The House of Aviance (

acronym An acronym is a type of abbreviation consisting of a phrase whose only pronounced elements are the initial letters or initial sounds of words inside that phrase. Acronyms are often spelled with the initial Letter (alphabet), letter of each wor ...

: HOA) is one of the ''" legendary/iconic"'' and major

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 ** ' ...

- ball houses in the United States, with its base in New York City. It was founded in Washington, D.C., in 1989 by voguer/dancer, record label owner (CEO/ A&R), nightclub host, music artist and secretary Mother Juan Aviance—one of the

nightlife Nightlife is a collective term for entertainment that is available and generally more popular from the late evening into the early hours of the morning. It includes pubs, bars, nightclubs, parties, live music, concerts, cabarets, theatre, ...

personalities of New York City.''"Mother Juan Aviance Bio and House of Aviance History"'' nthe official website of The House of Avianc

/ref>Thotyssey : ''"On Point With: Mother Juan Aviance"'' (June 21st, 2017) Since its founding, the House has played an integral part in U.S. and world

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 ...

, especially U.S. nightlife. The House of Aviance is one of the longest continuously active Houses to have emerged from the ball scene and is sometimes referred to as "a working house" with membership from all walks of life, sexualities and genders. Its membership include dancers, musicians, DJs,

drag queen A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses Drag (entertainment), drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate Femininity, female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have ...

s, performing artists, visual artists, singers, songwriters,

music producers A record producer or music producer is a music creating project's overall supervisor whose responsibilities can involve a range of creative and technical leadership roles. Typically the job involves hands-on oversight of recording sessions; ensu ...

and engineers.

Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers ...

: ''"After Dark: Erickatoure Aviance, Artist And Nightlife Personality"'' by James Michael Nichols (August /24, 2014, updated February 02, 2016

/ref> The Legendary House of Aviance is especially known for its voguers, performances, Runway (fashion), runways, fashion, music, music producers and DJs. Its membership as of 2014 is just over 700 worldwide. Most of its members are or have been part of nightlife in one way or another. The House has for a long time stopped competing (''walking'') in the ball scene, and as such, "is not exactly like the voguing houses of

Jennie Livingston Jennie Livingston (born February 24, 1962) is an American director best known for the 1990 documentary '' Paris Is Burning''. Biography Early life and education Livingston was born in Dallas, Texas and grew up in Los Angeles, where her family ...

's film ''Paris Is Burning'', since it does not compete. The House of Aviance is something of a

queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are non-heterosexual or non- cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against LGBTQ people in the late 19th century. From the late 1980s, queer activists began to ...

kinship network in which members serve as extended, pretended, and—some would argue—improved family that supports and enables its members."

History

The House of Aviance was founded in August 1989 by Mother Juan Aviance. The House began in Washington, D.C., on 1420 Harvard Street before it was moved in 1993 to New York City by Mother Juan. Since its move, New York has become its base, but it still plays an active role in New York and Washington, D.C.'s nightlife as well as other cities in the U.S. Since its inception, it has become one of the major Houses in New York's

ballroom A ballroom or ballhall is a large room inside a building, the primary purpose of which is holding large formal parties called ''balls''. Traditionally, most balls were held in private residences; many mansions and palaces, especially histori ...

and

voguing Vogue, or voguing, is a highly stylized, modern house dance originating in the late 1980s that evolved out of the Harlem ballroom scene of the 1960s. It is inspired by the poses of models in fashion magazines. It gained mainstream exposure whe ...

scene having won many trophies and cash prizes for their performances in ball competitions before the House ultimately stopped ''walking balls'' altogether.Thump : ''"We Asked Two Quintessential NYC Queer DJs About the Art of the All-Night Set"'' by Steve Weinstein (November 20, 2015

/ref> Previously, The House of Aviance was called ''The House of Power''. That remained the name for few weeks during its inception until Mother Juan decided to change it to ''The House of Aviance''. According to Mother Juan, he was glancing at a vendor's cart on the streets of DC. The vendor was selling perfumes. As Mother Juan glanced at the cart, he remembered a commercial from his childhood days by

Prince Matchabelli Prince Matchabelli is a perfume line, first designed by Prince Georges V. Matchabelli who was an amateur chemist. Matchabelli was born in Georgia within the Russian Empire but when the Czarists fell Georgia seceded. From 1918 until 1921 Georgia wa ...

. That commercial contained a tune with the

lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a "libretto" and their writer, ...

: "We're going to have an Aviance Night." In an

epiphany Epiphany may refer to: Psychology * Epiphany (feeling), an experience of sudden and striking insight Religion * Epiphany (holiday), a Christian holiday celebrating the revelation of God the Son as a human being in Jesus Christ ** Epiphany seaso ...

, Mother Juan decided to rename the House to ''The House of Aviance''. Since then, the name of the House has remained the same. To commemorate their second anniversary, The House of Aviance threw its first ball on Sunday, August 11, 1991, titled ''"The Inferno Ball at Tracks DC"''. Most of the notable New York and DC houses walked that night, including Aviance members. Some of the judges that night included the ''icons''

Dorian Corey Dorian Corey (June 6, 1937 – August 29, 1993) was an American drag performer and fashion designer. She appeared in ''Wigstock'' and was featured in Jennie Livingston's 1990 documentary '' Paris Is Burning''. Early life and education ...

and

Pepper LaBeija Pepper LaBeija (November 5, 1948 – May 14, 2003) was an American drag queen and fashion designer. She was known as "the last remaining queen of the Harlem drag balls". Early life and career Born in the Bronx in 1948, Pepper LaBeija first arr ...

, both featured in the acclaimed ''Paris Is Burning'' film a year earlier. Since its founding, Mother Juan Aviance has remained the "House Mother", and Daddy Tony Aviance the "House Father". As of 2017, they are two of the longest serving and continuously active ''house parents'' in ballroom house history. The House of Aviance's first DJ was Jean-Philippe Aviance who went on to produce ''Go Bitch Go! – "Work This Pussy"'' (Original Bitch Mix) in 1991, ''Useless, Give Me Luv – Alcatraz'' and several other tracks.

Influences

Voguing

The Aviance style of voguing is referred to as "Aviance Storytelling". It is based on graceful, sharp and elegant lines with great fluidity and a high degree of experimentation and individuality.John Aviance bio nThe House of Aviance official websit

Fluidity is key in Aviance Storytelling. The style is narrative in structure and form, punctuated by an "A" or heart-like Motif (narrative), motif in certain phrases symbolizing the name of the House or the House's logo (''The Sacred Heart of Aviance'').

Music

The House of Aviance through its multi-genre record label ( Aviance Records, LLC) has over the years produced house tracks like ''Avi'ously Aviance'' produced by David Ohana Aviance and featuring EJ Aviance,

Kevin Aviance Kevin Aviance (born Eric Snead on June 22, 1968) is an American drag queen, club/dance musician, fashion designer, and nightclub personality. He is a personality in New York City's gay scene and has performed throughout North America, Europe and ...

, Perry Aviance and Mother Juan Aviance; ''OVAH'' by Erickatoure Aviance; ''I Am Art'' by EJ Aviance; and the soulful track ''They Don't See''—a collaboration between producer/remixer Call Me Cleve (Cleveland Allen) and vocalist Zhana Roiya.''"Untucked- 'I Am Art' EJ Aviance"'' nDavid Atlanta (March 11, 201

One of the most highly acclaimed musicians to have emerged from The House of Aviance is Kevin Aviance with House anthems like ''Alive'', ''Cunty (The Feeling)'', ''Gimme More (Aviance)'', and ''Din Da Da''. The House of Aviance's first DJ Jean-Philippe Aviance's 1991 track ''Go Bitch Go! – "Work This Pussy"'' (Original Bitch Mix) has been covered and released numerous times by some highly acclaimed DJs such as Armand Van Helden in his 2014 ''Masterpiece''.

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she has sold over 150 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists. Cultural impact of Brit ...

' 2013 track ''

Work Bitch "Work Bitch" ( edited for radio as "Work Work") is a song by American singer Britney Spears released as the lead single for her eighth studio album, ''Britney Jean'' (2013). It was written by Spears, will.i.am, Otto Knows, Sebastian Ingrosso, ...

'' from her ''

Britney Jean ''Britney Jean'' is the eighth studio album by American singer Britney Spears. It was released on November 29, 2013, by RCA Records. The album is Spears's second eponymous record after ''Britney (album), Britney'' (2001), though the album's name ...

'' album is reported by

critics A critic is a person who communicates an assessment and an opinion of various forms of creative works such as art, literature, music, cinema, theater, fashion, architecture, and food. Critics may also take as their subject social or governme ...

like Barry Walters as a recreation of "the

vogueing Vogue, or voguing, is a highly stylized, modern house dance originating in the late 1980s that evolved out of the Harlem ballroom scene of the 1960s. It is inspired by the poses of models in fashion magazines. It gained mainstream exposure when ...

vibe of gay/trans bitch tracks like Go Bitch Go's "(Work This) Pussy" o Bitch Go! – "Work This Pussy"originally produced by Jean-Philippe Aviance in 1991. According to critic Christina Lee, Britney's ''Work Bitch'' track sounds more like

RuPaul RuPaul Andre Charles (born November 17, 1960) is an American drag queen, television host, singer, producer, writer, and actor. He produces, hosts, and judges the reality competition series ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' and has received List of awards ...

's 1993 track ''

Supermodel (You Better Work) "Supermodel (You Better Work)" is a song by American dance music singer and drag queen RuPaul. It was released as a double A-sided single alongside " House of Love" on November 17, 1992 by Tommy Boy Records. The song served as the lead single fr ...

''. In 2009, DJs Chris Cox and Yiannis Mistress remixed Jean-Phillippe Aviance's ''"Giv Me Luv"'' track starring Dihann Moore. DJ/Producer David Ohana is a member of the House as well as business partner in Aviance Records. In 2017,

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backing ...

Prince Airick pays tribute to the House of Aviance in his single ''Act Up'', and in 2022, the African American artist

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...

pays homage to some of the legendary ballroom houses and can be heard chanting the name of the House of Aviance in her track ''Break My Soul (The Queens Remix)'' featuring Madonna — from her

Renaissance era The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

. In the same album, she officially credits the House of Aviance's "oldest daughter" Kevin Aviance on her ''Pure/Honey'' track whose vocals and 1996 track ''Cunty (The Feeling)'' were sampled in the intro to Beyoncé's new track. This track is "dedicated to 'pioneers who originate culture,' specifically queer Black artists."

Fashion

"The Aviance look" is generally referred to as ''Avi'ously Aviance''. The style is flamboyant, big and glamorous.

Coined phrases

The House of Aviance is also known in the ballroom scene for their coined phrases which in essence describes their "look" (the Aviance look) in reference to their sense of fashion, their voguing style and performance. Some of these coined phrases include: *''"Avi'ously Aviance"'' : This is in reference to their sense of fashion – big, glamorous and flamboyant. The debut track released by Aviance Records is titled ''Avi'ously Aviance''.''Avi'ously Aviance'' by David Ohana Aviance, feat. EJ Aviance, Kevin Aviance, Perry Aviance & Mother Juan Aviance (2014) on Itune

/ref> *''"Aviance Storytelling"'' : This is in reference to their voguing style – elegant, graceful, sharp, fluid, narrative in structure and form, and punctuated by an "A" or

heart The heart is a muscular Organ (biology), organ found in humans and other animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels. The heart and blood vessels together make the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrie ...

-like shaped Motif (narrative), motif in certain phrases, symbolizing ''Aviance'' or their House logo (''"The Sacred Heart of Aviance"''). *''"Work. Fierce. Over. Aviance!"'' : This is the coined phrase and trademark of The House of Aviance's oldest daughter

. It is in reference to their

runway In aviation, a runway is an elongated, rectangular surface designed for the landing and takeoff of an aircraft. Runways may be a human-made surface (often asphalt concrete, asphalt, concrete, or a mixture of both) or a natural surface (sod, ...

. *''"Avi'Who? Avi'What? It's Aviance darling!"'' (other variation: ''"Avi'What? Avi'Where? Isn't it Avi'ous darling!"'') : This is in reference to their music and the "fierceness" of the House in general. This chant can be heard on the first track released by Aviance Records titled ''Avi'ously Aviance''.Papa Joe Aviance bio nThe House of Aviance official websit

Withdrawal from ball competitions

Despite winning numerous trophies and cash prizes for their performances in ballroom competitions over the years, the House suddenly stopped walking. According to Mother Juan, he decided to stop his House kids from walking balls because of "Ballroom politics", unfair judging and the negative atmosphere of the ballroom, such as verbal abuse, intimidation and humiliation especially where kids "make one wrong move on the runway."

Current role

The House is still an active "working house" with over 700 members worldwide and regularly hold events/performances. Members still work or perform in their respective fields with support and guidance from house parents Mother Juan and Daddy Tony, as well as other family members. The House's oldest daughter,

, made special appearances in

Wolfgang Busch Wolfgang Busch is a documentary filmmaker, director, producer, cinematographer, and editor. He directed and produced the 2006 documentary '' How Do I Look'' about the Harlem ballroom scene. He is the founder of Art from the Heart Films, which pr ...

's 2006 documentary ''

How Do I Look ''How Do I Look'' is a 2006 American documentary film, documentary directed by Wolfgang Busch. The film chronicles ball culture in Harlem and Philadelphia over a ten-year period. Overview Wolfgang Busch began interviewing subjects from the bal ...

''. The documentary was a chronicle of the

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 ...

. With the HIV and AIDS epidemic affecting the ballroom scene for decades, The House of Aviance is no exception, and the House and its membership has for years taken active roles in HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention as well as throwing charity events to support organisations like the

GMHC The GMHC (formerly Gay Men's Health Crisis) is a New York City–based Nonprofit organization, non-profit, volunteer-supported and community-based AIDS service organization whose mission statement is to "end the AIDS epidemic and uplift the lives ...

Some notable members

* Mother Juan Aviance – founder of HOA, ''House Mother'', entrepreneur and voguer (U.S.) *Daddy Tony Aviance – ''House Father'' *

– nightlife personality, drag artist and musician (U.S.) * Erickatoure Aviance – artist and nightlife personality (U.S.)

NBC New York WNBC (channel 4) is a television station in New York City that serves as the flagship of the NBC network. It is owned and operated by the network's NBC Owned Television Stations division alongside Linden, New Jersey–licensed Telemundo stati ...

: ''"Drag Queen Erickatoure Aviance: Nightlife Has "Changed Drastically"'' by Mawuse Ziegbe (April 15, 2010

/ref> * Jean-Philippe Aviance – DJ and music producer (U.S.) *

Tamsier Joof Aviance Tamsier Joof Aviance or Tamsier Aviance (né Tamsier Joof; born 17 May 1973,"Senegambian taking the dance world by storm", ''West Africa'', 5 June 1995, p. 4.''The Comet'' newspaper (Stevenage) interview : "This is it", 23 August 2001, p. 21. ...

– dancer/voguer, choreographer, radio personality and entrepreneur * Nita Aviance – former dancer turned DJ and a member of Carry Nation * Kim Aviance – performance and visual artist * Gehno Aviance – dancer/voguer, artist, movie and music producer, web designer, and DJ

References

External links

*The House of Aviance official websit

*The House of Aviance and Aviance Record's official blo

*Mother Juan Aviance's official YouTube Channel capturing HOA's performances and events over the year

*Aviance Records, LLC official websit

*Aviance Records, LLC official YouTube Channe

{{DEFAULTSORT:House of Aviance House of Aviance, Nightlife in New York City LGBTQ African-American culture LGBTQ culture in New York City LGBTQ culture in Washington, D.C. 1989 establishments in Washington, D.C.