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Lights, camera, action: Sheldon Larry says Madonna (left) ripped off the black, gay ball scene for her song and video Vogue

THE WORLD of black, gay, drag balls are full of glamour and sultry songs, sensual dancing and gorgeous men bathed in glitter – or so new film Leave It On The Floor would have us believe.

In this musical, Bradley (played by Ephraim Sykes) is kicked out of his home by his mother when she finds out that he is gay. Alone and with nowhere to go, Bradley eventually finds his way to a nightclub, which is hosting a gay ball and thus his new life begins.

Creator Sheldon Larry wanted to make the movie as real as possible, so he enlisted the help of Beyoncé’s creative director Kim Burse and gave many parts in the movie to the young black men from the gay-ball community. Larry, himself openly gay, talks about the eccentricity of his film – and claims that Madonna ripped the off the black, gay community.

SHOWTIME: Character Queef Latina in a scene from Leave It On The Floor

“Most of the kids in the ball world are runaways and throwaways,” says the 53-year-old. “They’ve been tossed out by their family because they are gay or transgender. They find each other on the street and they connect in the club. And every six or seven weeks, they stage a ball and compete in different category such as Voguing.”

And according to the director, that is where singer Madonna stole the idea for her iconic ‘90s hit Vogue, complete with the dance of the same name.

“I used to see Madonna at these balls,” he recalls. “Her song Vogue was taken out of this world and so was the dance. In this film, I didn’t want to rip them off, as I felt Madonna had in the past. I wanted to put these kids centre-stage and celebrate who they are by bringing positivity to the culture as a whole.”

Indeed, positive vibes ooze from this film, despite it tackling some serious issues, like homelessness, family break-ups and homophobia. Even though the characters have experienced tough times, all of their troubles disappear as soon as they hit the catwalk.

WORKING: Director Sheldon Larry (right) on set with his cast; Larry, who says Madonna ripped off the black, gay ball scene for her song and video Vogue

“To them, drag is everything. The music, dance, costume, make-up and hair – it’s a hotbed of creativity.”

Leading the way in the club is matriarchal transvestite Queef Latina, who takes Bradley under her wing and teaches him the rules of the ball world. And in case you were wondering, yes, Queef Latina is an audacious play on the name of US entrepreneur, Queen Latifah.

“It is absolutely a play on the name Queen Latifah,” Larry says of his character. “My character is a wonderful transgender mother whose name evokes her status.”
But far from being all about partying and balls, Leave It On The Floor asserts a moral message that stretches beyond the gay and transgender worlds.

“I wanted to do a film about family. I’m a single gay dad; I’ve been raising twin daughters who are now 19-years-old and I know families come in different shapes and sizes. I wanted to do a movie about a kid on a journey and him finding a family in the most unlikely place.”

Leave It On The Floor is out on DVD from September 24. For more information visit www.ballmusical.com