The schoolgirl fraudster who found redemption in ballroom
Shannon Balenciaga is a legend in the underground ballroom scene. She discovered this world in jail after she was caught running a multi-million dollar fraud scheme as a teenager.
Shannon Balenciaga was a fashion-obsessed teen who found herself in prison after cooking up a multi-million dollar fraud scheme. Living behind bars at such a young age, she thought her life was over. But then she discovered ballroom, an underground scene that first emerged in New York City when gay and trans people of colour, fed up of being marginalised in pageants, created their own. They formed alternative families, or βhouses,β and competed against each other in balls. Now, as head of the House of Balenciaga, Shannon is a legend in ballroom culture where she mentors a new generation of performers.
Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com
Presenter: Mobeen Azhar
Producer: Maryam Maruf
Picture: Shannon Balenciaga
Credit: Carieo Crenshaw
Podcast
-
![]()
The Outlook Podcast Archive
True stories of ordinary people and the extraordinary events that have shaped their lives
