On Christmas Day in 1988, Xtravaganza was found strangled under a bed at the Duchess Hotel in New York. It was estimated that her body had been there for four days upon discovery. Shooting for Paris Is Burning was ongoing, and the film's final minutes include Angie Xtravaganza reacting to her death.
What did mother Angie Xtravaganza die of?
Mother Angie Xtravaganza died of complications of AIDS in March 1993, after ten years of leading the House to ballroom and public recognition. Her death was the subject of the April 18, 1993 New York Times feature “Paris Has Burned”, which included an oversized photograph of Angie on the front page of the Sunday Style section.
What did Xtravaganza die of?
Xtravaganza died in New York City in 1993 at the age of 28 from AIDS-related liver disease, although it has also been speculated that her liver problems stemmed from her long-term use of black market hormones. Xtravaganza was cremated and her ashes returned to her family, who buried them under her deadname.
Who is Angie Xtravaganza?
Angie Xtravaganza (October 17, 1964 – March 31, 1993) was a co-founder and Mother of the House of Xtravaganza. A prominent transgender performer in New York City's gay ball culture, Xtravanganza featured in the acclaimed 1990 documentary film Paris is Burning .
How did the AIDS crisis affect the House of Xtravaganza?
The deepening AIDS crisis of the early 1990s had significant impact on the House of Xtravaganza and the ballroom scene as a whole. Mother Angie Xtravaganza died of complications of AIDS in March 1993, after ten years of leading the House to ballroom and public recognition. Her death was the subject of the April 18,...
What happened to Xtravaganza?
Death. On Christmas Day in 1988, Xtravaganza was found strangled under a bed at the Duchess Hotel in New York. It was estimated that her body had been there for four days upon discovery. Shooting for Paris Is Burning was ongoing, and the film's final minutes include Angie Xtravaganza reacting to her death.
Does House of Xtravaganza still exist?
1994 to 2012: Ballroom Ambassadors and Community Activism Despite deep losses, the House of Xtravaganza has remained active within the ballroom scene and cultural life of New York City, with a steady flow of young and talented LGBTQ youth eager to be a part of the legendary ballroom family.
Why the name Paris Is Burning?
In 2016, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". The title takes its name from the Paris Is Burning ball held annually by artist Paris Dupree who appears in the film.
Does the ballroom scene still exist?
Ballroom culture is now widely seen and celebrated (and appropriated) in the mainstream—across fashion campaigns, music videos, social media and in TV shows like Pose, Legendary, and RuPaul's Drag Race.
Who is Carmen Xtravaganza?
CARMEN XTRAVAGANZA has been a legendary figure in the NYC ball scene for nearly three decades. Originally from Spain, Carmen moved to NYC in the late 70s where her remarkable beauty made her the talk of the trans-community.
How was drag invented?
The term “drag” originated in Britain. It was first used as a subset of English theater slang in the 1870s to refer to the long skirts that men wore on stage; men continued to wear exaggerated makeup and clothing to play female roles until it finally became legal for women to perform in 1660.
Is Pepper LaBeija in the Queen documentary?
LaBeija is best known for her appearances in the documentary films Paris Is Burning (1990) and How Do I Look? (2006). LaBeija also made appearances on The Joan Rivers Show (1991), TV Transvestites (1982), and The Queen (1968).
What does family mean to the subjects in Paris Is Burning?
What does family mean to the subjects in the "Paris is Burning" documentary? Many members of the drag community are rejected by their biological family. They go to the "houses" to seek a community who are like them and will accept them. The "house mother" is seen as a mother figure to them.
When was the House of Xtravaganza founded?
House of Xtravaganza. 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 are recognized for their cultural influence in the areas of dance, music, ...
What is the House of Xtravaganza?
House of Xtravaganza members and the collective group are 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.
What was the significance of the Ballroom scene in 1988?
By 1988 the ballroom scene was frequently being cited in the press for its emerging cultural significance. With the support of strong relationships built in the popular nightclubs of the period, and beyond of the mostly closed ballroom community, the House of Xtravaganza was uniquely situated to take advantage of public interest in the ballroom scene. In 1988, Chi Chi Valenti, chronicler of downtown culture, featured the House of Xtravaganza in her landmark essay “Nations” for Details, with group and individual portraits by noted photographer Timothy Greenfield-Sanders.
How did Hector Valle die?
In 1985 founder and house father Hector Valle died of complications from AIDS. Later that year Angie Xtravaganza recruited a young up and coming star of the ballroom scene named David Padilla to leave the rival House of Ebony and become father of the House of Xtravaganza.
What was Madonna's hit single?
Madonna’s 1990 hit single “Vogue" was based on the dance style developed in the ball scene. For the video and subsequent Blonde Ambition world tour, Madonna recruited two voguers from the House of Xtravaganza; Jose Gutierez and Luis Camacho.
How did Lorena Escalera die?
On May 12, 2012, Lorena Escalera Xtravaganza was found dead following a suspicious fire in her Brooklyn apartment. Twenty-five-year-old Lorena was one of the rising stars of the House of Xtravaganza known for her elaborate nightclub shows, having performed extensively throughout New York, Puerto Rico and Spain.
Is Xtravaganza in the Hall of Fame?
In 2006, the House of Xtra vaganza as a whole was inducted into the Ballroom Hall of Fame, citing its contributions to ballroom culture. In 2017, founding Mother Angie Xtravaganza posthumously was awarded the Ballroom Hall of Fame Pioneer Award.
Do drag balls still exist?
In the subsequent decades, drag balls eventually developed the modern, mainstream format we know today. The modern ballroom culture has existed for at least five decades. However, it remains largely underground and unknown for this particular community of Black and Latino queer youth.
Is Paris really burning?
Is Paris Burning? (French: Paris brûle-t-il ?) is a 1966 French-American epic historical war film directed by René Clément, starring an ensemble cast, about the liberation of Paris in August 1944 by the French Resistance and the Free French Forces during World War II.
Why is Paris Is Burning called that?
The largest claim came from Paris DuPree, who sought $40 million for unauthorized and fraudulent use of her services. Though she is never named on camera and appears for less than three of the movie's 76 minutes, her 1986 ball, called Paris Is Burning, provided the title for the film and is extensively featured in it.
What happened to Octavia from Paris is Burning?
Laurent was good friends with Willi Ninja until his death in 2006 and Paris Dupree. In 2008, she was diagnosed with cancer. Octavia died after a long battle with cancer on May 17, 2009.
Is Paris Is Burning on Netflix?
Paris Is Burning. This Sundance prize-winning documentary is an intimate portrait of 1980s Harlem drag balls: a world of fierce competition, sustenance, and survival.
What is the movie Paris Is Burning about?
This documentary focuses on drag queens living in New York City and their "house" culture, which provides a sense of community and support for the flamboyant and often socially shunned performers. Groups from each house compete in elaborate balls that take cues from the world of fashion.
What happened to Dorian Corey?
On August 29, 1993, Corey died of AIDS-related complications at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in Manhattan at the age of 56. After her death, the preserved body of Robert Worley (aka Robert Wells) was found in Corey's belongings with a gunshot wound to the head.
Overview
1988 to 1994: Mainstream Recognition
By 1988 the ballroom scene was frequently being cited in the press for its emerging cultural significance. With the support of strong relationships built in the popular nightclubs of the period, and beyond of the mostly closed ballroom community, the House of Xtravaganza was uniquely situated to take advantage of public interest in the ballroom scene. In 1988, Chi Chi Valenti, chronicler of downtown culture, featured the House of Xtravaganza in her landmark essay “Natio…
Ballroom Scene
Composed primarily of African American and Latino LGBTQ people, members of the ballroom community traditionally form “houses” which serve the dual purpose of providing a surrogate family structure and competing for trophies and prestige in community-organized balls. Houses are traditionally formed in a family-like structure, with a house “mother” and/or “father” who oversee and direct the group. In keeping with ballroom community tradition, members take the h…
1982 to 1988: Founding and Formative Years
The House of Extravaganza (original spelling) was founded in 1982 by Hector Valle (1960-1985), a gay man of Puerto Rican descent, recognized for his elegant and athletic style of voguing. While Hector Valle was familiar with the ballroom scene, he himself did not belong to a ball house. In the summer of 1982 he made a bold decision for the time to create an all-Latino ballroom house, in response to what was a nearly exclusive African American gay subculture. Hector undertook th…
1994 to 2012: Ballroom Ambassadors and Community Activism
Despite deep losses, the House of Xtravaganza has remained active within the ballroom scene and cultural life of New York City, with a steady flow of young and talented LGBTQ youth eager to be a part of the legendary ballroom family. (Membership in the House of Xtravaganza is based on a wide variety of criteria and is much coveted in the NYC ballroom and Latino LGBTQ community.) The …
2012 to Present: Global Presence
In celebration of its 30th anniversary, the House of Xtravaganza hosted an elaborately produced ball in New York City on July 22, 2012. The event was held at XL, a recently opened high-tech luxury nightspot in the Times Square area. The ball was successful in attracting a wide range of competitors and spectators beyond the immediate ballroom community drawing from the arts, fashion, and cultural elite of New York.
Notes
• BlackBook magazine, "This is Our House: The Resurgence of New York's Voguing Balls", Steven Lewis, October 15, 2009
• Spank Zine magazine - Issue #14, House of Xtravaganza portraits, David Bechtel photographer, 2009
• 'Strictly Ballroom: After Decades in the Shadow of Vogue Dancing and Culture, Ballroom Beats Come to the Fore', Marke B,xlr8r.com
External links
• House of Xtravaganza on Facebook