Voguing and the House Ballroom Scene of New York, 1989-92

by Tim Lawrence (Foreword), Chantal Regnault (Photographer), Stuart Baker (Editor)

Harlem’s gay ball subculture of the late 1980s is superbly documented in this trove of previously unseen photographs. In 1989, Malcolm McLaren had his only number one hit with a single called "Deep in Vogue." Early the next year, Madonna had one of the biggest hits of her career, with the single "Vogue," and when Jennie Livingston's film Paris Is Burning arrived in cinemas the same year, winning the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, the mainstream got hip to New York City's extraordinary ball culture, from which the film and McLaren and Madonna's songs had arisen. Paris Is Burning documented a gay ballroom scene that emerged in Harlem in the mid-1980s, which drew African American and Latino gay and transgender communities to compete against one another for their dancing skills, the verisimilitude of their drag and their ability to walk on the runway. Photographer Chantal Regnault spent many years recording this scene, from which the dance style known as voguing arose. A visual riot of fashion, polysexuality and subversive style, Voguing and the Ballroom Scene of New York 1989–1992 is also an extraordinary document on sexuality and race. The wild years of voguing are vividly captured in hundreds of Regnault's amazing, previously unpublished photographs. The book also features interviews with key figures from the movement, essays, flyers and ephemera.
Photographer and documentarist Chantal Regnault was born in France. She left Paris after the 1968 uprisings and lived in New York for the next 15 years. At the end of the 1980s she became immersed in Harlem's voguing scene. Also around this time, Regnault developed an interest in Haitian voodoo culture and began to divide her time between Haiti and New York. Her widely published photographs have appeared in major magazines and newspapers, including Vanity Fair and the New York Times .

Genres: Nonfiction, Queer, Music, LGBT, New York, Photography, Fashion

208 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 2011

Reviews

[Tiyahna Ridley-Padmore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Voguing and the House Ballroom Scene of New York City 1989-1992 by Chantal Regnault chronicles one of the most important cultural moments in contemporary history through photography and written profiles. Featuring better known ballroom legends such as Pepper La Beija, Dorian Corey and Octavia Saint Laurent as well as some lesser known Queens, Voguing and the House Ballroom Scene of New York City pays homage to the people and the art that were instrumental in shaping today's culture.

I can't begin to express how powerful the photography featured in this book is. Regnault expertly captures dynamic poses and plays with lighting and colouring to preserve the life and energy of each moment.

This makes for the perfect gift or coffee table book for any appreciator of drag.

[F. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very important photos and interviews of the ballroom scene of NYC in 1989-1992, but a little more editing of the interviews would have made wonders. Also, I really would have loved to see more photographs of the Xtravaganzas, especially Angie.

[Shoshanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely incredible. First of all, the photos are phenomenal. So much beauty and so much strength. But what distinguishes this book from a photo book like "Legendary: Inside the House Ballroom Scene," besides the fact that all the photos are from the very specific era of 1989 to 1992, are the essays. The essays, while featuring an introduction by Tim Lawrence, who has written other books on dance movements and culture in NYC, are mostly interviews with legendary members of important houses. While sometimes similar, it's interesting to get the different perspective from different people! And the way these personal and scene histories are interspersed with the incredible photos makes you feel like you are really there!

Highly recommended. Also be aware that the LGBT language in the book may be different than that which you are used to. It is always changing. Do not be surprised.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magnifique !!!

Les clichés et interviews qui peuplent cet ouvrage sont à la fois pleins de mélancolie et de passion.

La photographe est parvenue à immortaliser la vie, la fuite de l’hétéronormativité, le feu des espoirs queer.

C’est puissant, flamboyant et bouleversant ✨♥️

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Voguing and the House Ballroom Scene of New York City 1989-92 is a photo book featuring stunning portraits and scene photography by French-born photographer/documentarist Chantal Regnault, with an introduction by Tim Lawrence, author & professor of Cultural Studies at the University of East London.

The book is mostly made up of Chantal's stunning photographs - some posed portraits, some candid shots, all from the House Ballroom scene. They're incredibly evocative, beautiful, and give a rare glimpse at some of the most iconic and legendary performers of the time.

With interviews scattered throughout, we get a real feel for how the scene developed and evolved - I really enjoyed the interviews and I'd have loved more of them.

I'd wager that most people with an interest in this particular time period in NYC have already watched the documentary film "Paris is Burning", and/or the documentary "The Queen" featuring the House of LaBeija.

One documentary that was mentioned that I haven't seen is the community driven "How Do I Look?" from 2006, a doc that covers ten years on the scene & features, among others, Pepper LaBeija, Willi Ninja & Kevin Aviance. The doc was created in part to "iron out some of the discrepancies of Paris is Burning" after some people felt exploited by the earlier doc, according to co-director Kevin Ultra Omni. It has a dedicated site, www.howdoilooknyc.org that I'd recommend checking out.

Speaking of sites, Luna Luis Ortiz ( @lunalens ) has a gorgeous archive of some Ballroom photographs & videos from the 2000's at myballroomlife.tumblr.com and the YouTube channel myballroomlife for those who are interested in learning more about how Ballroom continued (and continues) right up to the present day.

Much (most, tbqh) of the styling, choreography & slang used in all facets of pop culture today can be traced back to Ballroom - and it's important to recognise that and learn about the people who paved the way. While this isn't a comprehensive read, it's visually stunning, it's a great start, & gives a real feel for the time period. Recommended!

[Teddy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love to be placed in the room, studio, on the street and get a glimpse into what it was really like at the time. From a photographic perspective there's some real bangers in here as well. The interviews do get a bit repetitive, but not to a fault - a lot of this earlier first to second generation have similar experiences and opinions on how things were and evolved, it just reinforces the perspectives shared. The quality of the interviews is high in the sense that Chantal gets them to speak and then gets out of the way, it's a great read. It's a great gateway to learning more because there's lots of references to documentaries, people, songs, events. You can walk away from this book with a list of new things to learn from, and I do. I will definitely re-read this book in the future after putting more context into my reading and some faces to the names (there's a reference sheet stating the names of photographed people as well!)

[Sophie Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an incredible collection of Chantal Regnault's photographs taken in the height of the NYC Ballroom Scene. So many photos of the mothers, fathers, and children of the balls that you will not find anywhere else.

Also, there are a few interviews with some of these icons throughout the book that give a wonderful insight. The introduction gives a good history of how balls came to be what they are.

Absolutely fabulous and I would recommend for anyone who wants to learn/see....

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely picture book with someone me from the Harlem balls of the 1980s.

[Blane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vital queer time capsule, even if you don't read the interviews (which I only skimmed).

[Stephanie Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

I now need to rewatch Paris is Burning for the eleventh billionth time x

[willowdog]

To me, who only knew of voguing through Madonna video and RuPaul ( I guess I saw the film Paris is Burning years ago), Tim Lawrence's introduction to the history of drag balls, houses, and the culture of voguing is short but good. The interviews by Chantal Regnault, which is the print of the work, are interesting for what is remembered and the perceptions of the various houses as families. They also detail the evolution of the balls and categories of participants represented at them. (The style of the interviews is very realistic, but may have used a better editor.) The meat of the book is the photos. They really are very evocative of the era.

[Andrew Gott · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have any remote interest in drag culture, you watch RuPaul's Drag Race, if you've ever danced your tits off to Madonna's 'Vogue', or have even an academic interest in artificial/non-blood families & kinship, the documentary 'Paris is Burning' has to be your first port of call. It will change your life. By far my favourite documentary of all time, and this book is the most perfect coffee book/dazzling photography companion to the film.

[Quartknee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I lived through this period and seeing the beautiful photographs brought back so many memories of exciting times. It's bittersweet to see so many folks who are no longer with us and I'm so thankful this book will immortalize them. So good to know I'm not alone in cherishing a unique subculture that will never be equalled or forgotten.

[Azem · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally - a photography book dedicated to Voguing. It lacks the raw edge of cult documentary 'Paris is Burning' - but really highlights the glamorous fashion of the Voguing scene. I am absolutely thrilled with this book. I wish my life was as exciting as this from 1989 to 1992.

[Terence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got this for a student and sat and read it myself, Paris is Burning left a massive impression on me and this is definitely more of the nitty gritty and daily operations. Very good pictures, and excellent interviews - even to an outsider. So glad this exists.

[Larry-bob Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

More than just a photo book, it also includes interviews with long-time participants, mothers and fathers of ball houses among them. Excellent document. Thanks to the SF Public Library for owning a copy.

[Bryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The sound and the fury. Shut yo mouth white boy!