Power dressing, acid colours, and unfeasible amount of hairspray. The 80s gave us some legendary trends, but if you like your nostalgia a little more Coco Chanel than Kajagoogoo you need to take note of Voga, the ‘haute couture of fitness’. Voga is a contemporary mix of yoga and ‘voguing’, the underground dance form that became the Brooklyn drag queens dance of choice and was brought to the mainstream with the eponymous Madonna hit.
Get to grips with the moves of this international movement as the London house of Voga are holding a one off day of open air classes on Sunday 24th of May to raise funds for the victims of the recent devastating Nepalese earthquakes. Strike a Pose for Nepal, held at Clapham Common, will be a festival of food, stalls, massages, reiki and of course plenty of fabulous poses and lycra for an altruistic cause.
Voguing is having a revival with the likes of FKA Twigs and Lady Gaga featuring the stylised moves heavily in their choreography, but the idea to blend this super fierce dance with the balance and core strength of yoga came from set designer Juliet Murrell, who wanted to create a unique class of cardio, flexibility and dance to an infectious 80s soundtrack. Almost Flashdance with a facelift.
If you’re not quite ready to give Voga a go there will also be a jumble sale of donated clothes from boutique stores with all the proceeds of the day going towards rebuilding shelters and providing food, water and medical treatment for villages near Nuwako, a heritage site north west of Kathmandu. So, get ready to pump up the jam. Voga is about to change lives.