For most of her life, toggling between New York and Los Angeles was the extent of bicoastal Honey Balenciaga's travels. That changed when the 22-year-old ballroom princess danced with Beyoncé on last year's blockbuster Renaissance World Tour and was swept up in a whirlwind trek across Europe and North America in the process—all told, there were 56 shows in 39 cities between May and October of 2023. Hamburg, unexpectedly, was a favorite stop.
Traveling with such a major operation is unusual and arduous, involving tight turnarounds with little time for sightseeing. Ahead of her leading a Vogue workshop at Red Bull Dance Your Style, the global, all-styles street dance competition US National Final in Atlanta, Balenciaga sat down with us to chat travel before and after Beyoncé.
What was your relationship to travel before going on tour?
I didn’t travel much internationally, but I was bi-coastal. I ran away from New York to Los Angeles—I needed to find how to be comfortable in my skin, away from everything. And it was hard—especially because there's not a big Puerto Rican community there. But that discomfort drove me to creative fields and kept me on my toes, made me evolve into this version of myself. Now, wherever I am, I remind myself where I came from, and who created me. And what I always do first is look for Puerto Rican food. I ask myself, ‘what’s going to remind me of home, of how I started, how I got inspired, how I love, what I love?’
Growing up in the hood, I was surrounded by so many types of people, who loved different things and loved them openly—loved them out loud. Whether it was music, dance (even if they didn't know how to dance), they just did it because it's in our blood. I haven’t told many people this, but my mom was a breakdancer. Movement is in my blood, she was outside, spinning on her head, and celebrated on Puerto Rican television.
What was it like to visit so many places in such a brief period of time on Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour, with such a large production crew no less?
From a traveler’s perspective, that shit was brutal. I was on the go all the time. We would arrive at the destination, perform a 3-hour show, and get to the hotel room late. It was a tour of 56 shows and 39 cities, and we’d always wake up early. We were more than 500 people, and rented out entire planes. After the flights, which I hate, we’d land, have a dress rehearsal, and outfit changes—all with no rest. In America, transportation was easier thanks to the buses. When the shows ended, the buses sat right outside of the stadium. Once we hit the road we were able to rest way more.
Being with the team, we learned how to be a family, how to work together, to give everyone grace, and eventually love each other. It was a very loving environment, from the lighting crew to the camera crew and other dancers. And to share the stage with the Queen—it was such a dream come true. To this day, I dream about walking down the stairs and being on that stage, seeing the audience. After the tour, I would wake up and be sad it's not still happening. The adrenaline was, and still is, insane.
Where did you go on tour that you absolutely loved? Did any city surprise you?
When there was time, we’d look for three things in every city: delicious food, a masseuse, and a nail salon. That was rest and restoration. Through these luxuries, I discovered that I love Europe, especially Hamburg and Switzerland. The nature, the architecture—everything was so beautiful. The culture, energy, and food is way better than the US. The passion is different: pure and genuine.
I loved being on the panel for a ball in Paris. And when we went to Amsterdam, we were walking through the Red Light District. There, I heard, “Mother, we love you, Mother Honey Balenciaga!” A group of young ballroom kids recognized me and ran up to me. They all started voguing on the street, it was beautiful. Even though we didn’t have the luxury of time, there was so much glitz and glam.
Any advice for glitz and glam lovers in their travels?
Shop in different cities! In the South, I bought a bolero tie and cowboy hat while on tour. It has a gold plate with a silver horse on it, and became a coincidence because then the Queen came out with Cowboy Carter. In Hamburg, I bought a fabulous 2007 black Fendi trench coat from a vintage shop right across the street from the most amazing Chinese food restaurant.
How do you show up to the airport?
I always get dressed for the plane. I don't know where that culture died. People need to start getting dressed up for the airport. I'm always in the airport with heels on—and depending on the season, I will have some type of leather on at the airport, whether it's a boot or a jacket. In any case, you will always catch me at the airport with a stiletto heel and a handbag. And another piece of advice: always check your bags. Never carry a suitcase around because it's not “cunt.” Unless it's a cute carry-on that matches the outfit. Otherwise, I hate airports. They are too corny and chaotic because people are crazy.
You have five seats on a private jet going anywhere—who would you invite and where would you go?
My mom has seat number one. Then my best friend, Barbie, and one of my favorite new friends, Aweng Chuoi. If fictional characters are allowed, I would definitely invite Stewie Griffin from Family Guy. I would say Beyoncé, but she can meet me there on her own private jet. I picture we’d go somewhere in the South of France, stop by Italy, maybe visit Greece to kick some boots.