Lasseindra Ninja

A leading figure in French ballroom culture, Lasseindra Ninja has helped make Paris the European capital of voguing, earning her the title of “Pioneer” on the Parisian scene.

Originally from French Guiana, she discovered this dance at the age of 13 at the Ballroom Scene in Harlem, New York. Struck by the creativity and solidarity that emanated from it, she decided to export this culture to France in the early 2000s. Noticing the lack of community spaces, Lasseindra decided to organize her own balls where everyone could freely express their identity.

Created by the Black and Latino LGBTQ+ communities in response to racism and discrimination, voguing appeared in Harlem in the 1960s. Exploring gender and reclaiming one's body are two of the characteristics of this dance, which draws its inspiration from the mannered poses of models during fashion shows.

The movement quickly came together in “balls,” parties where people competed in extravagant homemade costumes, outrageous makeup, and stiletto heels in dance competitions and catwalks divided into categories. During these performances, participants were scrutinized by a jury and an excited audience.

“That's what voguing is all about. It allows people to find themselves in everything. In sexuality, physical appearance, femininity, masculinity, in who you are.”

For the very first time, and in collaboration with an institutional ballet company, Lasseindra has composed a piece with a group of dancers from the Ballet National de Marseille. Through MOOD, she juxtaposes voguing with so-called “classical” scenes in order to better convey its characteristic values and questions.