Do you know what is voguing dance? Are you looking for a detail and simple article about Vogue? Then yes this article is for you. One-day I was watching TV and suddenly I saw a very unique dance performance. It was just like the dancer was telling a story through his dance .
so I felt so curious to understand what reasonably dance form it is! So I started researching to understand this dance form. Then I found that it was absolutely an old and extremely unique dance form called “Vogue” .
Vogue is an old dance form and it is not only a dance form it is a way of life, it is a culture. Newyork is the birthplace of Vogue. It was created by the (LGBTQ) community to specific their personality , to fight against rivals within the dance form without fighting by hands.
The Evolution of Voguing
Voguing has been one of the most fascinating subcultural phenomena to have come out of the LGBTQ community over the last few years.
Of course, dance has always played an important part in queer communities since time immemorial, but once voguing became more established it served as a landmark for those who like to challenge traditional forms of masculinity and femininity through fashion, performance and art.
Voguing, first introduced by black queer people of the ballroom scene in Harlem during the 60s, has become a phenomenon that’s still very much alive even today.
Because voguing is all about challenging norms, there are no limits to how far you can take it. The possibilities are endless, which makes voguing the perfect medium to express yourself creatively within queer culture.
Mainly the community of LGBTQ created this dance form to indicate their identity which was not valued by others. So is it interesting? Does one want to find out more? Let’s have a glance at my article.
What is Voguing Dance – You Should Be Know
Vogue or Voguing is one reasonably dance movement which was born from non-violent battle of elegance and femininity. The dance form was created by the the foremost black gay community in Harlem during 70’s and 80’s. At that point, there was an outbreak of odd kids thrown out from home or excluded by their family.
They gathered on the road of Harlem and they found a new kind of family . Next they were pulled by Drag mother’s who supervised unauthorized homes for them. At that time these homes were named “Queen”.
In these houses they accustomed celebrate among themselves for being a gay. And to supply ideas of masculinity and femininity for that they were oppressed by others.
The celebration of being a gay become a sort of dance movements of their identity. They accustomed think that every gender’s performances are camp.
Houses of Vogue
These houses served as surrogate families . It has a way by father and mother that also serve as a guide to win battle and Prestige in community organized balls.
House of LaBeija was the primary formal example for this. Next , House of xtravaganza, ninja, pendavis, Corry, wong, dupree and there are many others in New York. Many of the house names came from the founders.
The houses accustomed to hold competitions or battle on no budget in community halls , it was an elite gathering and it was called “balls”.
In these balls members of each house would compete in an exceedingly terrifying catwalk battle which was always judged on homemade costume, look and dance ability in such categories that were called “realness”. The definition of Realness was the ability to pass straight, ‘butch’ and runway(the best catwalk).
Styles of Vogue
At present there are three styles of vogue : Old way , New way and Vogue fem.
1. Old Way
Egyptian hieroglyphs and fashion poses were the particular inspiration of vogue. Old way of vogue was performed in an exceedingly duel dance between rivals.
In the old way it was a rule that one rival had to “pin” the other and make “hand movements” to win the competition. Pinned means the performer who is pinned can’t make movements.
2. New Way
The new way of vogue is characterized with flexibility. In the new way of vogue the performer describes many shapes such as box and other movements by arms. This new way is inspired by mime. By this manner the dancer shows his dexterity and memory.
3. Vogue Fem
Vogue was mainly created on five elements . These five elements supported feminine movements. These movements are called Vogue fem which were infected by battle , jazz and modern dance. Vogue differs from place to place but the five elements are the same still now. The five elements of vogue fem are:
5 Elements Of Vogue Fem
1. Catwalk:
catwalk is an overstated feminine walk where legs are crossed over one another ,the hips are pushed from side to side and therefore the hands in the opposition to the legs .
2. Duckwalk:
The duck walk is a movement where the performer has to dance like a duck ( duck walking) on the beat.That intricate dwelling on your heels and kicking your feet as you progress front on the beat.
3. Hands:
By hands the performer sometimes told a story. This can be the constituent of the performing to throw shade. For instance ,creating an expression of terror at the way the rival’s face looks.
4. Spins and Dips:
Spins are the fundamental turns. The performer has to turn in an exceedingly fast way . This element is principally Inspired by the belly. when performers change posture on the ground on the leg behind it’s called dip.
5. Floorwork:
The performer makes movements on the ground like twists, rolls or other movements to catch the attention of judges . So these are the five basic elements of Vogue.
Day by day vogue is developing further as an a longtime dance form which is precticed within the black and Latino gay ballroom scene, and also in the clubs in major cities everywhere the United States and on every side of the globe– mostly New York City and Paris.
Popularity Of Voguing
The name “Vogue” mainly came from the magazine “vogue”. The models of this magazine gave poses on Vogue movements. Whatever Madonna’s song “vogue” which was released in 1990 conducted popularity and recognition to the dance style.
This music video was arranged by Jose Gutierrez xtravergena and Luis Camacho (dancer) of the house of xtravaganza and featured willi ninja as a dancer.
Willi ninja (William Roscoe Leake) is considered as the godfather of vogue . He was a gay man and a mender of ball culture at Harlems drag ball. Willi ninja caught the eye of the director of Paris burning and worked on the film.
Moreover, Madonna the white women , Teyana Taylor, Rihana Willow Smith, FkA twigs, Ariana Grande and Azealia Banks all have taken inspiration from the voguers and vogue and that they are attached to this dance.
Frequently Asked Questions
1.Who Was The Creator Of Voguing Dance?
Ans: A famous and popular voguing dance style was created by Jose Gutierez Xtravaganza in the late ’80s. Jose is credited with developing many of the iconic poses used within Vogue Femme, but he didn’t invent the word “Vogue”.
2.Why Does Voguing Dance Is Popular?
Ans: Voguing dance was a style of dance that rose to popularity within the gay black and latino ballroom scene in New York City during the early to mid-1980s.
3.Where Did The Vogueing Dance Movement Come From?
Ans: The actual dance style was developed within the black and latinian ballroom scene of New York City, primarily between 1982-1984 by Jose Gutierez Xtravaganza.
4.When Did The Style Of Voguing In Vogue Change?
Ans: Voguing became more popular in the late 1980s when Madonna’s song “Vogue” shot to the top of the charts and brought vogue into mainstream.
5.Which Is The Best Description Of Contemporary Dance?
Ans: Contemporary dance is a diverse set of dances, which is characterized by an emphasis on the concept and expression of movement rather than more specific or formal techniques.
It often rejects traditional forms and concepts while employing modern movements and techniques such as floor work and contact improvisation.
So at the tip we will say that , Voguing is one kind of dance form by which the dancers fight with their rivals by dancing not by hands and that they show the identity of a gender.
Wrapping Up
Vogue is not only a dance it’s a way of life . The dancers show their identity by their performance. The members of the queen houses use the name of the houses as their surname as much as Willi ninja (a member of the house of ninja).
The ballroom competitions sometimes involved throwing “shade” or to insult one another to impress the judge and audience. There are different categories of sexuality as male figure and female figure .
The categories are Cisgender women , drag queens, butch queen, butch women , Cisgender men etc. The drag queens are usually male but they pretend to do make up , style hair and clothing as like women to catch every one’s attention. I hope now you know what is voguing dance.