Beyonce’s Renaissance World Tour is a euphoric celebration of queer spirit.
On a warm summer night in late July 2022, Beyoncé released her seventh studio album titled RENAISSANCE, the first of an enigmatic three-act project. With little promotion or visuals surrounding the album, the genres she would venture into remained a mystery. It would soon be revealed that the album adopted styles of house music prevalent in the ‘90s ballroom vogue scene. The culture surrounding this music was pioneered by queer legends such as Kevin Aviance and Grace Jones, the latter of whom appears on the track “MOVE.”
Following the album’s release, Beyoncé made a statement that RENAISSANCE is dedicated to her gay cousin Uncle Jonny, who helped raise her until his passing from AIDS. He is also referenced on the track “HEATED” in the album. During her acceptance speech at the 2023 Grammys ceremony, Bey expressed thankfulness to him and the queer community for inventing the genre.
While RENAISSANCE as an album is coated top-down in influence from the queer spaces in the ‘80s and ‘90s, speculation on how the tour would bring the album to life kept the Beyhive buzzing. The finished product exceeded expectations in a supernova of fearless queer joy.
Joining Beyoncé on tour is a cast of dancers of various body sizes and shapes all well-versed in the culture the album envelops itself in. Among these dancers is vogueing legend Honey Balenciaga, member of the House of Balenciaga in the ballroom community.
During the tour’s final act following the performance of “PURE/HONEY,” Beyoncé’s dancers are given an opportunity to shine in a vogue ball set on stage. The segment allowed the dancers to show off various styles of vogue including both the old way and vogue femme.
This approach allowed the dancers to elevate themselves as well. Beyond simply promoting Beyoncé, the Renaissance World Tour acts as a vessel for queer people to celebrate themselves and bring new life to the pioneers that fought to create a space for fearless self expression.
Despite the tour’s impact on revitalizing queer legends, the threat of bigotry expressed towards LGBTQ+ people is still active. On July 29, 2023, a year after the release of RENAISSANCE, dancer and activist O’Shae Sibley was murdered in Brooklyn, New York. The 28-year-old gay man was vogueing to the album among friends when they were confronted by a group of teenagers. They ordered Sibley’s group to stop dancing, stating it was offensive to their religion.
Sibley confronted the group and was eventually stabbed after an argument ensued; he was later pronounced dead in the hospital. The 17-year-old accused was charged with second-degree murder as a hate crime.
The murder sparked outrage and heartbreak among the queer community worldwide. In the aftermath, Beyoncé herself displayed on her website, “Rest in Power O’Shae Sibley” in solidarity. Honey Balenciaga later shared her condolences on Instagram, stating “queerness does not kill, bigotry does”. She also provided resources for funding Sibley’s funeral via GoFundMe. On Aug. 4, a vigil and vogue ball were hosted at the scene of the attack, where hundreds gathered to honour his life.
As the Renaissance World Tour enters its final collection of shows, queer people around the world have been given a spark to light the fire of interconnectedness in their community. Having grossed over $400 million USD, the tour has broken records as the highest-earning tour by a woman in history. While Beyoncé’s mastery as a performer proves she is born for the stage on this tour, her voice sings in tribute of queer legends that were otherwise unknown outside of the community.
However, the tour is merely one stage in the fight against bigotry that queer people have been in for decades. If one thing is certain, the queer community will fight for one another, and the presence of bigotry will not break their soul.