When asked to describe herself, Hazel searched the crevices of her mind for an answer and followed with the words – an ambitious and sociable perfectionist.
Hazel is a 25-year-old, digital arts student who has a huge passion for art. From O levels to A levels to MCAST and finally, University, art has always been a driving force for her. Besides her vibrant ability to express herself through drawing, painting, illustration, and animation, which she studies on a full-time basis through Digital Arts, the ultimate expression of her identity shines through when she’s performing, specifically voguing.
Voguing is a dance form where one really showcases who they are. Hazel says, “It makes me feel free, I really enjoy how sharp and precise the movements are, it can really make you feel like an assassin. Even the dip, when you’re falling right on your back, it still feels very strong.”
Voguing started out as a competitive dance battle of shade in the Underground LGBTQ+ Ball Culture that originated in New York City. The winner being the one who would throw the most shade through their movements. If you want to learn more about this culture check out Paris is Burning and Pose.
The name was taken from the magazine ‘Vogue’ because some of the movements of this dance resemble poses from the front covers of the infamous fashion magazine. The name is a statement in itself – highlighting the exuberant, self-defining confidence of the dance. It’s an elaborately alternate form of raw expression that beats your typical street fight. The dance takes from the hieroglyphics of ancient Egypt, some forms of gymnastic, and hip hop. Striving for perfect lines in the body, paired with awkward positions.
But here in Malta, Hazel discovered voguing on her own terms. She started out just by listening to ‘Vogue Music’ at around 15, around the same time she started hip hop classes. The ‘Ha’ and crashing sounds sampled from a film called, Trading Places give the music genre its defining factors which Hazel was utterly engulfed by, as she started experimenting with voguing’s elaborate movements through this discovery. Back then she listened to the music in solace, scared of sharing its magic with others out of fear of judgement but the more she grew the further against the grain she went. After coming out as gay back when she was 17, she really started to spread her wings – voguing publicly in Havana and 808 in the middle of a crowd, on her own and feeling the music, connecting with the audience, and revealing herself through voguing.
Hazel says, “I remember finding my own voice in those moments, and I just kept growing and evolving from that point onwards.” Following this awakening, she pursued a couple of Voguing workshops in Italy, where she mastered some of the voguing’s elements. That is where Hazel met Anna Ninja, a Swedish teacher that led some of the workshops who have now become her mentor, helping Hazel find herself by exploring what niche in voguing works for her. She is currently leaning towards Vogue Femme; defined by its fluidly exaggerated feminine movements and New Way Vogue; that incorporates rigid movements that portray the dancer’s dexterity and agility, allowing you to embrace the assassin within.
Voguing’s exuberance can give an individual such a powerful voice. It gave Hazel a pedestal to stand upon. The empowerment this dance gave her, unlocked her ability to embody a persona that would not have been present otherwise. The music’s rhythm and flow broadened her horizons, engaging with a whole new facet of her identity. It is an inexplicable feeling. Hazel told us, “It also allows me to express my femininity and I can truly embrace it through the dance.”
And even while she is voguing within a crow, she can feel like she is an independent someone. Hazel carried on saying, “It gave me that sense of voice that wasn’t there before. It created this sense of belonging even though I would be the only one doing it for the most part.”
The positive reactions and affirmations Hazel has received from crowds of people, through excited screams and shouts, feeds into her voguing’s energy and the freedom it gives her. “It reassures me that I’m doing something worthwhile. They’re hyping me up and it’s just making the performance so much better.”
She has not yet met anyone else who does voguing on the island, but has had several people come up to her, expressed their interest and asked her to show them how to vogue. And for this reason, Hazel aspires to carry this energy forth and teach other people Voguing’s infectious energy. Hazel believes that it is important that people learn what voguing is, and she feels like she carries some sort of responsibility to teach and give out what she has learnt. She has turned to Anna Ninja for help so that can simultaneously up her voguing skill and passes on the right information about all the dance has to offer.
Hazel’s journey of finding herself through such a niche and (almost) unheard of dance form has taught her ample about allowing oneself to grow in whichever direction they please, even if it means growing against the stereotypical grain. Her final words are as follows –
“You can’t let the influence of other people stop you, just embrace the moment and forget about everything else.” When Hazel instigates a crowd as they watch her dance, they start to let go. So, there’s kind of a ripple effect at play as she passes her energy forth to the crowd, which is what makes her such an excellent performer. She finds great joy in seeing that other people start to enjoy themselves more simply because she is expressing and enjoying herself.
Hazel advices us to try and not to think too much about what other people think, to focus on what we are feeling and try to be present in the moment. She concluded by saying, “If you want to move in a certain way just go for it, because I think it’s much more rewarding to the person when they listen to that calling within themselves.”