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Ten Runway/Ballroom Classics Many people only know of underground ballroom culture from Blah-donna's 'Vogue' or the film Paris Is Burning. Paris is Burning is a great film, but not one that does its subject justice. There is more to the ballroom scene than chopping, mopping, "fierceness" and shade; and there is more to vogueing than striking a pose. There is nothing I do here, nothing I write, that hasn't been touched by what ballroom culture teaches. Drag is a form of control. By looking good one can feel good. By looking powerful, one can feel powerful. One can be powerful. Therefore, beauty begets control. Artifice equals power. Is reality so strong if one can manipulate it so easily? Is reality that important? What is real? Does reality even exist, other than the "reality" we create for ourselves? In fact, the ballroom teaches us exactly what quantum physics does: that which is not observed does not exist. Then again, it may just be a bunch of bitches competing for trophies. Either way, its fun. There is of course a distinction between the casual runway that would erupt at a "normal" club, and the formal runway of a ball, where there are judges and prizes and actual vogueing. We're giving you the music of both worlds here, and of course there is much overlap. These are more than just bitchy songs; they form a soundtrack of power, control, manipulation, escape and fantasy. They glorify gayness and femininity. They range from totally glamorous to utterly cunty, but they're all designed to make one feel fantastic, in the original sense of the word. We've divided this music into two categories: Old Way (pre-1990) and New Way (post-1990). We dedicate this music to
the legendary houses of New York: And to the truly
legendary mothers, may they rest in peace: Sometimes on a legendary night Bring it to the runway. Hola senorita cosa. There can only be one queen. New Way (post-1990) Honorable Mentions
for New Way Runway/Ballroom Classics: Of course many of the most popular ballroom tracks were just the most popular songs of the day. But that said, we have tried to limit ourselves to music that in particular appealled to the runway or had something to do with the ballroom scene specifically. We have weighted our rankings accordingly. Old Way (pre-1990) In song and in dance To hear all of these songs in succession play the Runway/Ballroom jukebox. A special thanks to Alex Infiniti of the House of Infiniti for helping me fill in the blanks of this ever-growing list. We welcome suggestions. For more on the ballroom scene specifically, visit Aaron Enigma of the House of Enigma's unsurpassable Underground Culture of Balls. |
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The House of Diabolique.
Because sometimes the surface is more important than what's real. Fuck the real. Embrace us instead.
This website is (c)2003 by
the House of Diabolique,
www.houseofdiabolique.com
and www.machinebody.com.
Photographs
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We say this to prevent
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The House of Diabolique respects the artists who have created the musical works presented here. We encourage you to support these artists. love - peace - machines - beauty |
