William Roscoe Leake (April 12, 1961 – September 2, 2006), better known as Willi Ninja, was an American dancer and
choreographer
Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which motion or form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A choreographer is one who cr ...
best known for his appearance in the
documentary film
A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional film, motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". Bill Nichols (film critic), Bil ...
''
Paris Is Burning Paris Is Burning may refer to:
* ''Paris Is Burning'' (film), a 1990 documentary film
* "Paris Is Burning" (''Gilmore Girls''), the eleventh episode of ''Gilmore Girls first season
* "Paris Is Burning", a song from the 1983 album '' Breaking the Ch ...
''.
[Juan Battle, Sandra L. Barnes, ''Black sexualities: probing powers, passions, practices, and policies'', pp. 26-9.]
Ninja, a gay man known as the godfather 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), ...
, was a fixture of
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 Latino ...
at
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan), ...
's drag balls who took inspiration from sources as far-flung as
Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz; May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) was an American dancer, choreographer, actor, and singer. He is often called the greatest dancer in Hollywood film history.
Astaire's career in stage, film, and tele ...
and the world of
haute couture
''Haute couture'' (; ; French for 'high sewing', 'high dressmaking') is the creation of exclusive custom-fitted high-end fashion design that is constructed by hand from start-to-finish. Beginning in the mid-nineteenth century, Paris became th ...
to develop a unique style of dance and movement.
He caught the attention of ''Paris Is Burning'' director
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 ...
, who featured Ninja prominently in the film. The film, both a critical and box office success, served as a springboard for Ninja. He parlayed his appearance into performances with a number of dance troupes and choreography gigs.
In 1989, Ninja starred in the music video for
Malcolm McLaren
Malcolm Robert Andrew McLaren (22 January 1946 – 8 April 2010) was an English impresario, visual artist, singer, songwriter, musician, clothes designer and boutique owner, notable for combining these activities in an inventive and provoc ...
's song "
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 ...
," which sampled the then-unfinished movie and brought Ninja's style to the mainstream. One year after this,
Madonna
Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...
released her number one song "
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'', ...
," bringing further attention to the dancing style.
Early life
Born at
Long Island Jewish Medical Center
Long Island Jewish Medical Center (LIJMC or LIJ) is a clinical and academic hospital within the Northwell Health system. It is a 807-bed, non-profit tertiary care teaching hospital serving the greater New York metropolitan area. The campus is e ...
in
New Hyde Park, New York
New Hyde Park is a village (New York), village in the Towns of Hempstead, New York, Hempstead and North Hempstead, New York, North Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York (state), New York, United States. ...
, Willi was a self-taught dancer and was perfecting his voguing style by his twenties. Willi was born to a black mother and was of mixed racial ancestry, claiming to have Irish, Cherokee, and Asian ancestors. It was from fellow voguers in
Washington Square Park
Washington Square Park is a public park in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Lower Manhattan, New York City. One of the best known of New York City's public parks, it is an icon as well as a meeting place and center for cultural activity. ...
that Jennie Livingston first heard his name. While he did not create the form, he worked at refining it with clean, sharp movements to "an amazing level". His influences included
Kemetic hieroglyphics, young Michael Jackson, Fred Astaire,
Olympic
Olympic or Olympics may refer to
Sports
Competitions
* Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896
** Summer Olympic Games
** Winter Olympic Games
* Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...
gymnasts, and Asian culture.
Career
He participated in Harlem's drag balls with 'children' from his House of Ninja. Like other ball houses, HoN was a combination of extended social family and dance troupe, with Ninja as its Mother. He taught his children late into the night on the old Christopher Street pier and at the underground clubs.
Ninja was a featured dancer in many music videos including
Malcolm McLaren
Malcolm Robert Andrew McLaren (22 January 1946 – 8 April 2010) was an English impresario, visual artist, singer, songwriter, musician, clothes designer and boutique owner, notable for combining these activities in an inventive and provoc ...
's "
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 ...
" and "I Can't Get No Sleep" by
Masters At Work
Masters at Work is the American garage house production and remix team of "Little" Louie Vega and Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez. The duo has produced music together under the names MAW, KenLou, Sole Fusion, Hardrive, and Nuyorican Soul. They have been r ...
featuring
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. In 1994, he released his single "Hot" (another Masters At Work production) on
Nervous Records
Nervous Records is a UK rockabilly music independent record label. It was formed in 1979 by Roy Williams, a DJ on the UK rock'n'roll scene. Nervous Records is credited by many as the leading record label behind the emergence of the British neo ...
. Ninja's later career included runway modeling for
Jean-Paul Gaultier
Jean Paul Gaultier (; born 24 April 1952) is a French haute couture and Ready-to-wear, 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 inc ...
, performing with dance companies under
Karole Armitage
Karole Armitage (born March 3, 1954) is an American dancer and choreographer currently based in New York City. She is artistic director of Armitage Gone! Dance, a contemporary dance company that performs several times annually in New York City as ...
, and providing instruction to
Paris Hilton
Paris Whitney Hilton (born February 17, 1981) is an American media personality, businesswoman, socialite, model, and entertainer. Born in New York City, and raised there and in Beverly Hills, California, she is a great-granddaughter of Conra ...
on perfecting her walk. He opened a modeling agency, Elements of Ninja, in 2004, and made an appearance on ''
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. The nightly hour-long show debuted on January 26, 2003, at Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywood, Los ...
''. Ninja was also prominently featured in the 1990 documentary ''
Paris is Burning Paris Is Burning may refer to:
* ''Paris Is Burning'' (film), a 1990 documentary film
* "Paris Is Burning" (''Gilmore Girls''), the eleventh episode of ''Gilmore Girls first season
* "Paris Is Burning", a song from the 1983 album '' Breaking the Ch ...
'' and the 2006 documentary release ''
How Do I Look
''How Do I Look'' is a 2006 American 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 circuit in the m ...
'' directed by
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 ...
.
Ninja also danced in two of
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreog ...
's videos from her album ''Rhythm Nation 1814,'' one of which was "
Alright
Alright, All Right or Allwright may refer to:
Music Albums
* ''Alright!'' (album), a 2007 album by Bogdan Raczynski
* ''Alright'', a 2011 album by Jerry Williams
* ''All Right'', a 1982 album by Himiko Kikuchi
Songs
* "Alright" (Cast song)
* ...
," whose remix featured late rap star Heavy D and cameo appearances by Cab Calloway, Cyd Charisse, and The Nicholas Brothers. He also was featured in "
Escapade."
Ninja worked hard to care for his mother, Esther Leake, who had
Parkinson's
Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...
and used a wheelchair. Her trips with Ninja to the ballet and the Apollo were inspiration for his later endeavors in dance.
House of Ninja
![Willi Ninga NYC](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f6/Willi_Ninga_NYC.jpg)
Willi Ninja started the House of Ninja in 1982 with Sandy Apollonia Ninja, despite not having been part of a house previously or winning three grand prizes, which was generally seen as a requirement to start a house. The name Ninja came from the house's Asian and martial arts influences coupled with the fact that people in the ballroom scene did not know who they were and they "seemed to come out of nowhere."
[3] The House of Ninja had a reputation for being multiracial; except the Latino House of Xtravaganza, most houses at the time were African-American.
The House of Ninja notably included white men in their competitions. The house closed in 1989 and reopened for a second time in 1991 and reopened a third time by 2003. The House of Ninja currently has over 220 members worldwide. The oldest living Ninja is Archie Burnett Ninja.
In Film
Ninja has starred in a handful of films and television series. On August 8, 1991, he was a guest on ''
The Joan Rivers Show
''The Joan Rivers Show'' is an American talk show hosted by comedian Joan Rivers that premiered on September 5, 1989, in broadcast syndication. The show aired for five seasons, and ended in December 1993. The show was nominated for numerous Emmy A ...
'' alongside some of his ''Paris Is Burning'' cast members such as
Dorian Corey
Dorian Corey (June 6, 1937 – August 29, 1993) was an American drag performer and fashion designer. She appeared in ''Wigstock'' and was featured in Jennie Livingston's 1990 documentary '' Paris Is Burning''.
Early life and education
C ...
and
Pepper LaBeija
Pepper LaBeija (November 5, 1948 – May 14, 2003) was an American drag queen and fashion designer. LaBeija was known as "the last remaining queen of the Harlem drag balls".
Early life and career
LaBeija was born in The Bronx. While LaBeija i ...
.
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 ...
also starred. In the episode, the cast talked about the docufilm and encouraged audience members to "walk" as if a participant at a
Drag Ball
Gay balls, cross-dressing balls or drag balls, depending on the place, time, and type, were public or private balls, celebrated mainly in the first third of the twentieth century, where cross-dressing and ballroom dancing with same sex partners was ...
. In the same year, Ninja starred in the
Marlon Riggs
Marlon Troy Riggs (February 3, 1957 – April 5, 1994) was a Black gay filmmaker, educator, poet, and activist. He produced, wrote, and directed several documentary films, including ''Ethnic Notions'', '' Tongues Untied'', ''Color Adjustment'', ...
9-minute short ''
Anthem
An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to short ...
'' as a dancer.
Death
Ninja died of
AIDS
Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...
-related heart failure in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
on September 2, 2006 at age 45. Since his death, he has continued to inspire many artists and music DJs.
Ninja is a central figure in LGBTQ studies, gender studies, and performance studies for his nonconforming and transgressive gender expression as an artist. His presence is articulated in the book ''Black Sexualities'' by
Juan Battle
Juan Jose Battle is an academic, author, activist, and feminist. He is currently Presidential Professor of sociology, public health, and urban education at The Graduate Center of the City University of New York. He also serves as the Coordinato ...
and Sandra L. Barnes as one example.
See also
*
LGBT culture in New York City
New York City is home to one of the largest LGBTQ populations in the world and the most prominent. Brian Silverman, the author of ''Frommer's New York City from $90 a Day,'' wrote the city has "one of the world's largest, loudest, and most power ...
*
List of LGBT people from New York City
New York City is home to one of the largest LGBT populations in the world and the most prominent. Brian Silverman, the author of ''Frommer's New York City from $90 a Day,'' writes that the city has "one of the world's largest, loudest, and most ...
References
External links
*
*
''Village Voice'' Eulogy''Life'' Magazine Retrospective
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ninja, Willi
1961 births
2006 deaths
African-American male dancers
American male dancers
African-American choreographers
American choreographers
LGBT African Americans
People from Middletown, Orange County, New York
Nightlife in New York City
AIDS-related deaths in New York (state)
House of Ninja
LGBT people from New York (state)
20th-century American dancers
20th-century African-American people
21st-century African-American people
20th-century LGBT people