Voguing Short: Walk!

Watch below. Paper Magazine reviews:

Filmmaker Nicolas Jenkins has been documenting the New York City voguing and ballroom scene for nearly 30 years, amassing a trove of incredible footage that he’s now put together in a short documentary titled, Walk!

Featuring scenes from iconic ballroom houses including House of Chanel, House of Fields, the House of Latex, and the House of Xtravaganza, among others, the film stars legendary figures from the scene, from Willie Ninja to Kia Labeija, in all their death-dropping glory.

Jenkins says he’s amazed at home much voguing and ballroom culture has exploded in recent years. “No longer limited to members of American urban black and Latino gay communities, it can be found as far away as Russia now,” he tells Paper.

From the film’s description:

Voguing is a form of dance that was created on the streets and drag balls of Harlem by a subculture of young mostly poor, gay, trans, black and/or Latino’s in the 1980s. The Ballroom scene in which Voguing exists in is an art form that’s closely linked with ideas of fashion, luxury, and social and economic mobility.

In the past few years the Voguing and Ballroom scene has seen a resurgence in its popularity spreading across the globe. No longer limited to members of American urban black and Latino gay communities it can be found as far away as Russia now. Historically the Ballroom scene included society’s most marginalized: minorities within minorities within minorities. In a world where they have been rejected, ballroom not only accepted these people for who they were, it celebrated them!

While this resurgence in popularity is celebrated by many there is concern by some that with Voguing’s success in crossing over into the mainstream to communities of the “non marginalized” that there is a risk the dance may slowly be losing its connections to its roots.