''Strike a Pose'' is a Belgian-Dutch documentary film, which premiered in the Panorama section of the

2016 Berlinale The 66th Berlin International Film Festival was held from 11 to 21 February 2016, with American actress Meryl Streep as the president of the jury. The Honorary Golden Bear for lifetime achievement was presented to German cinematographer Michael ...

. Directed by Ester Gould and Reijer Zwaan, the film profiles the dancers who performed with

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

on her

Blond Ambition World Tour The Blond Ambition World Tour (billed as Blond Ambition World Tour 90) was the third concert tour by American singer Madonna. It supported her fourth studio album '' Like a Prayer'' (1989), and the soundtrack album to the 1990 film ''Dick Tracy ...

in 1990."Madonna's 'Blonde Ambition' Dancers Tell Their Own Stories in New Documentary 'Strike a Pose'"
. '' Indiewire'', 21 January 2016.

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 The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

, drug use and homelessness. The six who appear in the film are

Kevin Stea Kevin Alexander Stea (born October 17, 1969) is an American dancer, choreographer, actor, singer, director and model. He has worked as a dancer and choreographer with a number of high-profile artists, including Madonna, Lady Gaga and Michael Jack ...

, 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. ''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.

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. The film premiered at the 2016

Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (), usually called the Berlinale (), is an annual film festival held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festival has been held every February since 1978 and is one of Europ ...

where it received the second place Panorama audience award for a documentary. Gauwloos shared his HIV-positive status publicly for the first time during filming for ''Strike a Pose''. Gould said in an interview 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.

Reviews

Reviews of the documentary were mixed. The film has earned 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, and 59% on 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.” For ''The Guardian,''

Peter Bradshaw Peter Nicholas Bradshaw (born 19 June 1962) is a British writer and film critic. He has been chief film critic at ''The Guardian'' since 1999, and is a contributing editor at ''Esquire'' magazine. Early life and education Bradshaw was educat ...

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.”

Awards and nominations

* Best LGBT Film - Key West Film Festival * Best Queer Film of the Year 2016 -

Merlinka festival The International Queer Film Festival Merlinka or Merlinka Festival is an annual LGBT-themed film festival which is annually organized in Belgrade (since 2009), Sarajevo (since 2013) and Podgorica (since 2014). The Belgrade edition is organized ...

* Nominated for Golden Athena - Athens International Film Festival * Nominated for Audience Award -

Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival The Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival is the largest documentary festival in North America. The event takes place annually in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The 27th edition of the festival took place online throughout May and Jun ...

* Nominated for Audience Award -

References

External links

Official website
* {{Ball culture 2016 documentary films 2016 LGBTQ-related films 2016 films 2010s English-language films Belgian documentary films Belgian LGBTQ-related films Documentary films about dance Documentary films about LGBTQ culture Dutch documentary films Dutch LGBTQ-related films Cultural depictions of Madonna 2010s Belgian films Works about ball culture English-language documentary films