Photo: Press
“Yes we have earrings and make-up but don’t mistake that for weakness”, says Luis with a daring gaze. He was one of the seven young, intimidating attractive, naturally engaging and flamboyant male dancers hand selected for Madonna’s most controversial tour in 1990, Blond Ambition.
“The tour was about freedom as a human being, freedom with regards to speaking the truth”, explains Carlton, relaying the euphoric atmosphere inside this constructed “family”. The irony of the liberty message was not lost on some "family" members harbouring secrets behind the scenes. The infamous Truth or Dare documentary (1991) propelled them into stardom of their own, rapidly defining them as progressive and inspirational role models for the gay community.
Built from archive footage, sneek-peaks into personal photograph collections, directors Gould and Zwaan unfurl this tail with delicacy. Their film elegantly details only moments of significance with nothing but heartwarming humour and embracing the witty in-between.
“As soon as the drugs became more important,” explains Jose, “they became less glamorous”. With the tour over, a lawsuit pending for “forced outing” and proliferation of AIDS; reality dealt unnecessarily harsh sentences for starlets. “It was terrifying enough to scare people into silence”, Kevin recalls - and it did. In the 1980s both Carlton and Salim tested positive, both “faking that you’re confident, faking that’s you’re strong, faking”, explains Carlton.
Standout cinematography flawlessly frames the bravery of it’s subjects set against the stripped back simplicity of a delicate light background, letting the beauty within each of the seven to radiate. Strike A Pose exudes an extraordinarily overwhelming sensation of privilege; to be allowed into these lives experienced by others and told with such unwitting heroism, is deeply joyous and at times, agonisingly affecting.
We should all heed Jose’s wisdom; “Be proud, everyone is someone".
We saw Strike A Pose at Sheffield Doc/Fest, the UK’s leading documentary film festival taking place across the city for six day in June annually. For more information, visit here.
