So  we have  two sisters,  that just so happen to live very similar, perhaps somewhat parallel lives but live in 2 different regions of the U.S

One is a typical, classic LA girl, to be more specific, Hollywood is her neck of the woods, or hills if you will

The other, well she’s a NYC gal, city lights, nightlife, fast paced,  you name it

Now the Hollywood gal, she always loved Drama …as well as Ms. NYC…however , Ms. LA always behaved and tend  to be more dramatic in a cinematic, acting sort of way,  and echo the charisma and drama of Dietrich, Crawford,Garbo, Swanson, bette davis, Rita Hayworth, Fred Astaire, The Bride of Frankenstein, you name it…. with a dash of humor and irony of Bugs Bunny,

Ms NYC, well she loved all of those classic dramas as well, however, she always had a love for Fashion, and models, and of course her favorite magazine was Vogue. and she aspired to evoke the essence and the poise and the grace of the supermodels  and the fashion designers straight from the pages of Vogue, and the runways …Iman, Beverly Johnson, Naomi, Linda, Twiggy, or Gucci, Versace, Mcqueen, Givenchy, couture and the list goes on

Ms LA loved fashion as well, as it was an extension of whatever character she wanted to create, but wasnt really bound to it……she was more into sharing story…evoking an emotion  , through acting, while in a way that would be that of a silent film , allowing herself to chance to shed layers into her personality to  reveal emotions…and allowing music to be her score and working and being in command of the score…..

Ms NYC loved motion pictures as well, and drama,  but her heart was in fashion, blending fashion and music together, and bringing a sense of drama in the interpretation of fashion , music, photography, and of course models. She loved full out fashion shoots, and in her mind when she hits the floor, she emulates a  full length  photo shoot in Vogue magazine set to music

Ms LA, well, she likes to  a take a couple pics on the red carpet than move on…..her motto is Here I come , There I go, There I went…..Sorry you missed it

And NYC, in her couture fashion , walks into the room as to say “Here I am, I am the Diva, The One and ONLY Diva and its ALL about Me..so the camera is all on me, take my picture…

2 sisters , so different, in expression, in imagination, yet so much alike , cut from the same cloth,  and evolved in different paths of expression…

I say this because with the ongoing controversy about Whacking Came from Vogue or Vice Versa, or one came first  , seemed to be increasingly apparent over the last 3 or 4 years. There are lots of confusion about these 2 sisters, people mix them up all the time because , after all they are in the same family…but they have lives onto their own that makes them different and unique from another…

“Recently I posted on my FB

I was just looking at a wonderful book that Documents Vogue from the late 80’s to the 90’s and I came across a statement that Whacking is another form of Vogue, like Vogue on meth?

, Punking (Whacking) before it had a name, was fully created, developed, and popularized in the underground of LA ..inspired by movies…MOTION PICTURES acting and behavior, and is an entity on it own…

Vogue, is created and developed fully in NYC’s Underground Gay Culture, and is inspired by flipping through the pages of Vogue…and fashion and runway….a completely different medium than films…..

Motion Pictures, film , acting, Hollywood vs Fashion, models, runway, photography, NYC…

What they do have in common is simple, both are expressions that were birthed in the gay community and culture, and based on their environmental and geographic influences , it began to take shape into what we know it to be today…if it were not for this , these forms would not exist

Let’s embrace and enjoy , and honor each art form and the variety or artists who pioneered and continue the style”

And of course while most people  embraced what was stated above, there is the one in the crowd, that had to insist that the Punking, posing whacking dance is an extension of NYC’s expression …Vogue, or insist that it came from Vogue, because of one noted Vogue pioneer inspiration from Bruce Lee, to incorporate this into her style and performance.

Not to take anything away from this moment, or experience….but  to say one person , saw one movie, by Bruce Lee, and thus an entire dance was born in another coast? and of course the expression of the people in LA who stayed mostly in LA, in the underground where absolutely no cameras were allowed, had no expression of their own

A bit extreme and impractical…for a whole dance to be born in another coast from one person in the opposite coast??????

or could it be that  perhaps the collective conscience of an entire generation was being inspired to express themselves and find their voice, looking for inspiration from anything and EVERYTHING…..and based on their region or environment, helped to shape or mold the essence of their voice.

We’ve seen this happen time and time again for instance …..a James Brown Record, could make people all over the country move, in their own expression, for west coast, it may have been soul dance and locking, for the east top rocking,bboying ,  for the midwest and south,another way of expression

so why is it hard to apply this same concept in LA and NYC respected Gay communities …2 different expressions that were birthed in the same era…coexisting and developing and evolving…in their own way, without one taking credit for the other, instead of recognizing and embracing the other

maybe one day..we will….

From Diana Ross Concert at Caesar’s Palace from l to r Lonnie, Tinker Toy, Andrew ,Billy Goodson, and Rico

Lonnie, Tinker Toy, Andrew ,Billy Goodson, and Rico

The Legendary Willie Ninja