Honey Balenciaga: the dance floor queen redefining voguing and stardom

Ballroom phenomenon, actor and model. These are some of the many hats worn by Honey Gonzales.

Professionally known as Honey Balenciaga, the Honduran-Puerto Rican star has built a name for herself as a prominent LGBTQIA+ figure who is also a voguing diva.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, she took on the last name “Balenciaga” after joining the “House of Balenciaga”, a ballroom family.

Growing up, Gonzales studied dance styles such as jazz, contemporary, tap, and ballet. She began learning how to vogue through a free program at “The Door” in Manhattan during her summers. 

In 2017, Gonzales became part of the House of LaBeija. Later, she also joined the Houses of Juicy Couture and Balenciaga, and since then, she’s been going by the surname Balenciaga in ballroom circles.

During a 2023 interview with "V Magazine", the 25-year-old performer revealed that she did not have her eyes set on being a dancer but knew she wanted to be a star.

“I didn’t know that I wanted to be a dancer; I knew I wanted to be a star. Dance was just another piece of the puzzle.”

The voguing extraordinaire has always worked towards being a shining star, which led to Beyoncé selecting her for a voguing solo at the opening night of the Renaissance tour in 2023.

Throughout the show, she performed in various dance segments and in the Ballroom segment towards the end of the night. 

This led to many of her voguing videos going viral on the internet, with her name on everybody’s lips.

This was her biggest break, which she absolutely excelled at, leaving her mark and introducing her to those who were previously unaware of her, establishing her as a force to be reckoned with.

Her career as a dancer continued to level up as she performed alongside Beyoncé again for the "Cowboy Carter" tour. She has also done some choreography work with none other than Lady Gaga.

Gonzales appeared on several seasons of “Legendary”, the HBO Max show where voguing teams compete in dance battles for a cash prize, before collaborating with Beyoncé. She also popped up on Netflix’s “Survival of the Thickest”.

Speaking to "Conde Nast Traveler", Gonzales revealed the challenges of travelling across many destinations in a short period, as well as how she learned to bond with the rest of the dance crew through collaboration.

She added that working with Beyoncé was a dream come true and that she still dreams of being on stage and seeing the audience.

The history of voguing 

According to the dance style experts, the history of voguing emerged from the Los Angeles clubs in the 1970s, with dancers using sharp arm movements and dramatic poses to house music. 

The street dance style started as an underground dance culture created by queer black and Latina communities.

Voguing grew in New York’s ballroom scene in the 1980s, inspired by fashion magazines and runway poses, becoming a way to show confidence and identity for the LGBTQIA+ community.