Strike a Pose
{{short description|2016 film by Ester Gould, Reijer Zwaan}}
{{other uses|Strike a pose (disambiguation)}}
{{pp-semi-indef|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2018}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Strike a Pose
| image = Strike a Pose poster.jpg
| caption = Film poster
| native_name =
| director = Ester Gould
Reijer Zwaan
| producer =
| writer =
| starring =
| music =
| cinematography =
| editing =
| distributor = CTM Docs
| released = {{Film date|df=yes|2016|2|15|Berlin}}
| runtime = 83 minutes
| country = Belgium
Netherlands
| language = English
| budget =
}}
Strike a Pose is a Belgian-Dutch documentary film, which premiered in the Panorama section of the 2016 Berlinale. Directed by Ester Gould and Reijer Zwaan, the film profiles the dancers who performed with Madonna on her Blond Ambition World Tour in 1990.[http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/madonnas-blonde-ambition-dancers-tell-their-own-stories-in-new-documentary-strike-a-pose-20160121 "Madonna's 'Blonde Ambition' Dancers Tell Their Own Stories in New Documentary 'Strike a Pose'"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160507202252/http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/madonnas-blonde-ambition-dancers-tell-their-own-stories-in-new-documentary-strike-a-pose-20160121 |date=May 7, 2016}}. Indiewire, 21 January 2016.{{cite web|url=http://www.laweekly.com/music/strike-a-pose-documentary-puts-madonnas-blond-ambition-tour-dancers-in-the-spotlight-8102688|title=Strike a Pose Tells the Amazing Story of Madonna's Blond Ambition Tour Dancers|first=Michael|last=Cooper|date=6 April 2017}}{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/17/movies/strike-a-pose-review-madonna.html|title=Review: Madonna Said 'Strike a Pose,' and It Was Life-Altering|newspaper=The New York Times |date=January 17, 2017 |last=Kenny |first=Glenn }}{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/strike-pose-documentary-spotlights-dancers-who-taught-madonna-vogue-n743461|title=Strike a pose: These dancers taught Madonna how to vogue|website=NBC News |date=6 April 2017 }}
Story
The film follows the dancers during the 25 years since the tour. Some went on to act in film, TV and stage, and all of them kept dance in their lives. Some had to deal with AIDS, drug use and homelessness. The six who appear in the film are Kevin Stea, Carlton Wilborn, Luis Xtravaganza Camacho, Jose Gutierez Xtravaganza, Salim Gauwloos and Oliver S Crumes III. One of the original seven, Gabriel Trupin, died from complications due to AIDS in 1995 and is represented in the film by his mother, Sue Trupin.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/7693421/strike-a-pose-doc-revisiting-madonnas-truth-or-dare-dancers-sets-premiere-date|title='Strike A Pose' Doc, Revisiting Madonna's 'Truth Or Dare' Dancers, Sets Premiere Date on Logo|magazine=Billboard }}{{cite web|url=http://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/34574/1/madonna-blond-ambition-voguing-dancers-strike-a-pose|title=Reuniting Madonna's iconic voguing gang of 1990|last=Dazed|date=3 February 2017}}{{cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/tv/ct-madonna-dancer-chicago-strike-pose-ent-0405-20170404-column.html|title='Strike a Pose' catches up with Madonna's 'Blond Ambition' dancers|first=Nina|last=Metz|website=Chicago Tribune |date=4 April 2017 }}
Strike a Pose includes information about dancers Gabriel Trupin, Salim “ Slam” Gauwloos and Carlton Wilborn's positive HIV status, and why they decided not to share information about their status, even with each other, during the Blond Ambition tour.{{Cite web |last=Straube |first=Trent |date=2016-05-19 |title=How Madonna Dancer Carlton Wilborn Broke Free of HIV Shame |url=https://www.poz.com/blog/madonna-dancer-carlton-wilborn-broke-free-hiv-shame |access-date=2024-01-21 |website=POZ}}
Production
The film was partially financed by the International Documentary Film Festival Forum Award, Amsterdam, and was produced by CTM Docs and The Other Room in coproduction with Serendipity Films and NTR.{{cite web |url=https://www.berlinale.de/en/presse/pressemitteilungen/panorama/pan-presse-detail_32852.html |title=Panorama - Berlinale 2016: The Panorama Audience Awards go to Junction 48 and Who's Gonna Love Me Now? |website=Berlinale.de |date=20 February 2016 |access-date=10 March 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160222235159/http://www.berlinale.de/en/presse/pressemitteilungen/panorama/pan-presse-detail_32852.html |archive-date=22 February 2016 |df=dmy-all }} The film premiered at the 2016 Berlin International Film Festival where it received the second place Panorama audience award for a documentary.{{cite web|last=Tartaglione |first=Nancy |url=https://deadline.com/2016/02/berlin-film-festival-2016-winners-full-list-1201706424/ |title=Berlin Film Fest Winners: Refugee Doc 'Fire At Sea' Takes Golden Bear |publisher=Deadline |date=20 February 2016 |access-date=10 March 2016}}{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/feb/02/strike-a-pose-review-documentary-madonna-dancers-gay-liberation|title=Strike a Pose review – excitable reunion of Madonna's dancers|first=Peter|last=Bradshaw|date=2 February 2017|website=The Guardian}}{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/apr/17/strike-a-pose-film-review-madonna-dancers|title=Strike a Pose review – Madonna's dancers vogue back in anger|first=Alex|last=Needham|date=17 April 2016|website=The Guardian}}
Gauwloos shared his HIV-positive status publicly for the first time during filming for Strike a Pose.{{cite web|last=Straube |first=Trent |date=April 14, 2016|title=Madonna's Blond Ambition Dancer "Slam" Is Ready to Talk About His HIV—Just Don't Ask Him to Vogue |url=https://www.poz.com/blog/madonnas-blond-ambition-dancer-slam-ready-talk-hivjust-ask-vogue |access-date=January 21, 2024}}
Gould said in an interview{{cite web |last=P |first=Matt |date=February 20, 2017|title=Strike A Pose (2016): An Interview With Co-Director Ester Gould |url=https://movingtheriver.com/2017/02/20/strike-a-pose-2016-an-interview-with-co-director-ester-gould/ |access-date=2024-01-21 |publisher=Movingtheriver}} that she specifically did not want Madonna to be a part of the film, because she might pull focus from the dancers' stories. "In a strange way, she was the elephant in the room, because even if she had turned up at the reunion dinner, wouldn’t that somehow ruin the point that these young dancers have moved on, matured and become grown men?" Gould said she was unsure if Madonna had seen the film or liked it.{{citation needed|date=January 2024}}
Reviews
Reviews of the documentary were mixed. The film has earned 96% on Rotten Tomatoes,{{Cite web |date=2017-01-18 |title=Strike a Pose {{!}} Rotten Tomatoes |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/strike_a_pose_2017 |access-date=2024-01-21 |publisher=Rotten Tomatoes}} and 59% on Metacritic{{cite web |title=Strike a Pose |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/strike-a-pose/ |access-date=January 21, 2024|publisher=Metacritic}}
For Variety, Denis Harvey wrote, “By the time we see them playing “truth or dare” anew over dinner, 'Strike a Pose' begins to feel like a rather flimsy, gimmicky exploitation rather than a thoughtful exploration of a shared, shining-moment-in-the-spotlight past.”{{cite web |last=Harvey |first=Dennis |date=April 16, 2016|title=Film Review: 'Strike a Pose' |url=https://variety.com/2016/film/reviews/strike-a-pose-film-review-1201754749/ |access-date=January 21, 2024|website=Variety}} For The Guardian, Peter Bradshaw wrote, “in emotionally effusive film, this – sometimes excitable and indulgent but watchable, and an interesting addition to a growing documentary genre focusing on New York City as the crucible of gay liberation politics.”{{cite news |last=Bradshaw |first=Peter |author-link=Peter Bradshaw|date=February 2, 2017|title=Strike a Pose review – excitable reunion of Madonna's dancers |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/feb/02/strike-a-pose-review-documentary-madonna-dancers-gay-liberation |access-date=January 21, 2024|work=The Guardian}}
Awards and nominations
- Best LGBT Film - Key West Film Festival
- Best Queer Film of the Year 2016 - Merlinka festival{{cite web|url=http://merlinka.com/awards|title=Awards}}
- Nominated for Golden Athena - Athens International Film Festival
- Nominated for Audience Award - Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival
- Nominated for Audience Award - Berlin International Film Festival
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.strikeaposefilm.com/the-dancers/ Official website]
- {{IMDb title|5477402}}
{{Madonna}}
{{Ball culture}}
Category:2016 documentary films
Category:2016 LGBTQ-related films
Category:2010s English-language films
Category:Belgian documentary films
Category:Belgian LGBTQ-related films
Category:Documentary films about dance
Category:Documentary films about LGBTQ culture
Category:Dutch documentary films
Category:Dutch LGBTQ-related films
Category:Cultural depictions of Madonna