Mother Juan Aviance (born 1963 in Charleston, South Carolina) is an American secretary, voguer / dancer, music artist, nightclub host / promoter,

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produ ...

owner, and CEO / A&R.''"Mother Juan Aviance Bio and House of Aviance History"'' in the official website of The House of Avianc

/ref>Thotyssey : ''"On Point With: Mother Juan Aviance"'' (21 June 2017) He is the founder and "Mother" of the House of Aviance, one of the legendary houses that emerged from the U.S.

ball culture The Ballroom Scene (also known as the Ballroom community, Ballroom culture, or just Ballroom) is an African-American and Latino underground LGBTQ+ subculture that originated in New York City. Beginning in the late 20th century, Black and Latin ...

in the 1980s, a House which is still active today and "currently reigns the

club Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a '' Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands and enterprises ...

scene in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

."Wave Music : Mother Juan Aviance and House of Aviance in "Kevin Aviance Wave Music

/ref> He is also founder, CEO and A&R of Aviance Records, LLC, a multi-genre record label that promotes new and upcoming artists. He is regarded as a "legend / icon" within the ballroom scene and is "House Mother" to the

nightlife Nightlife is a collective term for entertainment that is available and generally more popular from the late evening into the early hours of the morning. It includes pubs, bars, nightclubs, parties, live music, concerts, cabarets, theatre, ...

personalities and recording artists

Kevin Aviance Kevin Aviance (born Eric Snead on June 22, 1968) is an American drag queen, club/dance musician, fashion designer and nightclub personality. He is a personality in New York City's gay scene and has performed throughout North America, Europe and ...

, and

Erickatoure Aviance Erickatoure Aviance (or Ericka Toure Aviance) is an American nightlife personality, club host, clothing designer, fashionista, drag performer, recording artist, dancer, actor, singer and songwriter.Huffington Post : ''"After Dark: Erickatoure Av ...

. As an artist and host / promoter, Mother Juan has worked with several high-profile singers, music producers, DJs, and film directors over the years, some of which include Janet Jackson, Ce Ce Peniston, Madonna,

Junior Vasquez Junior Vasquez (born Donald Gregory Mattern, August 24, 1949) is an American DJ, record producer and remixer. He has been referred to as one of the only DJs of his time to gain international attention. Career Mattern moved to New York City a ...

Tony Moran Anthony "Tony" Moran is a DJ, record producer, remixer, singer and songwriter known for remixing popular songs. In 2007, he hit number one on the U.S. '' Billboard'' Hot Dance Club Play chart twice with " Walk Away" featuring Kristine W and " K ...

and

Wolfgang Busch Wolfgang Busch (born November 6, 1955 in Heppenheim, Germany) is a two-time Humanitarian award winner, was inducted into the Queens Business Hall of Fame for his company Art From The Heart Films, was inducted into the LGBT Hall of Fame and is a mult ...

Early life and education

Aviance was born in 1963 in Charleston, South Carolina and raised in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

. From his school days up to his teenage years, he participated in performing arts activities such as dance and

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspe ...

but chose not to pursue a career in the performing arts because he disliked the repetitiveness of it, especially dance. In 1982 he graduated from

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

and progressed into business school in order to acquire office skills. Mother Juan's background / schooling in business and dance is a key factor in the success of the ''House of Aviance'', a

vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...

ball house which he would go on to create in 1989.

Career

Outside ballroom culture

Whilst at business school, Aviance worked for the Boston Public Schools as a

clerk A clerk is a white-collar worker who conducts general office tasks, or a worker who performs similar sales-related tasks in a retail environment. The responsibilities of clerical workers commonly include record keeping, filing, staffing service ...

and then moved on to "The State of Massachusetts Disability" doing the same role. In 1987, Aviance moved from

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

and landed a job with an

environmental A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scale f ...

lobbyist In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying, which ...

doing paralegal work and setting up

press conferences A press conference or news conference is a media event in which notable individuals or organizations invite journalists to hear them speak and ask questions. Press conferences are often held by politicians, corporations, non-governmental org ...

with senators on Capitol Hill.

Within ball culture and the entertainment industry

In August 1989, Aviance founded the House of Aviance which is now one of the "legendary" ballroom houses to have emerged from African-American LGBT

. The Legendary House of Aviance is known for its voguers, dancers,

performances A performance is an act of staging or presenting a play, concert, or other form of entertainment. It is also defined as the action or process of carrying out or accomplishing an action, task, or function. Management science In the work place ...

runways According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and takeoff of aircraft". Runways may be a man-made surface (often asphalt, concrete, o ...

fashion Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion i ...

music producers A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure. Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

and

DJs A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music festival), mobile ...

, Huffington Post: ''"After Dark: Erickatoure Aviance, Artist And Nightlife Personality"'' by JamesMichael Nichols (August /24, 2014, updated 2 February 2016

/ref>Thump : ''"We Asked Two Quintessential NYC Queer DJs About the Art of the All-Night Set"'' by Steve Weinstein (20 November 2015

/ref> and "currently reigns the club scene in New York City." As of 2014, its membership is just over 700

world In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...

wide and include dancers, musicians, DJs,

drag queens A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have usually been gay men, and part o ...

, performing artists,

visual artists The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, filmmaking, design, crafts and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual art, and textile arts ...

singers Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music ...

s, music producers and

engineers Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the ...

.''"Kevin Aviance at Pangea"''
/ref> Since its founding, Aviance has been the "House Mother", and Daddy Tony Aviance the "House Father". According to Aviance, some of the key reasons for starting the House was because of his "love for the arts" and his leadership skills as stated below: Some notable House members include the

personalities and entertainers

("oldest house daughter" or "first big daughter" of Mother Juan), and

. DJs/Producers Jean-Philippe Aviance and

Nita Aviance Nita Aviance (born 1980The New York Times, ''Defiant on the Dance Floor: L.G.B.T.Q. Night Life in New York, 2017'' by Jeremy Allen (20 June 2017(retrieved 3 August 2020)) is a dancer, percussionist, jazz singer, DJ, music producer, actor, and a ...

(a former dancer); and dancer Tamsier Joof Aviance.John Aviance bio nThe House of Aviance official websit

/ref> As an artist and nightlife host/promoter, Aviance has gone on to work with several high-profile singers, music producers, DJs, and film directors over the years, some of which include Janet Jackson, Ce Ce Peniston, Madonna,

, Bette Midler,

Cyndi Lauper Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper Thornton (born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and activist. Her career has spanned over 40 years. Her album ''She's So Unusual'' (1983) was the first debut album by a female artist to achi ...

Jennifer Hudson Jennifer Kate Hudson (born September 12, 1981), also known by her nickname J.Hud, is an American singer, actress, and talk show host. Throughout her career, she has received various accolades for her works in recorded music, film, televisio ...

, Mariah Carey,

Willi Ninja William Roscoe Leake (April 12, 1961 – September 2, 2006), better known as Willi Ninja, was an American dancer and choreographer best known for his appearance in the documentary film ''Paris Is Burning (film), Paris Is Burning''.Juan Battle ...

(the voguing ''icon'' and founder of the House of Ninja),

and

(director of the 2006 documentary ''

How Do I Look ''How Do I Look'' is a 2006 American documentary film, documentary directed by Wolfgang Busch. The film chronicles ball culture in Harlem and Philadelphia over a ten-year period. Overview Wolfgang Busch began interviewing subjects from the ball ...

'').

As House Mother

Historically, the "Mother" of a ballroom house was usually a

drag queen A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have usually been gay men, and part of ...

or a

transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through ...

woman. As such, Aviance was initially hesitant to assume the role of ''House Mother'' but ultimately decided to take up the role. His style of "mothering" is somewhat business-like, having attended business and dance school. Although this style is pivotal in the success of the House, he is also very protective towards his "house children", and was instrumental in removing the House of Aviance from walking balls in order to protect his children from what he deemed as "Ballroom politics", abuse, and unfair judging—despite the House winning numerous trophies and cash prizes over the years in ballroom competitions. Aviance has also been instrumental and supportive in the professional careers of many of his children, some of which included the careers of Kevin Aviance,Muñoz, José Esteban, ''"Cruising Utopia: The Then and There of Queer Futurity"'', NYU Press (2009), p. 75,

/ref> The Village Voice, Village Voice : ''"Becoming Kevin Aviance, Again"'' by Steve Weinstein (12 June 2007)

/ref> Erickatoure Aviance and DJ/Producer Jean-Philippe Aviance. In the 1980s, Aviance spearheaded a weekly nightlife event in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

called ''Kindergarten Parties''. These parties where frequented by New York City's Club Kids such as Amanda Lepore, James St. James and Kenny Kenny. Other patrons included Kevin Aviance (who later became a House Member) and several other nightlife personalities. These Kindergarten Parties propelled the careers of many high-profile artists within the LGBT community including Kevin Aviance and Jean-Philippe Aviance (the House of Aviance's first DJ) who used to DJ for Mother Juan at the former Vault Nightclub in D.C. where these weekly parties were held. Metro Weekly : Music Master : "Jean-Philippe Aviance" by Doug Rule (14 January 2004

/ref> In January 2014, Aviance celebrated his 50th birthday with several House of Aviance DJs and House members in attendance. The event was hosted by Aviance's eldest daughter Kevin Aviance, with special guests including singer, DJ, fashion icon and former

Deee-Lite Deee-Lite was an American house and dance music group formed in New York City. The group's best-known single is "Groove Is in the Heart", which was released in 1990 from their debut studio album ''World Clique'' (1990), and was a top-ten hit i ...

vocalist

Lady Miss Kier Kierin Magenta Kirby (aka Lady Miss Kier) is an American singer, songwriter, DJ, designer, fashion icon, and activist. During her career, Lady Miss Kier has been the vocalist for the band Deee-Lite, a disc jockey, and solo songwriter. She support ...

among other nightlife personalities. Aviance is regarded as one of the living "legends / icons" within the ballroom scene with one of the longest continuously activeIn ballroom culture, a continuously active house and/or house parent is one where the house has continued as an active house for several years without interruption or where the house parent (the house mother or father) has continued in that role for several years without interruption. Many houses have had some degree of interruption since their inception, and many legendary/iconic house parents have died due to the

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...

/ AIDS epidemic or through other causes of death. Many have also closed their houses down temporarily (a common theme) and moved on to progress their personal/professional careers before coming back to re-open the house. One example of this is the House of Ninja. Although founded in 1982 by

, the house had to be closed down in the late 1980s so that he could progress with his personal/professional career—some of which included working with Malcolm McLaren in his

Deep in Vogue "Deep in Vogue" is a 1989 dance single by Malcolm McLaren and the Bootzilla Orchestra featuring Lourdes Maria Morales and Willi Ninja, Willie Ninja, with additional production and remix by Mark Moore and William Orbit, sampling the 1973 MFSB song ...

video and with fashion designer

Jean-Paul Gaultier Jean Paul Gaultier (; born 24 April 1952) is a French haute couture and prêt-à-porter fashion designer. He is described as an " enfant terrible" of the fashion industry and is known for his unconventional designs with motifs including corset ...

. The House of Ninja was re-opened in the early 1990s by "House Mother" Willi Ninja. Another example is the House of Magnifique which was founded in 1987 but had to be closed down and re-opened thereby rendering it from being a continuously active house. ballroom houses that has won numerous competition cash prizes and trophies over the years. He is one of the longest serving and continuously active ''house parents'' in the history of ball culture having ruled the House for 33 years as of 2022, surpassing the record of the late ''icon'' Pepper LaBeija who ruled the Legendary

House of LaBeija The Royal House of LaBeija is a prominent drag family founded by Crystal LaBeija and Lottie LaBeija in 1972. Crystal and Lottie established the House of LaBeija in response to the racially oppressive drag pageant system of 1960s America. Their f ...

for nearly 32 years without interruption. On 23 March 2014, Aviance partnered with fellow House member David Ohana and founded Aviance Records - a multi-genre

that promotes new and upcoming artists. Some high-profile House members and none-House members have released tracks through this record label including Erickatoure Aviance with her 2017 track ''OVAH''—with the official video first showcased on

Jonny McGovern Jonny McGovern (born July 12, 1976), also known by his character name The Gay Pimp, is an American stand-up comedian, actor, musician and podcaster. He has recorded three albums as comedic singer The Gay Pimp, appeared as a cast member of Log ...

's ''Hey Qween'' Channel on 26 June 2017.Erickatoure – "Ovah (Music Video)" on Hey Qween official YouTube Channel. Published on June 26, 201

/ref>

Notes and references

External links

*The House of Aviance official websit

*The House of Aviance and Aviance Record's official blo

*Mother Juan Aviance's official

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

Channel capturing The House of Aviance's performances and events over the year

*Aviance Records, LLC official websit

*Aviance Records, LLC official YouTube Channe

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aviance, Mother Juan 1963 births House of Aviance Living people Nightlife in New York City African-American musicians LGBT African Americans People from Charleston, South Carolina African-American male dancers African-American dancers American male dancers 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people