Bring it to the runway

Twysted Miyake-Mugler started voguing when he was just 16 years old. Thirteen years later he’s now one of the biggest names in Canada's vogue ballroom scene. For Twysted, voguing is about more than the art form, it’s about community. So in 2010, he co-founded the Toronto Kiki Ballroom Alliance where he teaches youth how to vogue in a safe environment. We partnered with Twysted and the Toronto Kiki Ballroom Alliance on a six-week series of youth vogue dancing workshops, FREE After Three: Kiki Lounge Wednesdays that closed with a fabulous Vogue Ball on February 20, 2019 in Walker Court.

We spoke to Twysted to find out more about what keeps him dancing, and why he thinks voguing is so important for youth.

AGO: You’ve been voguing for years. What keeps you dancing?

Twysted: It’s definitely the vogue ballroom community. It’s all about working in the local scene, which is still developing here, so it’s important to stay in it and keep building it up. We all come together because we love voguing, but what keeps us together is the community aspect. There’s a real camaraderie.

AGO: Why is programming like this so important for young people?

Twysted: Voguing is so much fun and it’s engaging. It’s amazing to see people trying it for the first time, especially LGBTQ youth. Voguing came from the LGBTQ community, so when we do it, we own it with our entire being. It’s also a place to find friends and support; especially if you’re into fashion, make-up or dancing. This is a place you can express yourself.

AGO: How can voguing help youth in their day-to-day lives?

Twysted: Voguing is all about confidence. When you’re performing you get used to channelling that attitude and that confidence. So when a moment comes in your life outside of performing when you need it, you can just summon it. You can’t take your trophy out every day, you can’t dip in the street, but you can have the attitude and confidence.

Check out all the voguing fun on our @agoyouth Instagram:

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