Stretch those calves, Latroy Robinson tells us. By day, Robinson is a senior research assistant at OHSU. By night, he is TwoMoods—a performer in the local and national ballroom scene. “I get very left brain, right brain satisfaction from it," says Robinson. 

Sometimes Robinson goes right from work to the club. If the club stays open super late, sometimes he goes right from the club to work. Monday nights he teaches this class, Vogue Femme at Vitalidad Movement Arts Center (VMAC). “It really becomes about time management,” he says. 

The students are a mix of all levels: performers actively competing in local balls, experienced dancers interested in a new style, and those who've never taken a dance class in their lives. Robinson himself was once a student in the class. He started coming, after he moved to Portland to study biochemistry and molecular biology at Lewis and Clark, and after he'd been to  a few balls. Back then the Vogue Femme class was taught by the person who created it: Legendary Father Papi Ada—who now goes by Daniel Giron, as the House of Ada disbanded last fall. 

Robinson began assisting Giron, then teaching as a substitute, and eventually taking it over. He’s kept the class largely as Giron created it: Each month, Robinson cycles through vogueing's core elements: catwalk, handwork, duckwalk, floor, and spins and dips. Class begins with Robinson relating a little history of the movements and the ballroom scene—lessons which often continue throughout the 60-minute session. 

Today’s core element is catwalk. Robinson has us walk on our toes—it's a style inspired by walking in heels, and even performers who aren’t wearing heels still reference that in their moves.

Robinson illustrates how to adopt the S-curve posture that is the next element of the catwalk. 

Around the room, attendees try to copy him, with varying degrees of success: knees bent, shoulders low, chest up, ass out. 

Next: Take dainty steps forward. Next: Don’t forget to accentuate the side-to-side movements of the hips. 

Now: Do the same thing, to music. You'll find variation to vogue music, but there's a common "crash" or loud sound on the fourth beat. For now, Robinson just wants us to catwalk with the beat. 

The next week, when Robinson teaches us the element of handwork, the crash will become more important. That is because, when the crash comes, we will need to be "extra cunty." 

"This shit is hard to do!” Robinson adds, making the understatement of the century. “The gatekeeping of the style is built into the style."

Teaching the history of ballroom is critical, Robinson adds, later. It is better-known than it used to be—there’s the reality show Legendary and the drama series Pose in addition to the classic documentary Paris is Burning. But ballroom emerged out of trans and queer underground communities of color, and says Robinson, “It's important to know why you do what you do." 

For example: the S-curve that we’re all learning. "The elements were pioneered by trans women who had big titties and big asses," he says. After class, he explains further: "Walking around in heels, having tits and ass—it's not an easy load to carry—and you're also dancing and doing all of these things. It just gives you a small taste of what life was like for them and how hard they work. We're moving like this because this is a style made by them, for them."

"Once you start voguing, once you know the elements, it becomes like: What are you saying, and how are you saying it?” Robinson continues. “And if you don't have the history, you don't know how to use the words. You need to know who made them and why they were made."

"The really cool thing about this class is that it feels a little bit more accessible to the general public,” Robinson adds. “It's a great way for people interested in ballroom to find out more. Maybe a ball is intimidating."

Robinson, personally, was not intimidated at his first Portland ball. It was a Zodiac Kiki Ball at Portland Art Museum. He remembers getting a really good seat, and just watching it unfold. "What we have primarily in Portland is the kiki scene, which is really about community, family,” says Robinson. “A lot of times it gets people ready for mainstream.” 

At his second ball, Passa Flora, father of the House of Flora, was emceeing. At one point, they put out a general request to the crowd: someone get Passa a drink. Robinson got up and got them one. 

It was Robinson’s first interaction with the father of the house he would be a part of for over four years, and act as prince in for his last two. Currently, he's "007"—the term for a free agent. 

In 2022, Robinson joined the House of Ninja, after impressing the house's father while battling him in a hand performance competition at a ball in Denver. Joining a major house didn’t affect his kiki house status, Robinson says. His house status in Portland's kiki scene doesn't affect his mainstream status and vice versa. 

As an instructor, Robinson is kind, making suggestions to the general group instead of singling anyone out. He seems to look for when someone finally progresses with a move, and is quick to reinforce it with praise. 

In the third class we learn duckwalk and floor. I still can’t duckwalk to my satisfaction, but I love to try. Another student who says he’s never taken a dance class before is sprawling happily and confidently, as we learn about floorwork. He isn't sure if he is ready to start going to balls, but he thinks it is already helping his regular moves on the dancefloor in clubs. 

We have all learned one lesson the hard way: Listen when Robinson says to stretch, because catwalk will absolutely shred your calves. 

Related: Portland Is Burning

Vogue Femme is on Mondays at Vitalidad Movement Arts Center, 2648 E Burnside, 6:30 pm, $20, vmacpdx.com