The iconic Leiomy Maldonado knows that VR is the future.

Meta‘s campaign, “It’s Your World,” calls for the next generation to connect to their passion and pave their path on their terms. The campaign recruited a bold collective of creators equipped with their latest products to ignite honest conversations about AI and mixed reality, and the ballroom icon, model and activist was one the creators who stormed the streets of New York City representing a range of industries and cultures.

The Bronx native’s work as a dancer and model has made her a trendsetter in the LGBTQ+ community. Her love for voguing and Ballroom was ignited when she was a young teen after a teacher introduced her through a videotape of a local event. Her consistent presence and creativity secured her spots working in mainstream media as a choreographer, a cast member on FX’s Pose, and a fan-favorite judge on HBO Max’s Legendary.

While Ballroom culture has remerged into pop culture, making its way onto worldwide stages, the individuals in which it originated haven’t always received the acknowledgment.

“Ballroom was an inspiration to so many, but the fact that people didn’t know about it, people were getting away with being able to steal from it,” she said.

Maldonado advocates for the art form and the community with her large platform to counteract the “culture vultures” of the past who have profited from the Ballroom culture and community without knowing the history.

Leiomy Maldonado

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