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Madonna reveals hidden story behind iconic “Vogue” music clip

Madonna’s hit Vogue was the best-selling single of 1990, with more than 6 million copies flying off the shelves.

However, despite the songs success, it was the accompanying film clip that really made waves.

The film clip is shot in black and white, and the singer drew inspiration from “vogue” dancing, which is created from eccentric model poses from Vogue magazine.

The dance style at the time was little-known as it evolved from African-American drag queens of the Harlem ballroom scene in the early 1960’s.

The impact that the video had on the underground scene will be spoken about in the upcoming second season of Pose, with the show picking up at a time when Madonna’s video was released.

The FX drama details the history of drag ballroom culture that came to define New York. Co-creator Steven Canals said that season 2 would follow the reaction of drag culture making its way into mainstream pop culture. 

“If we’re looking at the history of ballroom and specifically that moment in time, what Madonna did was bring ballroom to the mainstream,” Canals told The Hollywood Reporter. “She introduced the world to this community who, up until that point in time, had been a subculture.”

In a sneak peek of the first episode of the second season, Vogue can be heard playing minutes into it.

Blanca (Mj Rodriguez) gives a speech to the house full of critics.

“Mark my words, Vogue will make us stars,” she says. “Madonna lives on the edge for what’s next, and what’s newer than an entire world undiscovered brimming to the rim with guts, gorgeousness and raw talent?”

American theatre performer Billy Porter, who stars in Pose, says that the industry still had to make strides before being accepted into society.

“Without us Madonna would be nothing, Beyoncé would be nothing, Lady Gaga would be nothing,” he said.

“The culture has been influenced by us since the beginning of time and now we get to reclaim that space.”

Photo credit: Madonna, Vogue

Tags:
music, dance styles, madonna, 1960s, vogue