4 days ago
Xander Khoury On Creating Safe Spaces And Ballroom
ICYMI, the term 'street dance' groups together multiple styles like Hip Hop, House, Popping, Locking, Waacking, Tutting, Voguing, Krumping, Afro Dance and Dancehall.
And it's doing good too!
Street dance's impact and contribution to uplifting Australian youth and LGBTQIA+ communities is immense, with more and more young people dominating and taking the national scene to global recognition.
Competitions like Red Bull Dance Your Style are putting names on the big stage and allowing young Aussies to take their skills internationally. This year, the big show (AKA the grand final) is being held in Los Angeles.
Ahead of the Australian Finals, we sat down with host and Aussie icon Xander Khoury to dive deeper into one specific style — Ballroom — that he holds near and dear to his heart.
BFOZ: How do you think Ballroom and Vogueing allows for self-expression and storytelling in its movements?
Xander: I think self-expression is really at the core of what ballroom and voguing is. It's an innate part of what it's about. So through everything that you do, it's about that. Voguing is a form of protest within itself. It's something that started out of an oppression. So when you are tapping into that culture or you're tapping into that style of dance, you're also tapping into the history and the meaning behind it, which is about truly being your authentic self no matter what.
BFOZ: One beautiful thing that you do at House of Silky is always bringing it back to the people that started it. How do you continue to do that as you grow?
BFOZ: In a world where we still struggle to create spaces of safety for queer and trans people in groups to authentically be themselves without fear, what are some things that you do as parental figure to keep yourself grounded and motivated in a world that kind of sometimes, at times, feels hopeless?
BFOZ: When we talk about community in these spaces, how can people that show up for the first time or people that have been coming into the space for a long time show up, support and be proud and give people, whether beginner or expert, the love?
BFOZ: Taking a step back and looking at what you've created, how has this community uplifted and encouraged your own self expression and helped you transform into the person you are, from when you first started 'til now?
BFOZ: From the outside looking in, for all dance styles but especially Vogueing, it take a necessary level of confidence and essence. How does that take shape and how do you build that up?
BFOZ: What's the importance of having a presence here at Red Bull Dance Your Style?
BFOZ: And finally, what excites you most about Ballroom's future in Australia?
