Willi Ninja

Willi is a self-taught dancer and has been involved in the ball scene since the early 1980s. He is the founder of the Legendary House of Ninja and until his death was the "Mother" of the House. Willi has been instrumental in bringing vogue to the masses and was the inspiration of Madonna's 1990 "vogue" video. He has worked with Malcolm McLaren, Jean-Paul Gaultier and several prominent people in the music and fashion industry. In 1990, Willi appeared on Jennie Livingston's Paris Is Burning (1990) documentary along with other prominent people involved in the ball culture. He also starred in Wolfgang Busch's documentary: How Do I Look (2006) featuring the late 'Pepper LaBeija (1948-2003)'. Willi died on 2 September 2006 of AIDS related heart failure. He died in New York City, age 45. The Willi Ninja style of voguing is the most imitated vogue style by the younger generation of voguers throughout the world.