Ballroom Legend Andre Mizrahi Clark on Pioneering New Way Vogue

Icon Andre Mizrahi Clark, founder of the House of Mizrahi, is a pioneering figure in ballroom culture who originated the New Way vogue style. A Brooklyn native, he became the first performer to vogue at the Apollo Theater in Harlem in 1999. In an interview at the Christopher Street Pier, he discusses his introduction to the queer community there via his friend Sean Coleman, founder of Destination Tomorrow. The pier was a historic gathering place for LGBTQ+ individuals, where Clark first felt a sense of belonging. He recalls voguing by the entrance when the area was rundown, before its cleanup in the 2000s. Clark's performance style blends Old Way elements like karate and popping with New Way, a category he first became a Legend for. His presence at balls commands respect, with commentators heralding him as a Hall of Famer. The article also explains ballroom hierarchy: Legends, Statements, Stars, and Icons or Pioneers, the elders who built the scene.