Willie Ninja

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Willie Ninja (April 12, 1961 – September 2, 2006) was an American dancer and choreographer best known for his appearance in the documentary film Paris is Burning. Ninja, who was gay, was a fixture of ball culture at Harlem's drag balls who took inspiration from sources as far-flung as Fred Astaire and the world of haute couture to develop a unique style of dance and movement. He caught the attention of Paris is Burning director Jennie Livingston, who featured Ninja prominently in the film. The film, 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. His style served as an inspiration to Madonna, who immortalized it in her 1990 hit song and music video "Vogue." He also starred in the earlier music video for Malcolm McLaren's Deep In Vogue. He participated in Harlem's drag balls with "children" from his House of Ninja. Like other ball "houses", HoN was sort of a combination of extended social family and dance troupe with Ninja as its Mother. Willi was a featured dancer in many music videos including Malcolm McLaren's "Deep In Vogue" and "I Can't Get No Sleep" by Masters At Work featuring India. In 1994, he released his single "Hot" (another Masters At Work production) on Nervous Records. Willi's later career included runway modeling for Jean-Paul Gaultier, performing with dance companies under Karole Armitage, providing instruction to Paris Hilton on perfectin

top songs

albums

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Hot (Louie Vega & Josh Milan Remix)

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Hot (Murk Remix)

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Nervous: Evolutions of House Mixed by Tony Humphries

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Hot (Louie Vega's Why Because I'm Hot Mix)

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Nervous: The Second 50 Releases

Hot

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Hot (Expansions NYC Dub)

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Nervous Nitelife - House Classics Vol 2

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Nervous House 20

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Danny Tenaglia's Nervous Tracks

Nervous Records 30 Years

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Club Nervous - First Five Years of House Classics, Mixed by Tony Humphries

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