Features / Bristol Pride
FRUITEA: A beacon of diversity
Bristol’s LGBTQ+ community was negotiating the issue of representation long before I moved here three years ago and has continued to do so for as long as I have been Bristol24/7’s LGBTQ+ Editor,
Kiki Bristol created a platform for Bristol’s queer people of colour which in turn inspired the birth of Bristol QPOC Socials.
A further group that has been pioneering diversity in our city’s LGBTQ+ scene is Bristol Ballroom Community.
is needed now More than ever
Ballroom history
Ballroom is a community created by and for queer women of colour, specifically trans women. It was created in New York in the 1980s as LGBTQ+ spaces at that time rejected queer people of colour. Ballroom was a space for these people to be platformed, celebrated and adored.
Bristol Ballroom Community has been growing and evolving over the past few years
Performers feature in a series of categories, from Realness – where you try to pass as straight – to Sex Siren, created to platform and celebrate Sex Workers. These categories were born from a history and context. For example, trying to pass as heterosexual or cisgendered is a tool that some queer people have used to avoid being harassed on the streets.
Performers compete against each other in several varying categories at events called balls.
Bristol has hosted one main scene ball and a couple of Kiki balls. Alongside these, Bristol Ballroom Community regularly host OTAs (open to all) events, which are smaller, more relaxed balls.
I first discovered ballroom through attending events in Melbourne and Sydney and seeing the Houses of Devine and Silky. I was always so impressed not just by the talent, but by the sheer volume and power of support performers experience when they walk.
Ballroom aims to celebrate and platform queer and trans people of colour
Ballroom is a space where all bodies, skin colours, gender expressions and sexualities are not just celebrated, they’re championed.
Anyone can be a star in ballroom. Many even use performer names to champion themselves further.
Tracking Bristol Ballroom Community’s growth
I first met Aysha, the creator of Bristol’s current ballroom scene back in 2023. I was interviewing her for one of my first articles for Bristol24/7. An issue for ballroom is creating authenticity – it is a scene that has been appropriated by shows like RuPaul’s Drag Race and wider queer culture.
Having knowledge of the history and culture surrounding ballroom is vital.
Centring queer and trans people of colour in the space is also important. This was something Aysha was working towards when we first met. It has been amazing to see Bristol Ballroom Community blossom into a booming, authentic scene.
FRUITEA sees performers showcase their impressive talent in a friendly, relaxed environment
I’ve witnessed the scene go from strength to strength, thanks to finding driven, talented performers who advocate passionately for ballroom’s treasured and esteemed history. It is now a prolific, legitimate ballroom community.
Bristol Ballroom Community has hosted regular functions and has been a featured part of Bristol Pride’s lineup over the past few years, even hosting a mini ball in one of the tents at Bristol Pride. They have brought a powerful element of diversity and representation to our city’s queer community.
FRUITEA
FRUITEA was one of the first times I attended a Bristol Ballroom Community function that felt like the ballroom events I’d attended in long-established scenes in other cities. It is essentially a practice ball for performers to compete against one another in a more relaxed environment than an official ball.
Bristol Ballroom Community has hosted FRUITEA for a few years and has found a home for it at the Trinity Centre.
On July 11, I attended their FRUITEA function which was featured on this year’s official Bristol Pride programme.
Categories at FRUITEA included Nails – where performers were judged on who had the best nails
It was searingly hot, one of the July days where it was over 30 degrees. I greeted everyone on the door with hugs and the warm atmosphere was palpable. We sat under the marquee outside before the event began, handheld fans whirred as performers reconnected.
There was representation from the Welsh ballroom scene and renowned ballroom houses like Telfar and Louboutin. Houses are performer groups – they’re called houses as many LGBTQ+ people were kicked out of their family homes after coming out and ballroom houses became their chosen families.
Platforming established members of the scene
Pulsing music mixed on the decks by Raven 007, of the Welsh ballroom community, announced the beginning of the function. The hosts explained the history of ballroom as a queer people of colour priority space, and set out how the event would work.
Raven 007 kept the energy high
Before the event officially began, a roll call was read where established members of the community were introduced and celebrated.
As performers were named, the room erupted into applause as people flipped, dipped and strutted down the runway in the middle of the audience.
The House of Telfar always stands out to me, during roll call they flip around, displaying enormous talent as the audience erupts in screams and gasps. I also always love Aysha’s performances who, as the mother of Bristol’s scene, always gets some of the biggest cheers.
Aysha is a standout performer and if there’s one thing she’ll do, it’s hairography. The way she whips her hair around and dips onto the floor gets me hollering every time I see it.
The judges panel was made up of established members of the Ballroom scene from Cardiff, the Haus of Telfar and Maze Louboutin
Like many of the performers, the judges were also introduced to enthusiastic applause. One of the judges, Maze Louboutin, has formed a foundational part of the Bristol Ballroom Community. I remember interviewing Maze for an interview in 2023.
I spoke with Maze about wanting to create an authentic ballroom scene.
Since that interview, Maze has become a part of the esteemed House of Louboutin and hosted Bristol’s first ever Kiki function in 2024, which I photographed and covered for Bristol24/7. Maze very recently became UK Princess of the Kiki House of Louboutin as well, bringing further esteem to themselves as a performer.
The other judges were from the House of Telfar, announced with flips and fakeouts that left the audience screaming for more. Meanwhile, from the Welsh ballroom community was Supreme Bulgari Prada, who is known for their European style runway and fashion looks.
What Category Are We On Right Now?
Then the ball started and categories were announced. ‘Face’ started us off, where performers showed off their facial features to see who was the most modelesque. Faces were lit with phone torches and walkers drew lines along their jaw and cheekbones to emphasise their facial structure.
Those who made it through the ‘Face’ round next had to serve in ‘Runway’, where performers walk as if they are doing a fashion catwalk. There are different styles, All-American, which is clean, confident, rigid and angular, and European, which is more expressive, with fluidity in the hips.
The audience’s energy was high throughout FRUITEA, keeping performers energised
At the start of the ball, all walkers were encouraged to have a go as it was Pride, and commentators said the worst that could happen was a chop (When judges cut you from the preliminary rounds). This emphasised the more relaxed nature of a practice ball.
A few walkers in Runway were not hitting the category correctly, some were dancing while walking, not emulating the modelesque runway walk the judges were looking for.
At this point, the music stopped and commentators reminded walkers that if audience members were going to walk, they should understand the category they were in.
The MCs emphasised that ballroom has a rich history which is to be respected, and performers train regularly for the functions.
Some of the talent on display was jaw-dropping. Over the years I have seen some of these performers go from their first time walking to runway-ready, win-ready ballroom walkers. It’s been amazing to see the growth of the scene and the talent within it, especially as many of them are young queer people of colour.
Following the Bristol Ballroom Community for years means I have been able to see performers grow and evolve to become forces to be reckoned with
There were some amazing final battles, particularly in the final ‘Vogue’ categories where performers were trying their hardest to out-gag one another.
This saw flips and shade being thrown through the moves performers executed to try and block one another from the judges views.
Despite all this, all walkers were hugging and smiling at one another by the end. Even though they are competing, there was a strong element of kinship and support.
Often stories were being told through the performances, and you could see this clearly in the ‘Hands’ category. Here, performers used only their hands and arms in isolated movements. Some performers were chopped due to not involving all the elements the category required.
A friendly scene
Overall, it was a night that platformed queer people of colour excellence. The talent had the audience on their feet, clapping, cheering and chanting the names of the performers.
What I love about ballroom is the community around it. Performers have a tangible aura and, when they walk, you can feel the charisma and talent. That’s star power.
Performers kept the audience captivated throughout FRUITEA
Bristol is a particularly friendly ballroom scene compared to other communities I’ve been involved with. Its warm, welcoming energy is a huge asset as it helps them to welcome new and talented performers and respectful and engaged audience members.
I’ve been so proud to witness the Bristol Ballroom Community blossom into what it has become.
It has grown exponentially and boasts members who now belong to renowned ballroom houses, host functions and regularly attend balls hosted by other city’s ballroom communities. These are all signposts that Bristol’s ballroom scene is authentic and recognised as a part of the national conversation around ballroom.
Bristol’s queer scene is becoming increasingly diverse, but work still needs to be done.
Many events around Bristol Pride had a noticeable lack of representation from queer people of colour.
Bristol Ballroom Community is one of the groups working to ensure there is a space that celebrates and champions queer people of colour in our city.
Events like FRUITEA showcase everything I love about ballroom. It’s magnetic, jaw-dropping talent, combined with platforming a part of our queer community which is not always as visible as the rest.
It provides a space to platform queer people of colour who are not only talented, but also invested in growing the scene authentically with warmth and compassion.
All photos: @Sinagyuson
Read next:
Our newsletters emailed directly to you
