This week, Sport & Rec's blogger Emma Paidra tried out a vogue dance class online. Here's how it went.
I desperately attempt a cat walk, my arms alternating forward motions with each step. Looking at Sport & Rec’s vogue dance online class instructor moving so gracefully, I’ve got to admit, I feel a bit foolish. But after all, pushing yourself out of your comfort zone is part of this style of dance, which makes use of plenty of hand gestures and sassy choreography. Originating from Harlem, vogue dance began in Black and Latino LGBTQ+ communities. Throughout the 70s and 80s, vogue dancers would take part in “balls”: competitive dance battles in which participants represented their dance team/vogue family, or “house”.
Not quite ready to attend a vogue ball? Me neither…that’s where the Vogue Online dance class comes in. Taught by an upbeat and encouraging instructor, the class goes through the fundamentals of vogue dancing: hands, catwalk, duckwalk, spins & dips, and floorwork. The movements take some practice (and some confidence), but once you get into it, vogue dancing is fun. For those of you out there like myself who stay active primarily through more traditional forms of movement - sports and running, for me - then vogueing will show you how to move in new ways. If you’re looking for an unintimidating, introductory vogue class, I definitely recommend checking this one out. Even if you’ve never heard of vogue dance before, give it a try! The worst that could happen is you end the class with a few extra moves in your back pocket.
After learning the basics of voguing, the instructor finished up the class by introducing some simple choreography. Walking us through the dance piece by piece, the instructor demonstrated each movement…and I’ve got to hand it to him, because he looked great and made the dancing look easy. Once we had gone through the dance a couple of times, we tried it with up-tempo music. Though I could barely keep up, I felt myself improving every time. For class attendees who are truly dedicated to their voguing improvement, the instructor demonstrated what they may one day be capable of with his great form and timing.
Vogue dance might be the most unique online class I have tried so far. It showed me how to move in ways I never do, and tested my ability to try out new movements before I’ve mastered them. Granted, I looked a little stiff and awkward along the way, but I’m sure the instructor would tell me that’s just part of the process. Even if I never turn into a vogueing star, I am certainly glad I got the chance to try out my catwalk.