Luis Camacho (dancer)

Luis Camacho (also known as Luis Xtravaganza or Luis Extravaganza[1]) is a dancer, choreographer and recording artist. He is best known for his work with Madonna.

Early life

Luis Camacho was born in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. He has Puerto Rican parents.

Camacho trained in dance at the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School for Music and Art and the Performing Arts alongside fellow student Jose Gutierrez.[2][3] At night he was a performer in the New York ballroom and dance club scene,[4] leaving the House of Lamé to join the House of Xtravaganza.[3] Their signature house style was voguing, and Camacho and Gutierrez, who had also joined the House of Xtravaganza were frequent performers in the competitions. Camacho took the stage name Xtravaganza as a surname, as did his fellow club performers.

Collaboration with Madonna

In the late 1980s the singer Madonna was looking for talented dancers and was shown a home video of Camacho and Gutierrez voguing at Xtravaganza.[5] They auditioned for her[6] and she put them under contract to perform with her in support of her next album and tour - Blonde Ambition. The song and video, "Vogue" from the album I'm breathless, was inspired by the ballroom scene, and Camacho and Gutierrez choreographed their sections of the video, filmed by David Fincher. Their choreography was nominated for a 1990 MTV Video Music Award for Best Choreography in a Video. Camacho and Gutierrez appeared in the 1990 MTV Video Awards on stage with Madonna for her Marie Antoinette performance.[7] They appeared in a Rock the Vote public service announcement.[3] Camacho and Gutierrez were part of the Blonde Ambition tour, which performed across North America, Europe and Asia and they appeared in the documentary film Madonna: Truth or Dare (In bed with Madonna) (1991), which followed the worldwide tour.

After the Blonde Ambition tour concluded, Madonna continued to lend support to Camacho and Gutierrez, who performing under the name Jose and Luis, recorded an album, The Queen’s English. Madonna sang background vocals on this record, which was produced by Madonna's label, Maverick.[8][9] Two other songs, Do it to the rhythm and You want to touch me, appeared on the 1993 Sire Records sampler, New Faces.

Personal life

Camacho struggled with addiction for many years following the success of the Madonna period,[10] as he and many of the dancers from the tour transitioned into the next stage of their career and the death of many friends within the LGBTQ community due to AIDS related illnesses. He has been sober since 2004.[11]

Film and other work

Camacho performed in the films, The Birdcage (1996) and Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002) and continued to work as a dancer and choreographer. He has worked with Tony Bennett, Lisa Lisa and the Cult Jam and Aretha Franklin.

He has choreographed casino shows including Carnival Cabaret for the Horizon Casino and Resort in Lake Tahoe, California.[12]

Camacho reunited with the male dancers of the Blonde Ambition tour in the documentary film, Strike a Pose (2016) which chronicled their time working with Madonna and subsequent careers.[13][14] He and Jose Gutierrez were Celebrity Grand Marshals of the San Francisco Gay Pride Parade in 2018.[3] Camacho continues to teach dance in the Los Angeles area.[15]

References
  1. Vogue Magazine, Strike a Pose! Why Madonna’s “Vogue” Is Still Relevant 30 Years Later by Liam Hess (March 27, 2020) (retrieved 5 August 2020)
  2. "Fiorello H. Laguardia High School Of Music & Art and Performing Arts". www.laguardiahs.org. Retrieved 2019-06-24.
  3. "Xtravaganza Pride: Vogue icons and celebrity grand marshals Jose Gutierez and Luis Camacho". The Bay Area Reporter / B.A.R. Inc. Retrieved 2019-06-24.
  4. Easter, Makeda. "Ballroom's time to shine: 'Pose' choreographers Leiomy Maldonado and Danielle Polanco on bringing the ball to life". latimes.com. Retrieved 2019-06-24.
  5. "Madonna Tribe meets Luis Camacho". www.madonnatribe.com. Retrieved 2019-06-24.
  6. "A brief history of voguing". Mixmag. Retrieved 2019-06-24.
  7. "Making of Madonna's 1990 MTV VMA performance". all about Madonna. Retrieved 2019-06-24.
  8. "5 Songs You Didn't Know Madonna Sang Backup On". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-06-24.
  9. Expatmichael (2014-09-16). "Disco Vinyl : THE QUEEN'S ENGLISH Jose & Luis Xtravaganza background vocals MADONNA". Disco Vinyl. Retrieved 2019-06-24.
  10. "The Crazy True Story of Madonna's Truth or Dare Back Up Dancers (and Where They Are Now)". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 2019-06-24.
  11. "Lessons in Humility – THE SHARE – Luis Camacho | The Fight Magazine". thefightmag.com. Retrieved 2019-06-24.
  12. Action, Dan Thomas, Lake Tahoe. "Long-running Carnival Cabaret returns". Retrieved 2019-06-24.
  13. "The dancers — Strike a Pose". Retrieved 2019-06-24.
  14. Apr 18 2016, Janel Saldana |; Edt, 05:56pm (2016-04-18). "Meet The Latinos Who Taught Madonna How To 'Vogue'". Latin Times. Retrieved 2019-06-24.
  15. "werquedanceclass". werquedanceclass. Retrieved 2019-06-24.
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