Willi Ninja
Chantal Regnault
William Roscoe Leake aka Willi Ninja was born on April 12th, 1961.
He played a crucial role in popularizing voguing and is regarded as the Godfather of Voguing.
His distinctive voguing style was inspired by everything ranging from Egyptian hieroglyphics, Fred Astaire, Olympic gymnasts, to of course, the way models posed during photoshoots.
In 1982, he started the House of Ninja.
As a house mother, he took his role seriously, working to talk about HIV/AIDS prevention and reduce the stigmas around the disease in the ballroom community.
In 1989 he was featured with Lourdes Maria Morales on Malcolm McLarren and Bootzilla Orchestra’s, “Deep In Vogue” and made a cameo dancing in the music video.
This collaboration led him to work with designers like Chanel, Carl Lagerfeld, Jean Paul Gaultier, Thierry Mugler as a model and runway coach for models like Naomi Campbell, Tyra Banks, Christy Turlington, and Iman.
John Simone
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He danced in the music videos for Janet Jackson’s songs “Escapade,” and “Alright” in 1990.
In 1990 he was also prominently featured in the Paris Is Burning documentary, cementing him as an in-demand choreographer.
He made a cameo in the 1991 Marlon Riggs short film, Anthem.
In 2003, he was diagnosed with HIV.
He opened his own modeling agency in 2004, Elements of Ninja.
He can be seen in the 2006 documentary, How Do I Look.
Willi Ninja died on September 2nd, 2006 from AIDS-related complications. He was 45 years old.