This is my research on the art form of Punking, Whacking and Waacking witch comes intertwined with the culture of ballroom and Vogue. My reserch is mostly experience-based; travelling to places and events, taking workshops and encountering people that have become my teachers, mentors and community. Doing this reserch is not an academic project, but it's me living my every day life, practising these dance styles and trying to understand the social and political layers they inherit. My goal with this research is eventually to be able to share it in somehow coherent form for the rest of the community of Punkers&Whackers and operate as a someone organizing events, trainings, clubs etc. that the community might need to grow, unite and maintain accessible. Individually my aim is to understand the political power of these dances and line myself with it in a way that can form ways of activism/artvisim and speak directly to what is considered as political.

Punking playlist

by Ira Wuolle

1. Expose -festival (Gothenburg, Sweden)

Expose is an annual four day long festival focusing on Punking and its evolution, Whacking (or Waacking) in Gothenburg organized by Alyssa Briteramos. The festival consists of film screening, workshops from all the invited artists, panel talks, interviews, choreography workshop where the opening number for the festival is created and competition day with several categories.

I first participated in this event in 2023, where I encountered Viktor Manoel, the original creator of this style, and got to study with him and to see him performing a solo. Since then I have taken part in this festival every year meeting more artists that have shaped my research such as Lorena Valencuela, Archie Burnett, Mike Gamble, Mourad El Mrini, Emma Jayne Park and Any “Funk” Alvarado. In this festival I have seen footage of the OG Punkers and other LA street dancers which is not in the public and got to hear the stories of the artists mentioned above. I return to this festival every year, not only for the education and dancing that it provides, but for the community that it has created.To this day I still take regular online classes with Lorena, Viktor and Alyssa.

[https://www.xposedancefestival.org/]

2. Alyssa Briteramos: “Punking: How appropriation revitalised it and the role institutions play in the protection and longevity of this elusive art”

Nordic Journal of Dance Volume 14(2) 2023

https://www.nordicjournalofdance.com/NordicJounal-14(2).pdf

In this article Alyssa Briteramos unfolds the roots of Punking from its birth at LA’s gay clubs to a present day and the fragmentation, trauma, misinterpretation and appropriation that has formed this dance as we know it nowadays. I have been a student of Alyssa since 2023 participating in her event Expose and taking online workshops from her. As a pedagogue and artist she has had a huge impact on my journey with Punking, to a point where meeting her shifted my direction in dance and life.

3. Punking.dance - Instagram archieve

https://www.instagram.com/p/C_4zfu2Ii0K/

Since there are no books written and barely any video material in the public of the original style of Punking, this Instagram page remains as an historical archive and informative center for Punking. It has been an important anchor for my research after meeting Viktor Manoel and studying the history and culture of Punking with him. I return to this page every now and then when I need either visual impact or fact checking for my research.

4. Original Punkers performing with Grace Jones and Diana Ross

Since I’m researching a dance that almost died with its creators during the AIDS pandemic and homophobia in the 80’s for me these few records available in the public of the original Punkers such as Andrew, Arthur, Billy-Star, China-Doll, Lonnie, Tinker, Tommy, Viktor Manoel and Danny Lugo dancing were the starting point of my research. There are no longer Punking performances being done (except from Viktor Manoel), nowadays the performances mainly focus on its evolution style Whacking, which is not the same. The recording from Diana Ross’ performance especially made me understand what Viktor had taught me about the dance and it shaped my methods of technical training in this dance.

Diana Ross with the original punkers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsMrgIKJIBc&t=146s

Grace Jones On your knees With Viktor Manoel & Tommy Mitchell https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxQG9fatx04

Grace Jones Do or Die Feat. Viktor Manoel and Danny Lugo www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2-1uUbYFL4&list=RDv2-1uUbYFL4&start_radio=1

5. “Check your body at the door” documentary (2012)

This documentary tells about the underground NYC club dancers in the 1990’s, who were blending different styles such as house, breaking, vogue, whacking and martial arts to express themselves. I saw this documentary at Expose festival in 2024, following with an interview with Archie Burnett, where he talked about the differences between underground culture and mainstream. For me this documentary has been an important one in understanding the role of the ug clubs as a space where dancers could liberate themselves and be seen with their artistry and talent. It also shows that at the clubs, the lines between different styles didn’t matter, but the focus was on the music and liberation. It has inspired me to explore any kinds of clubbing opportunities that I have near me and to look at the clubs as potential spaces for creating events that can bring back the energy of liberation, artistic exploration and community.

Check your body at the door

Executive producer: Sally R.Sommer, Directors: Charles Atlas, Michael Schwarts

Featured dancers: Archie Burnett, Adrian Alicea, Asia Moon, Barbara Tucker, Bravo Lafortune, Brian Green, Carlos Sanchez, Conrad Rochester, Courtney Ffrench, Ejoe Wilson, Iriena Herrera, Kris Buxenbaum, Marjory Smarth, Omar Kashim Henry, Ronald “Ricochet” Thomas, Willi Ninja, William “Quick” Reynolds, Willy Pinedo

6. “Four Fabulous Faces” (1970, Larry Carr)

This book highlights in pictures the four fabulous faces of Greta Garbo, Gloria Swanson, Joan Crawford and Marlene Dietrich. These actresses were the source of inspiration for the og Punkers, to an extent that they were also known as the “Garbo-boys” ( Adolfo “Shabba Doo” Quiñones in an interview shown at Expose festival 2024). This book has helped me with my research in Posing, one of the elements in Punking/Whacking as well as in Vogue, although in Vogue the reference is fashion models not the Hollywood golden era actresses which makes Posing in Vogue different from Whacking.

7. Willie Ninja Voguing in Tongues Untied (Black Men Loving Black Men Is The Revolutionary Act)

“Willie Ninja Voguing in Tongues Untied (Black Men Loving Black Men Is The Revolutionary Act)”

I must say that Willie Ninja has definitely been one of the biggest inspirations in Vogue for me. I find this video of him Voguing in the “Tongues Untied” experimental documentary film very beautiful and touching. It has been a part of my research to accept the painful and traumatic era of the AIDS pandemic as belonging to the history of both Punking, Whacking and Vogue and not trying to resist or hide it. Now I’m in the process of thinking what’s my due these days, when AIDS and HIV treatment is getting worse eg. in many countries of Africa because of cuts in USA aid. There are examples in the history of how the lesbians have rallied for the gay men and I feel that I have to get into studying those cases and figure out what’s my way of resisting the history for repeating itself in a horrific way.

Tongues Untied, 1989. Director: Marlon T. Riggs.

8. Balls

Runway is the stage for Voguing and therefore balls are the only places to experince, see and learn about ballroom in it’s essence. I started going to balls around 2022 and since then I’ve been spectating and walking balls in Sweden, Finland, Norway, Estonia, Denmark, UK, France, Portugal and Ghana. It has been important for me do my research in both Voguing and Punking-Whacking simultaneously because it has help me understand the cultural differences and connection points of these styles. As Viktor Manoel calls Voguing as a ‘sister style’ to Punking it makes sense for me to have the both siblings along with me.

9. “One drop” a piece by Sonya Lindfors

Choreographer Sonya Lindfors is someone that has been a part of my journey as an artist in one way or another from the first years I started dancing, probably since her works have been accessible for me. Her work has informed my understanding of the stage and brought me on the edge of the questions “what can the stage do?” and “what can the theatre provide for these dance styles?” The way she blends decolonial practices, club and street dances, other forms of art and different genres of music and culture is always thrilling for me. Her practice of dreaming about impossible things has opened new ways for me to look at my research of Punking and Whacking.

I saw the One Drop at Stockholm in 2024 and it was the most powerful performance on the theatre stage that I’ve seen for a while, mixing operette, dance, theatre, talk-show and decolonial dreaming.

10. Press Play Punk Party!

PPPParty was the first event dedicated to Punking that we organized with Punking Diaries collective in Helsinki 2024. The event was inspired by Viktor Manoel’s description about the Ginos club, where dj Michael Angelo held Punking contests. Our aim was to create an event that is both a club, performative space and a contest for Punking. This event was a first event ever in Finland organized for Punking, so we needed to take a risk and learn by doing. I’m very happy of what we created and learned during the process. My work as a organizator goes hand in hand with my research, because one the main goals for me in this research is to able to contribute to the community.

Find the recap of the event here! www.instagram.com/p/DIyt9LmNJTo/

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