Madonna didn't invent voguing, but she was definitely inspired by the dance move made popular by the Harlem gay scene that also coined the term and gave voguing its roots during their popular balls in the late 70s to early 90s.

The Harlem ballroom scene also birthed a legendary man who many consider the godather of vogue- dancer, choreographer, runway teacher and mother of his own house, Willi Ninja.

 

Self-taught choreographer, dance and runway teacher Willi Ninja, born William Leake, is considered the father of voguing- dance moves popular in the 70s and 80s. Ninja was inspired by Fred Astaire, "Great Performances" on PBS, Asian culture, Olympic gymnasts and the martial arts- thus the name of his founding house, the House of Ninja. He considered the members of his house to be swift and highly capable in the ballroom and out.

Ninja had a vision of making voguing a worldwide phenomenon. Ninja even influenced Madonna after she saw a group of young kids voguing in New York City's Washington Square Park. Madonna used that influence to introduce Ninja's perfected dance moves to mainstream culture with her single "Vogue".

He was also featured in the documentary Paris Is Burning (1990) which chronicled the Harlem drag ball competitions.

When not walking the balls, Willi Ninja professionally taught women of New York City feminine grace, walks and dance. Willi Ninja died of AIDS complications on September 2,2006. He was 45 years old.

 

Here are a few tributes to Willi Ninja across the gay blogsphere:

 

 

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"Gay Houses"
A family unit of glbt people, often comprised of individuals who have experienced some form of family rejection (including homelessness) or those that merely seek guidance and mentorship from more experienced glbt people. Houses are usually led by a house mother and the kids of the house sometimes carry the last name of the house founder. For instance, recording artist and entertainer, Kevin Aviance is a member of the House of Aviance. Some, but not all, houses compete against each other at balls. Different houses have varying criteria for membership and often house members will refer to each other as mother, sister or brother.