HBO Max’s Legendary turned the Brooklyn Museum into a ballroom last Tuesday, to celebrate the shows third season that premiered on May 19.
In its two seasons, Legendary has been celebrating the LGBTQ+ ballroom culture by awarding one of eight voguing teams, or “houses,” $100,000 each season after competing in weekly dance, walking and vogue challenges. In season three, there will be an additional two houses. 
Judges Leiomy Maldonado and Law Roach brought the shows energy to the museums third floor where preforming houses in the first two seasons competed for a grand prize of $10,000; which Law Roach generously turned into $15,000 mid competition. Known for their iconic judges, this seasons KeKe Palmer for example; it was only right for Dominique Jackson to have a seat at the judges table at such an extravagant ball. House mother, Elektra Evangelista on FX’s Pose, Jackson recalled her first time in the ballroom on the red carpet amongst the pageantry. “It was at a club called Buns in Baltimore,” she started. “It was a mini ball. I wore these black and white pants. I walked runway and that night I actually won.”
- “The day I found out about ballroom was the day I really went out and understood my lifestyle,” Legendary host, Dashaun Wesley admitted. “I went to the West Village at like 14 (…) I was following this DJ who had this boom box and was playing beats. Everyone was following him and I was like, “Sure why not?’ I sat and watched and I was like, ‘This is what I want to do.”
Leiomy Maldonado, Jen OConnell, Jihoon Zun and Dashuan Wesley
“Voguing has been everything to me. Voguing gave me a reason to live,” Maldonado asserted. The founder of House of Amazon, Maldonado is known for her voguing. When she isn’t serving as a judge alongside celebrity stylist Law Roach, the celebrity dancer and choreographer wears many hats; including actor and model. Which is why it was no surprise the project she hinted at was her FitBit campaign released the next day.
As the games began the judges sat upright at the end of a runway. The houses battled it out in categories ranging from “Body” to “Walk,” and in the end, Season two came out on top.
Tune in to Legendary now streaming on HBO Max.
