Clara Cullen's Ballroom Battle

Anyone familiar with the 1990 film Paris Is Burning would know about New York’s voguing and drag ball culture of the mid to late 1980s, where the city’s black, latino, gay and transgender communities would come together and battle each other in dance-offs that were a fierce collision of fashion and flamboyance. Twenty years after Madonna lifted the scene’s culture and brought the verb vogue to the masses, New York’s vouging and ballroom scene is still alive and thriving. While living in New York, Buenos Aires born film maker Clara Cullen experienced the city’s current day scene, and in combining her love of the culture and a want to create interactive video works, Cullen created Ballroom Battle, an “interactive voguing experience”, that let’s the viewer choose their favourite dancer and select who goes through to the next round.

Clara talks to Open Journal about how dance, fashion and a childhood memory of Street Fighter have merged into one highly original piece of work.

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How did you first come across the current day voguing and ballroom scene in New York?

My friend Cecilia Bengolea, an amazing dancer and choreographer, was in New York City researching voguing moves for a piece she was working on. She met dancer Alex Mugler, as he was the one taking us to the balls. Then Alex started dancing with her company, but he started out as her voguing teacher.

Of course I was a huge fan of Paris Is Burning, so when they invited me to come I was like “YES”.

It was amazing to see how the scene evolved. The dance moves are very different now but the energy I think is the same – high competition and lots of family vibe. I felt I was not going to be welcome, but they are all very open and super sweet. I really love them.

And what led to the idea of creating an interactive voguing experience? It’s certainly unique.

For the last year I have wanted to work on interactive experiences. To get the viewer involved. I think it’s an idea that was on my mind and I tried it with other projects but for some reason it never worked out well.

Then the idea of putting the fashion houses to compete came to me and I thought we had a way to get the viewer involved. They could be the judge.

I spoke with Juan from Convoy studio, a friend of mine from Argentina who is an internet and design genius, and he came up with the video game idea. I was very into Street Fighter at the time, so everything was perfect. We worked on how the “game” would feel together, it was a great and fun experience.

Were the performers receptive when you approached them?

YES! Very much. Everybody was compelled by the idea. In the beginning I wanted to be very careful to be respect the way the balls worked but Alex (Mugler) set me free saying “you can create your own ball”, so that’s what we did.

A key element of the vogue ball events is the energy from the crowd and other dancers – and that they are indeed battling each other. Yet Ballroom Battle obviously needed to be filmed in-studio. Was it an issue getting a punchy performance out of the dancers? Or can these guys turn it on anywhere?

I think the energy of the ballrooms gives a lot, you are totally right. But the designer’s clothes, the make up, the lights, the hair, the nails, the camera gives an other punch and I think the performances feel as vibrant as they do at the balls.

Even though it’s a club-based culture, it’s actually a great effect taking them out of the club and having them side by side on the white backdrop – every still is striking and it really shows off their moves!

Thanks! I agree.

You’ve made fashion films for Max Mara, Nike and Opening Ceremony. Was Ballroom Battle connected to a commission or is it a personal project?

Ballroom Battles is a personal project based on my love of voguing culture and fashion. Nowness helped us produce the film but none of the houses were involved. We used all vintage designer clothes that our stylist Sarah Ellison Prat was in charge of finding to create a very unique style for each performer.

All major cities have flamboyant GLBT subcultures, but it’s safe to say the vogue ball scene is a distinctively New York phenomena would you agree? Is there anything like this happening in your home city Buenos Aires?

Not really. I think it’s something very distinctive of NYC and other select cities of the United States.

What’s next? Your film making education included working with Spike Lee and Werner Herzog. Is a feature length film on your horizon?

I am moving to Los Angeles next month, so who knows. I’ve been working on new ways of making documentaries. I don’t see myself making any kind of mainstream feature film but I think perhaps I will try to make something feature length that is fun and different.

Thanks Clara.

Thank you!

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Ballroom Battle
Released through Nowness
Watch/play it here

By Matt Hurst