JIMENEZ - CIRCULATION MAP

THE CATEGORY IS...

VOGUING

POP CULTURE REALNESS

HISTORICAL INFLUENCES

CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE

Harlem Ballroom Scene

Egyptian Hieroglyphics

RhythmnNation

Madonna's VOGUE

POSE

Voguing on Screen

RuPaul's Drag Race

Jungle

High Fashion

Waacking

Art as Activism

Queer Theory & Education

a circulation map by n. jiménez torres

october 2023ENC 3416

statement

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Drag Race premiered on cable television networks in 2007, presenting the first reality TV series that brought drag queens to mainstream media. Drag race is largely responsible for the resurgence in the popularity of drag artistry. Running for 15 seasons and counting with multiple international spin-offs, RuPaul has successfully created a drag empire that has fostered an appreciation for the many aspects of art and performance that make up a queen.

RuPaul's Drag Race

Lip Sync for your life

While voguing is not directly featured on the show and many contemporary queens don't make it a part of their performance repetoire, the lip-sync challenge is a good example of how the elements of performance of voguing have influenced and been translated into modern practices of drag.

The cast of Drag Race Season 15

Yuhua Hamaski and Mayhem Miller battling in Drag Race Season 10, Episode 3.

Trinity the Tuck and Monique Heart in Drag Race Season 7.

The cast of Drag Race ALLSTARS Season 3.

The music video for Rhythm Nation is a prime example of how the choreography style of voguing impacted 90s mainstream media. While the dancing in Jackson's video might not be exactly consistent voguing we are familiar with, the sharp angles and drill style movement are representative of how voguing was translated into the mainstream media and influenced many artists as it was featured across videos in 90s pop, house, and club music. This is also an interesting full-circle pop culture moment as some attribute the pageantry and elaborate choreography of Micheal Jackson to be an influence for the development of the voguing genre.

JANET JACKSON'S RHYTHM NATION

Ronald Murray's TEDTalk on the language of vogue is culturally significant because it shows how ballroom culture has evolved from a practice that could only exist secretly and underground, to something that has a place in the world of education and academia and can be better understood as a part of queer history. Specifically breaking down the language is interesting because it shows how, similarly to AAVE, much of the dialect and slang that originates from the queer and BIPOC community has made its way into mainstream media without people even knowing where it originated.

QUEER THEORY & EDUCATION

Waacking didn't arise as a result of voguing but is more commonly regarded as the West Coast sister of voguing. Born in Los Angeles in the 80s out of the gay club scene, waacking is distinguishable by its use of rotational arm movements, sharp posing, and physical expression. Waacking continues to be a prevalent style of street dance in the 21st century, still prominently centered in queer culture, but also a landmark style of dance for artists of color. The rise of technology and social media such as TikTok gave the movement a new life in 2020.

WAACKING

Jungle is a Britsh electro-pop band that was formed in 2013. They are known for their high-concept, high-production value videos and visual albums that feature a recurring ensemble of dancers, choreographed by Shay Latukolan. Jungle is a prime example of the lasting impact that Voguing has had on contemporary dance and artistry. In the attached video, Holding On, the influences in the stylized movement and influence from Ballroom ritual and pageantry.

JUNGLE

Still from Jungle's CASIO music video.

Jungle's most recent video Back on 74 features stylings reminiscent of the disco era. The music video went viral on TikTok with thousands of people, dancers and average people, doing their own rendition of the choreography.

The ballroom scene was a subculture that was born out of the 1920s Harlem Renaissance in which Black and Brown artists and creatives built a community that became responsible for some of the most iconic art of the 20th century. Balls were a place where the queer community could convene in 'houses' or families where they were allowed to be themselves and build community. The balls would host competitions where houses could 'walk' and present their best looks and read each other for their lives. This culture is responsible for the origin of voguing.

THE HARLEM BALLROOM SCENE

Image by Chantal Regnault

Pictured: The 'grandfather' of voguing, Willi Ninja.

Madonna's 1990 chart-topping hit VOGUE is regarded as largely responsible for bringing voguing to a mainstream audience. Where voguing was once a cultural phenomenon that was niche to the queer and BIPOC communities, Madonna brought the choreography to new demographics with her song and music video. Voguing became associated with her rather than with the ballroom scene and began to be a mainstream hit scene in numerous 90's music videos and part of the club and dancing culture of the time with the rise of house music.

MADONNA'S VOGUE

APPROPRIATION OR APPRECIATION

The community was divided on whether or not Madonna was appropriating queer culture as she reaped the benefits of their creativity without facing any of the prejudice or stigma. Others claimed that she was simply showing appreciation by uplifting their culture and it was acceptable because one of her dancers was Willi Ninja, a key figure in the voguing movement.

Crucial in understanding the significance of voguing and ballroom culture is understanding what was happening in politics at the time. During the HIV/AIDs crisis and the reign of the Reagan administration, the needs of queer people were being neglected by government officials as discriminatory practices were being promoted. The act of being queer itself was resistance, and even beyond that radical displays of queerness through performance, fashion, and voguing was the community's way of capitalizing on their art to advocate for themself's and resist the oppression that was being enforced socially and politically.

Queer Culture as Resistance

Insufficient resources & inaccessible medical care for patients with HIV/AIDs

Police brutality

High rates of homelessness

Employment DISCRIMINATION

Lack of sex education

conservatism & the reagan administration

sodomy laws

violence & the gay panic defense

FORCES OF OPPRESSION

VOGUING IN CINEMA

documenting a cultural phenomena

Premiered: 1990Directed by: Jennie LivingstonSynopsis: This documentary follows the "Golden Age" of drag and ballroom culture in New York City in the 80s. Reception: Many argued that the filmmakers profited off of the BIPOC community without profit sharing.

Premiered: 2016Directed by: Sara JordenöSynopsis: Explores how voguing prevails in relationship to contemporary social issues such as BLM and the advocacy for trans rights in the U.S. Reception: Regarded as a more ethical and activism-centered sister of Paris is Burning.

Premiered: 2006Directed by: Wolfgang BuschSynopsis: A series of interviews with members of the ballroom circuit from 95-05. Explores HIV/AIDs in relation to culture.Reception: A result of the exploitation in Paris is Burning. Achieved international accolades.

One of the foundational influences of voguing comes from the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics and wall art. Voguing artists took inspiration from the highly stylized art and the depictions of the human body in sharp, angular positions that created visually interesting physicality and imagery that tells a story. Beyond that, queer culture borrows much of the pageantry and gaudy aesthetics which can be attributed to early ancient Egyptian cultures, such as elaborate makeup and jewelry. Further, many historians attribute some of the earliest documentation of queerness to be seen in the wall art depictions of ancient Egyptian pharaohs and significant figures.

Egyptian Hieroglyphics

Voguing is a type of improvisational dance and performance born in the Harlem ballroom scene that takes influence from the dramatic and precise poses of high fashion models. Many attribute the birth of voguing to the legendary drag artists and performers, Paris Dupree and Willi Ninja.

Voguing

MISSON:

The goal of this circulation map is to track voguing from its historical origins through its exigence in pop culture and how it has influenced contemporary choreography, artistic political activism, and mainstream queer culture.

Key Elements of Voguing

DUCKWALK

CATWALK

SPINS & DIPS

HANDS/ARMS

FLOOR PERFORMANCE

High fashion and couture companies are well known for their experimental and concept-heavy staging of models both in shoots and on the runway. The dynamic posing that became synonymous with the international VOGUE corporation and other couture fashion publications is the foundation of voguing as an art form. Where the style was initially dubbed posing, the terminology shifted to voguing because of the strong brand image and iconic style. Many of the models became well-known and their names were associated strongly with the style of posing. The elements of high fashion that influenced ballroom culture were not only the stylistic movement and posing but also the clothing, many queens took inspiration from the experimental fashion trends to build their own dresses and looks for ballroom events.

VOGUE

VOGUE

The iconic Miss Linda Evangelista serving legs for days.

Yasmine Ghauri serving looks in a '91 Vogue London magazine.

Yasmine Ghauri in Vogue London.

Model Kim Williams on a 1985 cover for Vogue USA.

Another Kim Williams feature from Vogue US in 1984.

Linda Evangelista in early 90s Chanel.

p o s e

p o s e

Premiered: June, 2018Directed By: Ryan MurphySynopsis: POSE takes a deep dive into the complex relationships in the queer community in the 80s and 90s through examining and celebrating the practices of ballroom culture. The series examines the socio, cultural, and economic struggles that the queer community faced at that time and how art and performance brought the community together. Significance: With an ensemble cast made up almost entirely of queer and trans people of color POSE was revolutionary in bringing the stories of ballroom culture to a new generation. The show provided opportunities to introduce new talent to the entertainment industry, most notably being responsible for leading lady, Micheala Jaé (Blance Evangelista), to become the first trans woman to win an EMMY.