| Strike a Pose | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Ester Gould Reijer Zwaan |
| Distributed by | CTM Docs |
Release date |
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Running time | 83 minutes |
| Countries | Belgium Netherlands |
| Language | English |
Strike a Pose is a Belgian-Dutch documentary film, which premiered in the Panorama section of the 2016 Berlinale. Directed by Ester Gould and Reijer Zwaan, the film profiles the dancers who performed with Madonna on her Blond Ambition World Tour in 1990. [1] [2] [3] [4]
The film follows the dancers during the 25 years since the tour. Some went on to act in film, TV and stage, and all of them kept dance in their lives. Some had to deal with AIDS, drug use and homelessness. The six who appear in the film are Kevin Stea, Carlton Wilborn, Luis Xtravaganza Camacho, Jose Gutierez Xtravaganza, Salim Gauwloos and Oliver S Crumes III. One of the original seven, Gabriel Trupin, died from complications due to AIDS in 1995 and is represented in the film by his mother, Sue Trupin. [5] [6] [7]
Strike a Pose includes information about dancers Gabriel Trupin, Salim “ Slam” Gauwloos and Carlton Wilborn's positive HIV status, and why they decided not to share information about their status, even with each other, during the Blond Ambition tour. [8]
The film was partially financed by the International Documentary Film Festival Forum Award, Amsterdam, and was produced by CTM Docs and The Other Room in coproduction with Serendipity Films and NTR. [9] The film premiered at the 2016 Berlin International Film Festival where it received the second place Panorama audience award for a documentary. [10] [11] [12]
Gauwloos shared his HIV-positive status publicly for the first time during filming for Strike a Pose. [13]
Gould said in an interview [14] that she specifically did not want Madonna to be a part of the film, because she might pull focus from the dancers' stories. "In a strange way, she was the elephant in the room, because even if she had turned up at the reunion dinner, wouldn’t that somehow ruin the point that these young dancers have moved on, matured and become grown men?" Gould said she was unsure if Madonna had seen the film or liked it.[ citation needed ]
Reviews of the documentary were mixed. The film has earned 96% on Rotten Tomatoes [15] , and 59% on Metacritic [16]
For Variety, Denis Harvey wrote, “By the time we see them playing “truth or dare” anew over dinner, 'Strike a Pose' begins to feel like a rather flimsy, gimmicky exploitation rather than a thoughtful exploration of a shared, shining-moment-in-the-spotlight past.” [17] For The Guardian, Peter Bradshaw wrote, “in emotionally effusive film, this – sometimes excitable and indulgent but watchable, and an interesting addition to a growing documentary genre focusing on New York City as the crucible of gay liberation politics.” [18]
The Blond Ambition World Tour was the third concert tour by American singer Madonna. It supported her fourth studio album Like a Prayer (1989), and the soundtrack album to the 1990 film Dick Tracy, I'm Breathless. The 57-show tour began on April 13, 1990, in Chiba, Japan, and concluded on August 5, 1990, in Nice, France. Additionally, it marked Madonna's first concerts in Sweden and Spain. Originally planned as the Like a Prayer World Tour, it was supposed to be sponsored by soft drink manufacturer Pepsi. However, the company cancelled the contract following the controversy surrounding the music video of "Like a Prayer".
Niki Haris is an American singer and dancer of pop, R&B, dance music and jazz. She was one of Madonna's backing vocalists from 1987 to 2001, and the guest lead vocalist on various Snap! singles in the early 1990s.
Vogue, or voguing, is a highly stylized, modern house dance originating in the late 1980s that evolved out of the Harlem ballroom scene of the 1960s. It is inspired by the poses of models in fashion magazines.
Paris Is Burning is a 1990 American documentary film directed by Jennie Livingston. Filmed in the mid-to-late 1980s, it chronicles the ball culture of New York City and the African-American, Latino, gay, and transgender communities involved in it.
"Vogue" is a song by American singer Madonna from her soundtrack album, I'm Breathless (1990). Written and produced by herself and Shep Pettibone, it was inspired by voguing, a dance which was part of the underground gay scene in New York City. The song was released as the lead single from the album on March 20, 1990, by Sire Records and Warner Bros. Records. "Vogue" is a house song with influences of disco, which contains escapist lyrics describing the dance floor as "a place where no boundaries exist". Its middle eight features Madonna name-dropping several actors from the Golden Age of Hollywood. "Vogue" was later included on three of Madonna's compilation albums: The Immaculate Collection (1990), Celebration (2009), and Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones (2022).
Kevin Alexander Stea is an American dancer, choreographer, actor, singer, director and model. He has worked as a dancer and choreographer with a number of high-profile artists, including Madonna, Lady Gaga and Michael Jackson, and has appeared in several movies and television shows.
Madonna: Truth or Dare is a 1991 American documentary film by director Alek Keshishian chronicling the life of entertainer Madonna during her 1990 Blond Ambition World Tour. Madonna approached Keshishian to do an HBO special on the tour after watching his Harvard senior project. Initially planned to be a traditional concert film, Keshishian was so impressed with the backstage life that he persuaded Madonna to make it the focus of the film. Madonna funded the project and served as executive producer. The film was edited to be in black-and-white, in order to emulate cinéma vérité, while the performance scenes are in color.
Jennie Livingston is an American director best known for the 1990 documentary Paris is Burning.
The Ballroom scene is an African-American and Latino underground LGBTQ+ subculture. Its origins can be found in drag balls of the mid-19th century United States, such as those hosted by William Dorsey Swann, a formerly enslaved Black man in Washington D.C.. By the early 20th century, integrated drag balls were popular in cities such as New York, Chicago, New Orleans, Baltimore, and Philadelphia. In the mid-20th century, as a response to racism in integrated drag spaces, the balls evolved into house ballroom, where Black and Latino attendees could "walk" in a variety of categories for trophies and cash prizes. Most participants in ballroom belong to groups known as "houses," where chosen families of friends form relationships and communities separate from their families of origin, from which they may be estranged. The influence of ballroom culture can be seen in dance, language, music, and popular culture, and the community still exists today.
Alek Keshishian is an Armenian-born American film and commercial director, writer, producer and music video director. His 1991 documentary, Madonna: Truth or Dare was the highest-grossing documentary of all time until 2002; it "changed the way filmmakers explored the world of celebrity" and had a "profound impact on LGBTQ representation in film."
How Do I Look is a 2006 American documentary directed by Wolfgang Busch. The film chronicles ball culture in Harlem and Philadelphia over a ten-year period.
Danni Xtravaganza was a founding member of the House of Xtravaganza, the first primarily Latino house in the underground Harlem ball culture.
Founded in 1982, the House of Xtravaganza is one of the most publicly recognized "houses" to emerge from the New York City underground ballroom scene and among the longest continuously active. House of Xtravaganza members and the collective group is recognized for their cultural influence in the areas of dance, music, visual arts, nightlife, fashion, and community activism. House of Xtravaganza members continue to be featured in popular media and travel the world as ambassadors of voguing and the ballroom scene.
Jose Gutierez Xtravaganza is a dancer, choreographer, and recording artist. He is one of the most widely recognized personalities to emerge from the NYC ballroom scene of the 1980s. He is best known for his work with Madonna.
The 66th Berlin International Film Festival was held from 11 to 21 February 2016, with American actress Meryl Streep as the president of the jury. The Honorary Golden Bear for lifetime achievement was presented to German cinematographer Michael Ballhaus.
Juliet Murrell is a British set designer in the fashion, film and design industry who qualified as a yoga instructor in 2011 to restore her health, which had been depleted by post-viral chronic fatigue. She is the founder of Voga, which combines yoga and voguing. Murrell said that watching the 1990 documentary Paris is Burning gave her the idea for Voga.
Carlton Wilborn is an American dancer, actor, author and motivational speaker. He first gained global attention as a principal dancer for Madonna's Blond Ambition World Tour and The Girlie Show World Tour, and appeared in Madonna's Blond Ambition Tour documentary Madonna: Truth or Dare.
Hector Xtravaganza was a member of the House of Xtravaganza and well-known figure in the NYC ballroom life, entertainer, fashion stylist, and public advocate for HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ+ organizations.
Luis Camacho is a dancer, choreographer and recording artist. He is best known for his work with Madonna.
Strike a pose or variant, may refer to:
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