Houses
Houses are an important symbol in ball culture and the queer community featured in the film. These Houses, each of which is founded on a certain last name (Xtravaganza, Labeija, Dupree, etc.) have a House "Mother," typically an older performer who looks out for and mentors younger ones, known as their children. The Houses serve as a symbol of alternative family structures for those who have been rejected from their biological families or who are looking for a close-knit community within the larger ball culture.
Clothing
Of course, clothing and style play a paramount role for the performers in the balls. In order to win a prize in a particular category, one's outfit must be both realistic and, if not actually a designer item, imitate the couture with impressive detail. Clothing serves as a symbol of expression for individual performers, but it is also a symbol of the lifestyle the performers step into when they participate in a ball – the "great white way of living," or the lives of wealthy, cisgender, heteronormative white people.
Realness
Realness, a term that denotes being able to successfully impersonate one's straight counterpart without question, is a recurring motif in the film. Realness can apply to a number of performative categories, including "men's fashion" (in which performers dress like high-class men), "executive" (suits), and "femme queen" (beautiful women). Realness is considered a badge of honor for performers who are not trying to simply imitate or satirize this image but who are attempting to capture it for themselves.
AIDS Epidemic
One of the subtler motifs of the film is the AIDS epidemic, most likely because at the time the documentary was filmed, it had not yet ravaged the queer community as it would in the late 1980s. Indeed, when the film jumps forward to 1989, performers reflect on how balls have changed since the epidemic began. After the film, many of those interviewed (including Angie Xtravaganza) would die from AIDS-related illness.
Balls
Ball culture itself is the most prominent symbol in the film, as it puts on display the community, artistry, energy, and acceptance present in the queer community of New York City in the 1980s. At various points in the film, footage from the raucous and entertaining balls is juxtaposed with footage from the streets of New York in the day time, where people – mostly well-dressed white people – commute to work. The balls are a symbol of queer history and pride, and they are a safe haven for those who cannot safely exist in the "outside" world.
