The ambition of Ballroom in Focus was to partner with the Black and Brown LGBTQ+ visionaries that birthed Ballroom to create a historic digital archive, bringing the best of Google, YouTube, and Pixel products and platforms to share their true history and legacy of belonging, community, and bold creative expression with the world.

Google’s Ballroom in Focus celebrates and helps preserve the subculture’s history and was co-created with LGBTQ+ Ballroom community members. We created the world’s first and largest living digital archive of over 2,500 never-before-seen photos and artifacts, digital exhibitions, exclusive interviews, social content, and a Google.com homepage Doodle takeover, all dedicated to sharing the often misrepresented and untold history of the LGBTQ+ Ballroom community. Given Search interest in Ballroom is perpetually on the rise, we saw an opportunity to create a digital record and central source of Ballroom truth and legacy from the legends who lived it.

Across the United States, searches for vogue dance are at an all-time high. And while Ballroom’s influence on mainstream culture has never been greater, the origins and history of Ballroom have gone untold and been appropriated. The few documentaries and entertainment properties about Ballroom that have existed, like “Paris Is Burning,” are often told by outsiders. That’s why we teamed up with members of the community, including legends and icons from Ballroom’s inception, to craft a hub that centers their voices and allows them to tell and own their own stories.

The project came to life across many touchpoints. On Google’s homepage, one of the internet’s biggest stages, we launched a logo art takeover Doodle, paying homage to the Godfather of Vogue, Willi Ninja. The interactive Doodle unveiled a short-form video sharing the story of Willi’s impact. In addition, we art directed 29 digital exhibitions with LGBTQ+ voices, curating unseen photos and interviews preserving Ballroom’s true story. And we edited a selection of the archive’s images with AI-powered tools like Photo Unblur and Magic Eraser to give artifacts a second life. Lastly, we crafted engaging social content, sharing exclusive interviews of Ballroom icons with Gen Z, a generation often introduced to Ballroom only through pop culture and mainstream shows like “RuPaul’s Drag race.”

The project made history. By partnering with the Ballroom community to create this digital archive, we helped combat decades of untold and appropriated narratives. People around the world embraced the project, and the Ballroom community expressed sincere gratitude for the effort on social media, driving love for the Google brand while fulfilling our mission of organizing the world’s information and making it universally accessible.