Danni Xtravaganza (July 14, 1961 – January 9, 1996) (sometimes spelled Danny and/or Extravaganza) was a founding member of the House of Xtravaganza (est. 1982), the first primarily Latino house in the underground

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...

ball culture The Ballroom scene (also known as the Ballroom community, Ballroom culture, or just Ballroom) is an African-American and Latino underground LGBTQ+ subculture. The scene traces its origins to the drag balls of the mid-19th century United State ...

Biography

Born July 14, 1961, in

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

, Daniel Camacho was raised in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

by his mother until he left home at 16. Consistent with the tradition of ball culture, in 1982 Danni took the House name as his

surname In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several give ...

. As a teenager he studied

ballroom dancing Ballroom dance is a set of European partner dances, which are enjoyed both socially and competitively around the world, mostly because of its performance and entertainment aspects. Ballroom dancing is also widely enjoyed on stage, film, and te ...

, the foundation of the elegant

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** '' Vogue Adria'', a fashion magazine for former Yugoslav countries ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ' ...

dance style he performed on the ballroom runways. In ball culture where House members compete in various categories, Danni Xtravaganza was widely respected for his unique ability to compete in categories as diverse as Vogue (dance), Runway (modeling), Punk Rock (fashion), and Butch Queen in Drags (a man impersonating a woman). In 1990 Danni appeared in the popular Jennie Livingston documentary '' Paris Is Burning'' and recorded 'Love the Life You Live', produced by Freddy Bastone for Nu Groove records. A 'legendary' figure in the New York ball community, and a fixture in the famed discos and nightclubs of the period including

Paradise Garage Paradise Garage, also known as "the Garage" or the "Gay-rage", was a New York City discotheque notable in the history of dance and pop music, as well as LGBT and nightclub cultures. The club was founded by sole proprietor Michael Brody, and ...

, Tracks and

The Sound Factory The Sound Factory (also known as Sunset Sound Factory) is a recording studio in Los Angeles, California. The Sound Factory was built in the 1960s on Selma Avenue in Hollywood. At the time, it served as the home of Moonglow Records and the Moon ...

, Danni was appointed the Mother of the House of Xtravaganza by the original House Mother,

Angie Xtravaganza Angie Xtravaganza (October 17, 1964 – March 31, 1993) was a co-founder and Mother of the House of Xtravaganza. A prominent transgender performer in New York City, New York City's Ball culture, gay ball culture, Xtravanganza featured in the acc ...

, prior to her death in 1993. Danni led the House of Xtravaganza in that capacity until his death on January 9, 1996, in

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

, aged 34. He was cremated.

References

* Danni Xtravaganza (July 14, 1961 - Jan. 9, 1996); Paris is Burning, documentary 1990 Jenny Livingston * 'Flesh and Blood', Michael Cunningham, 1996, Simon + Schuster, Acknowledgement * 'Strictly Ballroom: After Decades in the Shadow of Vogue Dancing and Culture, Ballroom Beats Come to the Fore', Marke B, xlr8r.com * BlackBook Magazine; "My Experience at the 21st Annual Latex Ball", Steve Lewis, August 22, 2011 * Details; October, 1988, "Nations", ChiChi Valenti, photography by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders. pgs. 159-174 * Time; May 22, 1989, "They're Puttin' On the Vogue". pg. 103 * Michael Cunningham, 1995, Open City magazine, issue #6, "The Slap of Love" * The New York Observer; "Pater Is Burning! Rad Dads in Drag", Simon Doonan, June 16, 2003 * Vogue; "Economy Class", vol.178, Issue 12, December, 1988. pgs. 368-371 * Vanity Fair; "Fanfair: Striking Poses", Christa D'Souza, pg. 54 * "Voguing & the House Ballroom Scene of New York City 1989-92", pgs. 186–87, Chantal Regnault photographer, Soul Jazz Books, 2011 * "Voguing Music"' Tim Lawrence, "Voguing & the Ballroom Scene of New York City 1976 - 96", CD set insert, pg. 13' Soul Jazz Records, 2012

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Xtravaganza, Danni 1961 births 1996 deaths AIDS-related deaths in New York (state) Puerto Rican LGBTQ entertainers House of Xtravaganza 20th-century Puerto Rican LGBTQ people