Voguing, ballroom and Black culture culminate for Beyoncé fans in the Carolinas

As the anticipation builds, Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour promises to be an out of this world celebration of the LGBTQ+ community, the ballroom scene and Black culture in Charlotte.

Fans like Kendace Willis and Chanel Owens eagerly await the experience of seeing Beyoncé in Charlotte while embracing the diverse and inclusive space the artist has created.

Celebrating Black LGBTQ+ culture

Beyoncé is incorporating ballroom, which originated in the early 1920s and was revamped into an underground scene after participants grew “fed up” with racist ball culture.

The ballroom culture we know today is often organized into categories that originate displaying skills in areas including runway, face and performance, which includes a dance titled “voguing,” along with dips, spins and duckwalks. And these forms of dance are displayed during Beyoncé’s concert.

Willis, a cis hetero Black woman, doesn’t feel like the album “was 100%” for her, but she’s been enjoying it and says “it’s an excellent album.”

“I think I’m probably more excited about this concert — more than anyone that I’ve ever seen — because of the people and Black LGBTQ folks who I know are going to give us a show and show out and they’re gonna have a good time. And I’m looking forward to them enjoying themselves and just being immersed in music that was created for them.”

Owens, who has been a part of the ballroom scene for over a year, is also delighted by Beyoncé’s homage to the Black LGBTQ+ community.

“I’ve never really seen an artist, like, go to that level. Like, they’ll usually do like a one off thing and they’ll do ‘OK, well, you know, I’m done.’ That was kind of like my thing. But, no, Beyoncé really cares,” Owen said.

While Beyoncé has noted that she was inspired by her connection to her Uncle Johnny and the music and culture he shared as she made the album during COVID, Owens said, “she just wanted this album to be fun, carefree and energetic. And what scene or what culture doesn’t represent that more than ballroom?”

Destiny’s Child to Beychella

Willis, who lives in Raleigh, is a seasoned Beyoncé concert-goer. She shared that while the process of securing tickets for the Renaissance tour was “anxiety-inducing,” the first time she ever went to a concert was when Destiny’s Child was an opening act for Sammie.

“So, we were like front row — did not know who Beyoncé was. I wish I would have known back then what I know now. Back then we were just like, Oh, ‘I like the little song they have.’ So, and that was probably back in 1998, 99, somewhere around there.” Willis said.

While Willis said the “Crazy In Love” singer does not miss a single beat, she sings the entire time, and her “breath control is amazing.”

“She has one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. It’s kind of like – and people are probably going to disagree with this – some people — I think that she is probably the closest we’re gonna get to Michael Jackson level performance, consistency, just excellence all around.”

Owens, a first-time concert-goer, said Beyoncé’s influence began at a young age through Destiny’s Child songs played by her mother.

And, in high school, the Columbia, SC, native performed her own tribute to Beyoncé through organizing a performance at a Black History Month assembly back in 2020.

Owens’ ode to Beychella included creating posters, holding interest meetings, hosting auditions, editing songs and coordinating outfits.

“I studied the whole Coachella performance from top to bottom: the choreography, the setlist, everything. And so I had to study that in order to teach that to the dancers that I had working with me.

“It was so stressful. But it was also worth it.”

While Owens said Beyoncé is one of her “biggest inspirations in life,” she also admires the artist’s confidence and overall stage presence as she looks for ways to incorporate her work into “whatever type of performances I put on or whatever type of choreography that I decide to create.”

“She’s so meticulous with everything that she does. Her performances – like she has an amazing work ethic. She supervises literally everything that goes on. On her tour, you’ll see her performing and she pays attention to the littlest things. If a fan is not working, she’ll pay attention to it. If a dancer fell, she’ll pay attention to it. Just the smallest things that nobody would ever think of. She has that eye,” Owens said.

Getting in formation

As Aug. 9 draws near, the show was given a new time slot for 8 p.m.

Willis said, “People were saying that if your show’s at 7 p.m., she doesn’t come on for like another hour and a half or hour or something like that. So, they’re like, don’t rush to get to the venue. But, I know it is at 8 p.m., I don’t know what time she’s gonna be on. So I’ll try to be in my seat by 8:45.”

Owens has already planned her outfit, with a classic Renaissance merchandise T-shirt and a metallic eyeshadow look, aiming to pay tribute to the Renaissance era’s artistic aesthetics.

“As soon as 7:30 a.m. strikes, I’m immediately starting with makeup.” Owens said, “And I want to drive up there around 10 or 11 a.m. because they’ll be like, ‘You should just take your time,’ even though the show is supposed to start at 8 p.m. It doesn’t really start honestly until 9 p.m. But I’m just not taking any chances. I’m going to find my parking space, and I’m going to stand in line. And I’m going to be in that stadium.”

This story was originally published August 7, 2023 at 6:00 AM.

Mari Pressley

The Charlotte Observer

Freelancer Mari Pressley was an intern on the Charlotte Observer’s Service Desk and CharlotteFive. She studies mass communication with a concentration in journalism, while minoring in writing and photography. Her previous experience includes interning for Credit Karma’s Editorial team and serving as Managing Editor at Winthrop University’s school newspaper, The Johnsonian.