“Voguing came from shade because it was a dance that two people did because they didn’t like each other. Instead of fighting, you would dance it out on the dance floor. And whoever did the better moves was throwing the best shade, basically.

You could take the pantomime form of the vogue this is what, generally, sometimes I do is I make my hand into a form like a compact or a makeup kit. And I’m, like, beating my face with blush, shadows, or whatever, to the music. Then, usually, I’ll turn the compact around to face that person… meaning, like, almost like my hand is a mirror for them to get a look. Then I’ll start doing their face, because what they have on their face right now needs a dramatic makeup job. So voguing’s like a safe form of throwing shade.

The name was taken from the magazine Vogue, because some of the movements of the dance are also the same as the poses inside the magazine. The name is a statement in itself. I mean, you really wouldn’t go to a ball to do the “mademoiselle.”

Like break dacing, the dance takes from the hieroglyphics of ancient Egypt. It also takes from some forms of gymnastics. They both strive for perfect lines in the body, awkward positions, but it goes one step further.It’s starting to make a name for itself, but I want it to be known worldwide and I want to be on top of it when it hits. I want to take voguing not to just Paris is burning, but I want to take it to the real Paris and make the real Paris burn. That’s what I want to do and not just there, but to other countries as well. My house name is Ninja, and I would really like to take my whole house and go to Japan and really let loose and do it and have them accept it there. I want to be a big star.“

– Willi Ninja
PARIS IS BURNING (1990), dir. Jennie Livingston.

You sound very old and wise.

Miss World 1970… is Miss Grenada.

MISBEHAVIOUR
2020 | dir. Philippa Lowthorpe

TOPPER dir. Norman Z. McLeod

Mustang (2015) dir. Deniz Gamze Ergüven