The Toronto Kiki Ballroom Alliance

• Dance

The Toronto Kiki Ballroom Alliance is a for-youth-by-youth grassroots organization that started out of the need to bring ballroom arts into the community. Ballroom culture, which originated in Harlem, started in 1967 through pageantry and performance that’s glamourous, fun, engaging, and affirming. The Kiki community takes the magic and impact of ballroom and brings it to our community which is: LGBT+ Black & Brown youth and allies.  

Although our youth are mostly black LGBT youth, our TKBA community is diverse. Citizens and newcomers, cisgender and transgender, queer and questioning, binary and non-binary, young and old all make up the fabric of our community. When we are being engaged and doing what we love. We celebrate the differences and intersections within the collective body. We are not a homogenous community, but we are a community full of unique individuals with unique experiences and lives. 

The mission of the TKBA is to provide LGBT+POC youth opportunities and activities that build positive relationships, strengthen the community-at-large and develop their self-esteem/confidence. We serve the interests of the community of Toronto by engaging them through means of arts, political discussions, town halls, and more! 

The TKBA is built on leaders who demonstrate positive peer mentorship skills, are knowledgeable and are passionate about ballroom and community. Although the TKBA is primarily an arts-based grassroots organization, we have established important connections with vital community organizations that serve our community such as Black CAP, Supporting Our Youth & the 519, YouthLine and more. Our leaders are always learning, so our community is always benefitting.