Katria (Muse) from the Kiki House of Gvasalia will teach the basic elements of vogue femme dance, and a brief history about voguing.
Learn how to vogue from Katria (Muse), part of the Kiki House of Gvasalia based in Vancouver, and a member of VogueYYC. This beginner workshop will cover the basic elements of vogue femme dance as well as a brief background and history about voguing.
All are welcome to come regardless of age, gender, sexuality or skill level.
Please wear something comfortable that is easy to move in. You are encouraged to bring a water bottle, and knee pads if you have some. You are welcome to bring costume items to try out, if you like!
Appropriated and brought into popular culture by Madonna, and shows like Pose and Legendary, vogue is a dance style, art form and act of resistance that arose in, and was created by, the gay and transgender Black and Latino ballroom cultures in Harlem, NYC. Vogue is named after the famous fashion magazine, and incorporates movements from high fashion poses, ancient Egyptian art, and exaggerated gestures. Ballroom, or ball culture, is a subculture characterized by elaborate pageantry where participants compete in categories such as runway, face, sex siren, hands performance, vogue performance and more; in order to win trophies, prizes and glory. Voguing and ballroom culture is rooted in the freedom, safety and community it provides to LGBTQI+ and BIPOC folks.
Born in Calgary, Alberta, Katria Phothong-McKinnon (Muse) began her dancing journey at the young age of six with Traditional Thai dancing. Dancing has always been a part of her life as she grew up, and she has now trained in many styles, with a focus on hiphop, waacking, voguing, and popping. She has learned from the likes of Ralph Escamillan, Calin, Popin Pete, Tyrone Proctor, Waackeisha, Loose Joint, and Brooklyn Terry to name a few. Currently, she is a member of Vancouver’s first ever Kiki house: House of Gvasalia. She is also constantly training and working towards mastering her craft, battling/competing and creating a scene for voguing and waacking within Alberta.
If you are interested to know more about voguing and its history, visit the following sources (from which the brief description above was derived):
https://nmaahc.si.edu/blog-post/brief-history-voguing
https://www.russh.com/exploring-the-history-of-voguing/
https://www.thecut.com/2020/06/voguing-has-always-been-a-form-of-resistance.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vogue_(dance)
Image courtesy of the artist.