Most students of queer cinema know the shockingly revelatory documentary Paris is Burning (and if you don’t, we lecture you!). The film shed a new kind of light on the fabulous underground queer culture scene, provided some context for the creation of “vogue” dancing, and hinted at the mainstream popularity of drag culture to come.
The recent documentary Kiki covers similarly groundbreaking ground.
Now the San Francisco-based cinema foundation Frameline has come across a mini-documentary on the New York ball scene that actually predates Paris is Burning. Entitled NYC Balls: Voguing and Realness, the short film depicts the House of Omni ball of 1988, and features a rare look at the early glamstravaganza.
The film opens up a brief window into a time when AIDS and bigotry kept queer culture underground, and when the gay community banded together for camaraderie and fabulousness and fierce fighting back. It also supplies some important insight into how people of color, specifically African American and Latino people, played a key role in the evolution of queer culture, and pop culture as a whole–credit where credit is due, a bulwark against cultural appropriation.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Frameline has made the film viewable for free on YouTube:
A Mod Squad
Hey guys – just to maintain accuracy.
Paris is burning was shot thru 1988 and featured balls from the 85-88 period.
Madonna released vogue in 1990 (March).
This video has footage that starts in 88 and goes through July 1990 (you can hear M’s Vogue several times.
Therefore, this footage is actually newer than the Paris is burning footage, not older.
PRINCE OF SNARKNESS aka DIVKID
6:12 DAMN! Also dude who won the trophy. Probably both dead now but ya still would
ErikO
LOL HIV/AIDS and bigotry did not keep LGBT/or “queer” culture underground then.
BigDaddy58
It depends on where you lived at the time ErikO!!