"Since the 1980s at the latest, however, ballroom culture has been brought into the mainstream by major pop stars, from Madonna to Beyoncé. This has led to greater visibility, but at the same time, appropriation and exploitation have also meant the depoliticisation and invisibility of social struggles. We discuss how festivity can take place in this field of tension with Black people who have played a key role in shaping and influencing ballroom culture in Germany."