The duckwalks are painful, to say the least. Many dancers trained in other dance styles are usually scared away from Vogue Femme by this element alone, and rightfully so. Even though I had been a voguer for a significant amount of time, acclimatising myself after almost a year away from Ballroom was winding. Suffice to say, duckwalking is notorious for its difficulty.
The duckwalk occurs in a squatting position and is something akin to the Russian squat dance, traditionally known as, prisyadka. Obviously, in comparison to the prisyadka, a predominantly male dance form, which is strong and masculine, duckwalks are rather graceful and aim to display effortless femininity. This element requires from a performer, nimbleness, and a sufficient understanding of their centres of balance. When executed correctly a duckwalk should appear to be light and smooth. It is also the secondary tool for mobility for voguer's, after the catwalk. Much like a catwalk, the arms work in opposition to the legs. Hand performance is also just as vital to a duckwalk as it is to a catwalk as adds diversity to a performers moveset.
I think, what was really difficult for me when practising a duckwalk was my weight. My weight gain has hindered my ability, forcing me to retrace my centre of gravity and figure out how to balance this new weight throughout my performance. An issue I know is common amongst those whose bodies have changed since beginning their HRT journeys. I was naive to think that perhaps I'd not have to take this into consideration as my weight gain has, for the most part, been largely unnoticeable outside of stepping on a scale. The amount of strain I felt on my joints and the tugging of muscle I felt was new. Again, this is likely just due to weight gain. I had stretched prior to dancing, but maybe it had not been enough. The great thing about duckwalking especially when your body is adrenalised is that the adrenaline creates a springiness in your joints that then drives you. That is not what I'm experiencing in this video, instead, it is more of me flailing around, attempting to kickstart my muscle memory and duckwalk prettily.
I'd like to reincorporate more dynamic duckwalks, whether that be through slowing or quickening my pace, stop-starting or even more single step duckwalks to drive up the playfulness. I think, like all of the elements, there is a level of playfulness that I find really joyful in a duckwalk. The more I progress in this process I find myself wanting to recapture that essence of joy, rather than striving for any technical improvements, though that would, no doubt, be a plus. I just want to feel good again while I vogue. That's not to say that I don't feel good, however, bringing my new body to old dance form is rather confronting. I anticipated the physical exhaustion but not so much, the mental. All in all, duckwalking was a great challenge and almost a walk-up call too, really enlightening.
A comprehensive breakdown of this element:
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