Vogue/Waacking History
Ballroom Scene
Vogue and Waaking was born out of the ballroom scene. The Ballroom scene (also known as the Ballroom community, Ballroom culture, or just Ballroom) is a predominately African-American and Latino/a underground LGBTQ+ underground subculture that began in New York during the late 20th century. Within the Ballroom scene different attendees will walk and compete in different categories for trophies, cash prizes, and recognition. Most participants in Ballroom belong to groups known as "houses", where chosen families of friends form relationships and communities separate from their families of origin, from which they may be estranged. A key element of balls is also the music, which is typically characterized by distinct uptempo beats that are overlaid with the "raps" of commentators or emcees. Lyrics are just as stylized as the beats and often praise queerness and femininity through typically vulgar or "in your face" language.
According to most historical accounts, vogue was first danced by black drag queens in Harlem. Modeled after the rich and glamorous white women they saw strutting down Fifth Avenue. Posing as models in the magazines, drag queens would emulate those women in the nightclubs. Using exaggerated hand gestures and elaborate poses, they stood in front of club mirrors and slowly played out the Fifth Avenue scene.
Eventually, they began to create their own scenes, using their hands to tell the stories of how they dressed in drag, put on makeup, pulled up stockings, and teased their hair. The result was a glamorous string of poses they named "vogue," after the well-known fashion magazine.
Waacking
Originally called punking, which was a reclaimed from the derogatory name for gay men at the time. The term "whack" was a specific movement within the punking style which involved moving the arms over the head in a rhythmic fashion. Although the wider club-going community took part in punking, they did not want the dance to have negative connotations attached to it and therefore renamed the genre "Waackin".
Waacking is a dance style that was created in dance clubs on the west coast of the USA in the 1970s. Waacking is characterized by a focus on arm movements, creating shapes and poses above and around the head in a fast-moving style. Waacking is often danced to disco music. Waacking incorporates wild but controlled moves that follow the beat. Arm movements up and around the head, in time with a disco or funk beat, characterize Waacking. It has a strong emphasis on musicality, as arm movements follow the music and the beat, with poses thrown in. Waacking is typically a freestyle dance that can incorporate other body and feet moves from different dance styles.
Vogue Dance Elements
Important Figures
Born Javier Madrid in Queens New York, 1980. In his youth he attended the "The New Ballet School" (a "tuition free" ballet school for children from low income families, now called:Ballet Technical founded by Eliot Feld) when he was nine years old and studied contemporary, modern and ballet, and discovered vogue when he was fifteen years old (in a nightclub). Like many underground voguers of his generation and the generation before him, he started going to nightclubs whilst he was underage. He met the great Willi Ninja in 2002 who went on to become his mentor. Willi coached and guided him for five years until he was ready to "walk" a ball.
Javier has performed solos and collaborated with The House of Ninja all around the world, most notable was for the original House of Ninja Production, East is Red and appeared as a guest starred on America’s Next Top Model. He was the “VOGUE Champion of the Year” for three consecutive years for the House Dance International competition. Additionally, Javier has expanded his horizons nationally and internationally including a performance at the 2010 world competition Juste DeBout in Paris and televise live performance at the 2012 Super Bowl Halftime Show with the “Queen of Pop," Madonna.
Javier Ninja-Iconic Hands Performance
Javier Ninja demonstrates the skills and artistry that has elevated him to legendary status in this performance oh "Hands". His emphasis on contortions, arm controls, fashion poses, and more are next level. He is able to balance the techniques of old, new, and fem vogue with his own personal expression.
‘You have three strikes against you; you’re black, gay and a drag queen.’
Paris Dupree was the Mother of the House of Dupree, she coined the term vogue and we don’t even have an actual birthday to celebrate this woman who gave so much to Queer culture. She was the founding member and mother of The House of Dupree, in which mobilized young, urban gays to express themselves in ways that mainstream America could not quite understand.Paris Dupree hosted yearly balls that were so well known and integral to the Harlem community that one in particular, Paris is Buring Ball (1986), would become the focus for Jennie Livingston’s iconic and controversial Paris is Burning documentary. Iconic because this film would become the blueprint for what the world outside of ballroom culture understands and controversial for being used as the source material to appropriate Queer ballroom culture for years to come.
According to ball legend, another significant mark made by miss Dupree was the moment she brought voguing onto the scene. During a night out at an East Village after-hours club called Footsteps, Dupree was amidst a group of queens throwing shade at one another. She decided to cleverly take things to the next level by grabbing the copy of Vogue magazine that was in her bag, opening it to a page with a particularly eye-catching pose, and mimicking the position, as a way to show off and subtly throw shade at her rivals. As she flipped the pages of the magazine, she mimicked the different poses she saw, matching up her movements with the beat of the music playing. At this point, another queen joined her trying to one-up her pose, to which Dupree responded with another on-beat pose.
At the iconic Atlanta ball in 2006 Paris Dupree explains how the ballroom scene started. The Harlem ball scene began in the late 60's early 70's with the icon Crystal Labeija. The Harlem ball scene spans over 50 years and is still thriving to this day both nationwide and internationally.
Willi Ninja (William Roscoe Leak)
Willi Ninja was born April 12th 1961 in New York City. He was a self-taught dancer that began perfecting his voguing style by his twenties. His influences included Kemetic hieroglyphic, young Michael Jackson, Fred Astaire, Olympic gymnasts, and Asian culture. Ninja started the House of Ninja in 1982, despite not having been part of a house previously or winning three grand prizes, which was generally seen as a requirement to start a house. The name Ninja came from the house's Asian and martial arts influences, coupled with the fact that people in the ballroom scene did not know who they were. The House of Ninja had a reputation for being multiracial. Except for the Latino House of Xtravaganza, most houses at the time were African-American.
Willi Ninja has starred in many music videos (Janet Jackson, Madonna, Heavy D, Cab Calloway, etc), films, television shows, and the iconic documentary "Paris is Burning". After appearing in the documentary Paris is Burning, Willi rose to fame as a choreographer, musician, runway model and modeling coach, as well as serving as a direct inspiration to various artists who immortalized the style in their music videos. Willi Ninja’s life illustrates what it means to be a black gay male in a world that lauds white male heteronormativity. Willi Ninja transgressed rigid gender barriers as he participated in the ballroom scene and performed an androgynous gender presentation on and off the stage. His legacy continues as the House of Ninja members keep voguing alive and advocate on behalf of their mother to raise HIV/AIDS awareness.
Willi Ninja is a guest on the Jimmy Fallon show. Despite the videos blurriness and the racial/homophobic undertones of the full interview, Ninja is able showcase his talents as godfather of Vogue dance.
Tyrone "The Bone" Proctor is a well known pioneer of waacking dance style and was the co-founder of the Imperial House of Waacking. He was nicknamed “The Bone” by the late, legendary Don Cornelius and he made history on the dance TV classic Soul Train. The performer has in fact been credited with coining the term "waacking" as the style had been previously called "punking" by some. He was personally chosen by Don Cornelius to perform in the 1973 when the show went on a stadium tour. Proctor and dance partner Sharon Hill later competed together in 1975 on American Band Stand where the pair won the dance competition.
Some refer to Proctor as the "Grandmother of Voguing" as he maintained a close working relationship with Willi Ninja (Willi was a member of Breed of Motion) and went on to train Archie Ninja, currently the Grandfather of that ballroom house, as well as others. He also trained Kumari Suraj, who is a much respected choreographer and dancer in the waacking genre. He has been awarded lifetime achievement awards and been recognized as a "New York Legend of Hip Hop." Proctor is remembered as a visionary dancer, demanding taskmaster, and warm and loyal friend.
Tyrone Proctor Teaching Waacking
Tyrone Proctor teaches a waacking class in Montreal, Canada
Meet the Iconic and Legendary Mothers of Ballroom
i-D meets five of American ballroom culture’s most esteemed mothers at the CÎROC Iconic Ball at KOKO in Camden, London. Flown in for the event, held to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Pride movement in the UK, we see Stasha Sanchez, Sinia Alaïa, Jusss Kelly, Devine and Lola take to the runway to proudly represent the House of Alaïa and the House of Gorgeous Gucci. They go on to discuss the ballroom scene as a vital source of community, self-love, sex and sensuality, trans power and liberation, and blazing a trail for generations of queens to come. A global platform for emerging talent, i-D celebrates fashion, culture, individuality and youth. CÎROC Iconic Ball is supporting notaphase.org in its work to create safe and affirming spaces for the Trans and Gender Non-Confirming (GNC) community nationwide.
Ballroom House Culture "Houses"
These houses, acting as a safe space for individuals of all gender identities and sexualities, competed against each other in balls. Acting as a chosen family, the houses became integral to the young black and Latino queer men whos’ lives were often otherwise socially marginalized. Houses were typically named after Milan and Paris fashion houses, such as House of Balenciaga, and members would usually take the house name as their surname, such as Asia Balenciaga. Houses are typically led by "Mothers" and "Fathers" who are experienced members of the ballroom scene. They work to provide guidance, safety, and support for their "Children". House "Children", "Mothers", and "Fathers" are typically drag queens, gay men, and Transmen.
Competitions
Houses compete against each other in various different categories. Participants dress according to the category they're competing under. The Categories are split under different demographics of the participants. Competitions saw houses mimicking the fashion runway through theatre performance and dance.
- Femme Queens (FQ): trans women
- Butch Queens (BQ): gay men
- Transmen: trans men
- Drags: gay men in drags
- Women: cisgender women
- Male Figure: the collection of butch queens and trans men
- Female Figure: the collection of femme queens, drags, and women
- Open to All: the collection of all demographics
Popular Houses
- The Royal House of LaBeija (founded by Crystal LaBeija, co-founder of ballroom culture; and chiefly run by Pepper LaBeija in the 1980s and 1990s)
- The House of Aviance (founded by Mother Juan Avience)
- The International House of Chanel (founded by R.R. Chanel in 1976.)
- The House of Omni (co-founded by Kevin Omni in 1979.)
- The Iconic House of Allure founded in Washington, DC in 1989 by (Father Al Allure).
- The House of Balenciaga (founded by Harold Balenciaga)
- The House of Dupree (founded by Paris Dupree)
- The House of Ebony (founded by Larry Preylow Ebony and Richard Fears Ebony)
- The House of Ferré[7] (founded by Milan Christopher)
- The House of Garçon (founded by Whitney and Shannon Garçon)
- The House of Juicy Couture (founded by Courtney Balenciaga)
- The House of Ladosha founded by La Fem LaDosha and Cunty Crawford)
- The House of Latex
- The House of Maison Margiela (founded by Vini Margiela)
- The House of Mizrahi (founded by Andre Mizrahi)
- The Iconic International House Of Miyake-Mugler (founded by The Iconic Overall Founding Father David Miyake-Mugler, Raleigh and Julian Mugler)
- The House of Lanvin (founded by Meechie & Kenny Lanvin)
- The Iconic International House of St. Laurent (founded by Octavia St. Laurent, Christopher Hall, and Robert Marcomeni in 1982)
- The House of Ninja (founded by Will Ninja)
- The House of Pendavis
- The House of Xtravaganza (founded by Hector Valle, and chiefly run by Hector Xtravaganza and Angie Xtravaganza in the 1980s)
- The Royal House of Nina Oricci (founded by Gillette and Omari Mizrahi Oricci)
- The House of West (founded by James West and Anthony West)
- The House of Du'Mure Versailles (founded by Aaliyah Du'Mure Versailles and Scott Alexander Du'Mure Versailles)
- The House of Balmain (founded by Rodney Balmain)
- The Gorgeous House of Gucci (founded by Gorgeous Jack Mizrahi Gucci, Kelly Mizrahi Gucci, Marlon Mizrahi Gucci and Trace Gucci)
- The House of Amazon (founded by Leiomy Maldonado)
- The House of Alain Mikli (founded by Selvin Mizrahi & Nicole Khan)
- The House of Makaveli (founded by Barbie & Boogie (revlon) Makaveli 2018)
Videos and Podcast
Paris is Burning
Paris Is Burning offers a vibrant glimpse into the New York drag and ball subculture during the 1980s, along with the African-American, Latino, gay, and transgender communities involved in it. It examines the system of ‘houses’, which serve as a means of shelter and solace for those who have been kicked out of their homes due to being LGBT. These houses represent a community of friends led by a ‘mother’, typically an older member of the drag scene, and enables members to feel a sense of belonging after being estranged from their biological families.
During the documentary, drag queens talk about how they feel shunned living in New York. They discuss how they would be stared at when they walked down the street or when they would enter a store to perform simple errands. They also discuss issues of racism as well as poverty due to the lack of jobs for drag queens during this time. Some of the drag queens interviewed include Dorian Corey and Willi Ninja, each person with their own take on how they handle comments made toward them and how they learned to adapt to a new way of life.
How The LGBTQ Community Created Voguing
Vogue, the dance, not the magazine. Voguing is fairly new, created in the 80s, compared to the New York City drag ballroom scene which goes back to at least the 1920s. The dance's name is borrowed from Vogue magazine. The movements that define voguging are also styled after the model poses in Vogue. Willi Ninja, considered the godfather of vogue, also drew inspirations from some unlikely sources such as mimes and martial arts. Voguing also happens at Kiki balls—like a junior legeauge before the main competitions of the ballroom scene. In the LGBTQ community voguing is more than just a popular dance fad co-opted into mainstream. Surrogate families called houses are also a major part of the ballroom scene.
The Dance Union Podcast: On Waacking w/ Nubian Néné
Nubian Néné is a Waacking phenom and world-class performer cultivating spaces for Black folks to experience the liberating power of Waacking. She joins us to talk with us about the history of Waacking and her journey with it.
Werque: A Brief History of Voguing
Luis and Kim take it back and trace Voguing’s early beginnings in the underground ballroom scene - where ball ‘children’ like Willi NInja and Paris Dupree would do battle on the dance floor - to its explosion on the world stage after “Paris is Burning’ was released and a certain boundary-pushing popstar handpicked two dancers from the House of Xtravaganza to be in the video for a little song called “Vogue’. We talk about how Voguing evolved from that watershed moment into three distinctive styles - and how Luis ain’t about to do death drops.
