Cultural Preservation
Document Ballroom history, honor living legends, and protect the stories that shape cultural memory.
About the IMA Heritage Ball
Preserving legacy.Honoring culture.Elevating the future.
A signature experience of the Intercultural Media Festival where Ballroom history, artistic excellence, chosen family, scholarship, and institutional preservation meet.
01 / Program Overview
A cultural archive in motion.
More than a ball.
A living record.
The IMA Heritage Ball honors the enduring legacy of House and Ballroom culture while creating meaningful investment in its future.
Through performance, documentation, recognition, scholarship, and community partnership, the Ball turns one night of brilliance into lasting cultural memory.
02 / The Mandate
Where culture becomes
permanent legacy.
Creative Advancement
Support scholarships and grants for LGBTQIA+ artists, performers, and storytellers building what comes next.
Permanent Legacy
Create pathways into archives, exhibits, the IMA Hall of Fame, and long-term cultural programming.
03 / Cultural Mission
Ballroom is not a trend. It is lineage.
“Royal Bloodlines: Legends Never Die” centers Ballroom’s proud roots in Black and Latinx LGBTQIA+ communities and recognizes House culture as a foundation of queer expression, performance innovation, chosen family, and cultural memory.
The Heritage Ball creates space for the culture to be witnessed on its own terms—with dignity, production value, historical context, and community leadership.
04 / Leadership
Stewarded with
purpose and care.
The Heritage Ball operates through the Intercultural Media Alliance, with organizational, board, cultural-programming, and scholarship leadership guiding the experience.
Karesse Clemons
President & CEO, Intercultural Media Alliance
Tory Moody
Chair, Heritage Ball
Marwan Becton
Board Liaison for Cultural Programming & Events
Vacant
Chair, Scholarship & Awards Advancement Committee
Archive · Scholarship · Hall of Fame · Cultural Programming
05 / Long-Term Vision
From a moment
to an institution.
The vision extends beyond a single night: a permanent cultural archive, a scholarship pipeline, a Hall of Fame pathway, and future museum and exhibition opportunities that honor Ballroom culture with the care its legacy deserves.
Join the Legacy
Take your place
on the floor.
Walk, judge, sponsor, document, volunteer, or bear witness. Every role helps carry the culture forward.