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Reply to "Willi Ninja: Long Live The Queen"

This was posted by Karl Xtravaganza:

quote:
HOLD THAT POSE - Remembering Willie Ninja

On the morning of September 2nd, Legendary voguer Willie Ninja passed away from us. Many will remember Willie, either though the ballrooms or as an omnipresent figure in New York nightlife.

In the early 1980's, Willie created and perfected a style of vogueing that was uniquely his own. He expanded the vocabulary of the dance to include such desperate influences as martial arts, Egyptian hieroglyphics, pantomime, and contortionist gymnastics. In doing so Willie challenged everyone in the ballroom to match his level of precision, excellence and determination.

Never giving into any perceived limitation, Willie was one of the very first members of the ball community to take vogueing outside of the ballroom. His work with Thierry Mugler and Malcolm McLaren helped to fuel interest in the underground documentary "Paris Is Burning" (in which he is heavily featured); interest that eventually culminated in Madonna's "Vogue". As the familiar face at the door of Louie Vega's Dance Ritual parties in the mid-1990's, Willie continued to expand his circle of friends and admirers to include many in the music and entertainment industries. Much as Fab Five Freddy did for the HipHop scene, Willie became the unofficial ambassador of the Ball Scene - bridging the gap between a unique gay subculture and the larger world. Always generous, when a younger generation would eventually match (or on the rare occasion exceed) his own level of achievement, Willie would be the first to anoint them.

Even today, Willie continues to command respect both in and out of the ballroom. He will be remembered as member of the pantheon of true ballroom "legendary legends", a status well deserved and one that only a very select few ever achieve.

Karl Xtravaganza
September 3, 2006
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