBT community.

Voguing a definition
a highly stylized, modern house dance that evolved out of the Harlem Ball room scene in the 1960s.There are currently four distinct styles of vogue: Old Way (pre-1990); New Way (post-1990); Vogue Femme (circa 1995); and Dramatics, which includes stunts and tricks. Although vogue "femme" has been used in the ballroom scene as a catch-all phrase for overtly effeminate voguing as far back as the 1970s, as a recognizable style of voguing, it only came into its own around the mid-1990s.

It should be noted that the terms "Old Way" and "New Way" are generational. Earlier generations called the style of voguing the generation before them practiced "Old Way." Voguers, therefore, reuse these terms to refer to the evolutionary changes of the dance that are observable almost every ten years. Ten years from now, today's "New Way" will likely be deemed the "Old Way."

Defention:
Ball culture, the house system, the ballroom community and similar terms describe the underground LGBT subculure in the US in which people "walk" (i.e. compete) for trophis and prizes at events known as balls. Those who walk often also dance and vogue while others compete in various genres of drag often trying to pass as a specific gender and social class. Most people involved with ball culture belong to "houses" led by a single leader.

So there you have it my interpretation of the history of  the Ball Room scene...allowing those who wish they could be "stars" a chance to shine....If you haven't watched "Paris is Burning" shame on you..