A voguer's 10s performance is meant to display their pinnacle of skill, whether that be through technical prowess, eloquence in shade/story-telling, or the ooze of essence. A voguer's performance can be considered amazing for a number of reasons, some of which I just listed. Like anything else - writing, dance, art - the quality of one's 10s is subjective, which often leads to the drama and theatrics in Ballroom.
For me, 10s is absolutely for the laughs and as much as I love a display of effortless femininity, I love Vogue Femme's capacity for the fusion and juxtaposing of other dance forms, and also, its capacity for body humour. This is often what runs through my head when I have to give my 10s. I will say though, that perhaps, this is a cop-out. In an attempt to alleviate my own anxiety around performing I try to rump up my performance's silliness.
I had to return to Ballroom for a minute to facilitate a ball and was made to give my 10s at the end of the night. Please note, I absolutely dread this part of the night and try to end a ball as quickly as possible as to not go through with performing, but alas I could not escape the hot seat. In this 10s performance, you see that besides hands performance and a little duckwalk and a failed dip I completely neglect every other element. My brain still is unable to comprehend the pressure of the stage, so I shut down during my performances. In this 10s performance, I rump up my silliness during my breakdown to try to settle my shot nerves but still to no avail as I land awkwardly in a dip that sees me fall back onto my backside. Definitely had some nerve in assuming I could return to the stage without having even refamiliarizing my new body completely with the dance form. All in all, it was good fun, and I don't regret it despite how embarrassed I feel when I watch it retrospectively.
In this video, I am just playing around and trying to get comfortable with moving. I have some liquid courage in the clip and it's obvious by my lack of musicality. What I enjoy though is that I'm at least loose enough to capture the flow of what I'd like my vogue femme performances to give. I like that there's a feeling of softness spread throughout. If I were to distill my femininity down to its core, I'd say it gives a very High Priestess/Cottagecore energy, as confusing as those sounds. In Ballroom New Zealand and Australia, I've often been appreciated for that softness so I'm glad that I can at least see a bit of that portrayed in my 10s practice.
Do I feel that I've successfully acclimatized my body to Vogue Femme? Yes and no. I am capable of holding my own in performance, but I have a long way to go in regard to my general skill level. I also have to work on expanding my creativity, something I think will come with further practice and as I slowly retrain myself into fitness.
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