Paris Dupree (also stylized as Paris Duprée or Paris DuPree; 1950 – August 2011) was an American
drag performer
The term "drag" refers to the performance of exaggerated masculinity, femininity, or other forms of gender expression, usually for entertainment purposes. A drag queen is someone (usually male) who performs femininity and a drag king is someone ( ...
and documentary participant featured in
Jennie Livingston
Jennie may refer to:
* Jennie (singer), South Korean singer of girl group Blackpink
* Jennie, a female given name, variant spelling of Jenny
* ''Jennie'' (musical), 1963 Broadway production
* ''Jennie'' (novel), 1994 science fiction thriller by ...
's 1990 documentary, '' Paris is Burning'', which was named after Dupree's annual ball.
Career
Dupree was the founding member and mother of the House of Dupree, which mobilized young, urban gays to express themselves in ways that mainstream America could not quite understand in the 1970s. In 1990 Dupree was featured in Jennie Livingston's documentary film, ''Paris is Burning''. Dupree inspired the film’s title. She is remembered for her line "That's right! I said it! Butch queen! Boy in the day, girl at night".
Legacy
In one of the legends surrounding the origin of
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'', ...
, Dupree is credited as the originator or one of the pioneers of the dance form, and it was because of her that the art form is called ''vogue''.Tim Laurence: ''"Voguing and the House Ballroom Scene of New York City 1989-92 (Soul Jazz)"'', (July 2, 2013 /ref>Aston, Martin, ''"Breaking Down the Walls of Heartache: How Music Came Out"'', Hachette UK (2016), p. 306, /ref> Vogueing is the imitation of models in magazines and runways.
It is reported when she attended an after hours nightclub called Footsteps on 2nd Avenue and 14th Street, some gay black people, Black men were
throwing shade
''Attitudes! (formerly Throwing Shade)'' is a weekly comedy podcast based on discussions of women's rights, LGBTQ+ rights, progressive politics and pop culture. The podcast is hosted by ("Feminasty") Erin Gibson and ("Homosensual") Bryan Safi. ...
at each other. Dupree had a copy of ''
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'', ...
'' magazine in her bag and started dancing then suddenly stopped, posing to the beat of the music imitating the models' poses. That provocation was returned in kind by the other Black
gay men
Gay men are male homosexuals. Some bisexual and homoromantic men may also dually identify as gay, and a number of young gay men also identify as queer. Historically, gay men have been referred to by a number of different terms, including ' ...
in the club. What followed next was a dancing and posing competition to the beat of the music. According to
Kevin UltraOmni
Kevin Burrus, also known as Kevin UltraOmni (born 1958) is an American mentor, speaker, LGBTQ activist, and film producer who founded the ball culture House of Omni in 1979–which was renamed the House of UltraOmni in 1990–and has chapters ac ...
(founder of the Legendary
House of Omni
Kevin Burrus, also known as Kevin UltraOmni (born 1958) is an American mentor, speaker, LGBTQ activist, and film producer who founded the ball culture House of Omni in 1979–which was renamed the House of UltraOmni in 1990–and has chapters a ...
):
It was also during the House of Dupree's first
ball
A ball is a round object (usually spherical, but can sometimes be ovoid) with several uses. It is used in ball games, where the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players. Balls can also be used f ...
in 1981 that "the categories were really there (sic)," thereby establishing Paris in some quarters as the inventor of the competition categories. This legacy is still continued to this day (with additions) as a result of the first Dupree ball in 1981. Today, gay clubs have voguing competitions, inspired by Paris.
Her 1988 ball was held at
Club Zanzibar
Club Zanzibar was a dance club that opened in 1979 at 430 Broad Street in Newark, New Jersey. Its presence in Downtown Newark was noted for its influence on house music and garage house genres and scene. Club Zanzibar, along with other gay and s ...
.
''Paris Is Burning'' (film)
Paris Dupree featured in the 1990 documentary film '' Paris Is Burning''. The film was first shown at the NewFest New York's LGBT Film Festival on June 9, 1990. ''Paris Is Burning'' follows Dupree and other drag queens participating in balls. It features The House of Dupree, founded by Dupree and talks about the origin of
voguing
Vogue, or voguing, is a highly stylized, modern house dance originating in the late 1980s that evolved out of the Harlem ballroom scene of the 1960s. It gained mainstream exposure when it was featured in Madonna's song and video "Vogue" (1990), ...
, a dance Dupree pioneered.
Death
Paris Dupree died in August 2011 in New York City. She was sixty-one years old.
See also
*
Club Zanzibar
Club Zanzibar was a dance club that opened in 1979 at 430 Broad Street in Newark, New Jersey. Its presence in Downtown Newark was noted for its influence on house music and garage house genres and scene. Club Zanzibar, along with other gay and s ...