various-voguing & the house ballroom scene of new york city 1976-1996

Voguing, where dancers choreographed movements and poses taken from fashion magazines such as Vogue, first emerged around 1988 in the extraordinary 'house ball' community of Harlem, New York. Here African-American and Latino gay and transgender men competed against one another at 'drag balls' for the 'realness' of their drag, their ability to walk on a fashion runway like a model -- and for their dancing skills -- out of which came 'voguing.' In 1990 voguing erupted into the mainstream when Madonna's song 'Vogue' became number one in over 30 countries. The previous year ex-Sex Pistols' svengali Malcolm McClaren had first brought voguing into the cultural milieu with his song 'Deep in Vogue,' featuring the dancer Willi Ninja. In 1990 Jennie Livingstone's film Paris is Burning, also documented the house ballroom scene in its ascendant, the film a runaway success. As voguing entered into the mainstream, the 'house ball' scene came downtown mixing with the fashion crowd of Manhattan. With this shift, Voguing was first seen outside the ball scene at legendary dance clubs such as Larry Levan's Paradise Garage and Junior Vasquez's Sound Factory. Here also the music evolved from the pertinent classic disco tracks of the 1970s into a harder house sound as artists such as Masters at Work and Junior Vazquez produced music that perfectly complimented the 'pop, dip and spin' moves of voguing. Limited edition 3CD pack includes exclusive bonus Junior Vasquez mix CD plus a unique set of postcards by photographer Chantal Regnault. Booklet includes sleevenotes by author Tim Lawrence and interviews with DJs David DePino and Junior Vasquez.