Vogue was a dance that started in Harlem during the Harlem Renaissance by black gay men in prison. When they got out of prison they spread vogueing to the rest of their gay black male community. The "Ballroom Scene" subculture established themselves after a drag queen named Crystal Labeija was discriminated at a drag competition for being the only person of color, she took her loss but vowed to never be disrespected like that again. Crystal decided to form her own group called a house, other drag queens of color did the same and together formed the Ballroom Scene/sub-culture.

The ballroom scene however, changed it's focus from drag shows to vogueing competitions early on. The linear clean movements came from the original form of vogue which now they dub "Old Way", with time that FQ (fem queens: transwomen) created their own rendition called Vogue Fem (short for: Vogueing like a Fem Queen). This new style of vogueing is characterized by its feminine flaunter, fabulous flavor, and a combination of what seems like modern jazz meets hip-pop. If you've never seen someone vogue (fem) youtube: Leiomy Amazon, or Prince Milan to get a little taste.

I've been vogueing since 2009, and I'd be excited to teach anyone interested to learn this form of expression. It offers what most artforms don't: a facet to be feminine and powerful regardless of gender or presentation. Vogue is naturally a dance form where two voguers battle it out for a prize (or for fun).