As you all may be aware by the abundance of rainbow flags being waved in solidarity, June is the official month of PRIDE! Pride is where the 2SLGBQIA+ communities and their allies come together in solidarity to support one another and send positive messages of love and acceptance out into the world. It is still baffling to me that in 2021 we need to have this month and that not everyone is on board with the basic belief that LOVE IS LOVE!! But alas, we do need it as hate, violence and oppression is still prevalent towards the 2SLGBQIA+ community every day.
June 28th is of great significance during PRIDE month as it is when the 1st official PRIDE march took place in New York City in 1970. This was exactly one year after the infamous Stonewall Inn Riots, an event that changed the face of Gay Activism around the world.
Here is a little bit of history for you all, as I think it is important to illustrate exactly why PRIDE month came to be.
The Stonewall Inn was a popular Gay bar in NYC and it was often being raided back in the 1960s but on the occasion of June 28th,1969 the raid which was carried out by the police was even more excessive with police brutality and violence than usual and an uprising began. The community had had enough and stood up for itself, they fought back against the unwarranted police brutality. Soon word spread around the whole city and the streets of Manhattan became the scene of heavy protesting that lasted around 6 days. This instinct to fight back forever changed the course of 2SLGBQIA+ activism and the 'Gay Liberation Movement' evolved in the US and soon all around the world.
Calgary has been holding Pride parades since 1991, starting off as small gatherings of around 400 in Memorial Park, to the now big, amazing and vibrant parade that hits the streets of downtown on September long weekend.
I briefly mentioned the rainbow flag at the start of this blog piece but there is so much more behind it than just a pretty, bright and vibrant looking symbol. The Pride flag was designed and created in 1978 by Gilbert Baker, a San Francisco artist and gay rights activist. It has gone from 8 coloured stripes over time to the 6 we now know and recognize today. The flag is a hugely important element of Pride month as it is a visual symbol that signifies safe spaces, hope, defiance and survival and we at Pulse Studios proudly wave our rainbow flag in solidarity, allyship and pride with our fellow 2SLGBQIA+ community here in Calgary and worldwide. In 2015 The Museum of Modern Art even ranked it as internationally recognized and important as the recycling symbol so YUP it's a big deal and we at Pulse are waving it loud and proud.
Dance has long had its roots in the gay liberation scene and movement. The ability to celebrate individuality, self-expression and storytelling through performance is such a powerful tool in fighting back against homophobia, hatred and oppression.
There are 2 dance styles in particular that are recognized as both a part of the street dance scene and the gay scene, having themselves evolved on metaphorical streets AKA the underground gay scene and those are 'Waacking' and 'Vogue'. These 2 styles provided empowerment and strength. Gay men especially found the freedom to express themselves and all areas of their gender and sexuality when dancing these styles. Much like the origins of Hip Hop on the streets of the Bronx, Waacking and Vogue were also dance styles that originated with the same marginalized communities. Being a POC and 2SLGBQIA+, added into the mix of 'reasons' for further discrimination and oppression.
Waacking began in the underground gay disco scene of L.A in the late 1970's but like many dance styles, its roots can be traced further back. Initially known as 'Punking' in the early '70s, it was a style that took this derogatory term for a gay man and turned it on its head, owning it themselves instead of being called it. However, as the style gained more popularity the pioneers didn't want it to be associated with negative connotations so the name was changed to 'Waacking'. The 'whack' was a specific movement executed within the punking style. The 'whack' being an onomatopoeic word taken from the 1960's Batman films and it was used by the creators of the style because it was how they executed a lot of the moves, with a 'whack'!
Waacking as a dance form is distinguished by its rotational arm movements, posing, footwork and emphasis on expression. It is typically done to upbeat funk and disco music.
It was often nicknamed 'Garbo' after the great Hollywood screen giantess 'Greta Garbo' and it garnered this name because one of the styles big influences was the pretentious theatrical postures and characteristics of the glamourous 1940's actresses. Other influences on the style can be seen in the highly stylized and over the top Martial Arts films of the 1970s and the dramatic action of 1960's comic book heroes (as mentioned above). It is clear to see how these influences come into play when you watch the style.
Waacking remained largely underground until it was popularized by Waacking pioneer Tyrone Procter who brought it the floor of the American Music and Dance TV show 'Soul Train'. Once it was brought to the big screen it really took off and hugely popular music artists at the time, such as David Bowie and Diana Ross, used Tyrone and other dancers for their tours.
When looking at 'Waacking' in the Calgary dance scene it was actually Pulse's own Tara Wilson who brought this style into our cities dance studios. Tara ran her Get Down summer events in the mid-2000s and many Hip-Hop and street dance pioneers were brought to Calgary amongst them were Caleaf Sellers and JoJo Dancer. It is at these workshops where one major force in the Canadian dance and 'Waacking' scene, Ashley 'Colours' Perez, said she was first introduced to these styles. During an interview with The DanceCurrent.com (May 2020) she states the 2006 'Get Down' workshops as being her first introduction to the dance styles of Waacking, House and Vogue.
Vogue is a highly stylized modern house dance originating from the 1980's New York gay club scene. It is characterized by striking a series of poses as if modelling for a photo (hence the name Vogue after the magazine). Arm and leg movements are angular, linear and rigid. Within the dance, you move swiftly from one static position to another.
Voguing embodies the spirit of extravagance and is highly exaggerated combining elements of fashion, pop culture and dance.
Voguing is mostly performed to house music and there are several classic 'Vogue' anthems that you will often see it performed to.
Vogue is perhaps more popularly known than Waacking as a mainstream dance style especially as it was brought into the pop culture eye with Madonna's classic 1990 dance club anthem of the same title. This track catapulted its style and some of its dancers into the mainstream such as Jose Gutierez Xtravaganza.
However, its history goes way further back than that and much like Waacking, Vogue evolved to give the 2SLGBQIA+ African American and Latino marginalized communities a safe space to express their sexuality and gender fluidity. It grew directly out of the 1960's 'Harlem Ballroom Scene' which provided a safe space individuals to express oneself. The scene also enabled a sense of belonging to community members who had often been shunned from their own families for just being who they were.
Vogue started and evolved from the Ballroom Scene. So, it is essential to give a brief outline of what this scene was all about!
The Ballroom Scene of the 1960's to present date are all about giving people a chance to express themselves in a safe place. Gender fluidity, cross dressing and being whoever you want to be are all a part of this culture.
The Balls themselves are run similarly to pageants and see contestants competing, also known as 'walking', for trophies, cash prizes and sometimes just the glory! The Balls are split up into various categories that mix performance, dance, Voguing, lip syncing and modelling.
Participants dress according to the category they are competing in and are expected to display appropriate realness. Some categories include Vogue Performance, Runway, Realness with a Twist, Best Dresses, Face, Sexy Siren etc. Balls can go on for hours and there are judges who score the contestants and they can move on to the next rounds!
One of the main components that help identify this culture is the phenomenon of 'Houses'. 'Houses' are formed which provide, what is essentially, an alternative family. They provide solace, shelter and safety for those who had been shunned from their own family. 'Houses' all have 'Mothers', who are older and established members of the scene, at the helm. These 'Houses' go on for generations and are still a hugely important part of the Vogue and Ballroom community today. 'Children' are welcomed into these 'Houses', they are mentored and then will go on to mentor the next generation themselves. Famous Houses include The House of Xtravanganza, The House of Ninja and The House of Dupree.
Ballroom culture and Vogue was brought to a mainstream audience in Jennie Livingstone's documentary 'Paris is Burning' which focused on the lives of several drag queens and ballroom performers. One of the most well-known 'Mothers' from The House of Ninja who is also often referred to as the 'Godfather of Vogue' is Willi Ninja and he was heavily focused on in the documentary. References to Ballroom Culture and Vogue can be seen today in popular TV shows such as 'Ru Pauls Drag Race' and 'Pose'.
The culture has also influenced a wave of Queer Hip Hop artists such as Zebra Katz, Le1f and House of Ladosha.
Modern day Vogue has taken on a new persona, so to speak, and is now widely known as 'Vogue Femme'. It is identified by including the following 5 elements - Catwalk, Hand Performance, Spins & Dips, Duckwalks, and Floor Performance.
Vogue (and also Waacking) classes and workshops can be found in Calgary. VOGUEYYC is an amazing resource in Calgary that is helping keep the Ballroom Scene alive and bringing it to smaller cities. One of Pulse's own amazing teachers, Rebecca Williams-Sanchez, is a part of this growing community and we are fortunate enough to have her teach weekly Vogue classes at Pulse. Rebecca choreographed an amazing Vogue piece for the 2019 Pulse Show and she was so phenomenal is executing all the 5 elements of 'Vogue Femme' in the piece. It was so fun to watch! I have also taken several of her Vogue classes myself and loved every minute of this upbeat and empowering style. You always feel that it is a safe space to let loose and just be yourself.
I got a chance to chat with Rebecca recently to discuss how Pulse has created such a safe, inclusive and non-judgmental space in the Calgary Dance Scene for folks just to come by and be exactly themselves. I loved finding out all about how she was introduced to Vogue here in Calgary. She told me how she was new as a receptionist at Pulse and soon got tempted to take some classes, at Pulse, with Vogue teacher, Tony Tran, from the House of Amazon. She didn't know much about Vogue or Ballroom Culture but as with all the styles that Pulse teaches you are educated on the roots and history of the style as well the how to dance it! She immediately fell in love with the style and made a point to say that even though she struggled at first, she did not let it stop her! Yay Rebecca, so much respect for that!
Rebecca was also enamored by the fact that Vogue isn't just a dance style, it's a movement and one that is so important in the history of providing safe places for the 2SLGBQIA+ community.
The more she fell in love with it the more she learnt about herself too and learned to let go of her inhibitions.
Rebecca has been attending Vogue Balls since 2013 and eventually got the courage to walk and compete in the 2016 YYC KIKI Ball getting through to the semi-finals in the 'Performance Category'. Tony Tran brought famous Ball Mothers to Calgary from the historical NYC Houses to judge the Balls. Rebecca is still thrilled and truly grateful to have been in their presence and to have received '10's across the board' from them! What an amazing achievement and experience.
After learning even more about these amazing and historically important dance cultures, I myself cannot wait now to attend a Ball and hopefully see some Voguing and Waacking in person.
You never know if I keep taking Vogue classes with Rebecca, I may just find myself strutting the runway at the next YYC KIKI Ball!
I am so proud to be a part of the Pulse Family and to help create a community of ally ship and support for our YYC 2SLGBQIA+ community.
Happy Pride everyone.
Keep on waving those rainbow flags!
References:
- The Gauntlet
- Wikipedia
- The Dance Current
- My Way Dance
- The Standard
- Steezy Blog
- Queer Events
Photo: The Coven
