My freshmen year of college I was lucky enough to take one of the best courses of my college career. It was Documentary Cinema. The class was small. The movies were wonderful. The discussions lively. The professor Filipino with English as a second language who spouted words that made you run to a dictionary after class. [and who was also smart, witty, and told it like was.]
It was in this class that I first encountered Jennie Livingston's peak into the gay/urban drag scene of New York City in the early 80's titled
The "cast of characters" included many a drag queen, gay male, and leaders of "Houses" that always had a head "mother" like figure that was the Queen Bee complete with minions competing against other Houses in the gaudy, dramatic and over the top fabulousness that was a "ball." It was here that an unknown dance movement called "Voguing" was born and eventually brought to the stratosphere by a little pop starlet named Madonna.
Voguing's creator [and leader of the house of Ninja]was Willie Ninja, a self-taught dancer, who, on Saturday, died of complications from AIDS. As noted in today's New York Times:
"Dancer Willi Ninja, a star of the Documentary "Paris is Burning" who was considered the godfather of the dance art form "voguing" and inspired Madonna's "Vogue" music video, has died, friends, and relatives said...
Voguing which dates to gay Harlem ballrooms in the first half of the 20th century, consists of a combination of model-like poses and creative arm, leg and body movements.
Ninja who was inspired by Fred Astaire, "Great Performances" on PBS, Asian culture and Olympic gymnasts, was a self-taught performer who stitched together a patchwork of a career that covered the worlds of dance, fashion and music."
And from the looks of things in Paris is Burning, Willi Ninja was quite the man. Funny, confident, and full of spunk with a take no bs kind of attitude. Rest in peace and thanks for the moves.
Madonna Vogue
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