FLAWLESS - JANUARY 2007 - John San Juan
1. WHAT IS YOUR RACIAL BACKGROUND? My father is half Puerto Rican from Ponce. My mother is full Filipina. You have to give it up to mixed race Asian babies these days (Nicole from Pussycat Dolls, Cassie, Amerie, Will Demps). The genetic mix is off the chain!
2. WHAT IS YOUR ARTISTIC PASSION? Dance. I've been dancing since I was 5 and, aside from my fulltime day job working on the corporate side of entertainment media, my side hustle (since everyone in NYC has a "side hustle") is a professional dancer. I love the performance aspect of it, the emotive quality, the difficulty yet simultaneous beauty of the art.
3. HAVE YOU EVER DONE DRAG? ELABORATE. Oh geez Nathan why did I get this question? Alright honestly, people call me a prettyboy, but I personally think I'd look horrid in drag. So no I've never done drag nor do I ever intend to do so. The closest I ever came was donning a corset and heels momentarily on a dare during a drunken college party at Cornell. But it was so incredibly suffocating and uncomfortable, I took them off within minutes. I did, however, get a lot of compliments on how my legs look amazing in heels. But they were probably drunk too. HA!
4. I HEARD THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE THAT YOU ARE AFFILIATED WITH THE BALL COMMUNITY. HOW DID THAT COME ABOUT? WHAT HOUSE ARE YOU ASSOCIATED WITH? I joined precisely because everyone told me not to. There is so much apathy, disgust and almost blind hatred against the Ballroom Community. And I completely do not agree with it. To me, it doesn't matter if you compete in Sex Siren or if you're part of a gay book club, you are still a potential Michael Sandy victim. You can be a muscle head circuit boy or a femme voguer, but you still are denied the right to legalized marriage. The ignorance that divides us is saddening because at the end of the day, we are all still gay men... OF COLOR. Despite my intense fear of having to walk in a Ball(!), I recently joined the House of Mizrahi because they are one of the few Houses that attempts to minimize the marginalization of the Ballroom community and bridge the gap between it and the rest of the blatino community. It's empowering and exciting.
4. I HEARD THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE THAT YOU ARE AFFILIATED WITH THE BALL COMMUNITY. HOW DID THAT COME ABOUT? WHAT HOUSE ARE YOU ASSOCIATED WITH? I joined precisely because everyone told me not to. There is so much apathy, disgust and almost blind hatred against the Ballroom Community. And I completely do not agree with it. To me, it doesn't matter if you compete in Sex Siren or if you're part of a gay book club, you are still a potential Michael Sandy victim. You can be a muscle head circuit boy or a femme voguer, but you still are denied the right to legalized marriage. The ignorance that divides us is saddening because at the end of the day, we are all still gay men... OF COLOR. Despite my intense fear of having to walk in a Ball(!), I recently joined the House of Mizrahi because they are one of the few Houses that attempts to minimize the marginalization of the Ballroom community and bridge the gap between it and the rest of the blatino community. It's empowering and exciting.
5. HOW DO YOU KEEP YOUR BODY TONED? Simple: I don't eat. It's bad I know! My boys all know: "John San Juan don't eat!" I go to the gym fairly religiously, because my day job can get insane and weight training is cathartic. During dance season, 3 hours of rehearsal a day helps to keep your body fairly well toned and flexible too.
6. DESCRIBE A TYPICAL DAY IN THE LIFE OF JOHN SAN JUAN. These last few months have been an anomaly because I took a hiatus from dancing. But typically during a dance season, I'll go to work from 9-6PM. Gym for an hour during my lunch break. Leave work for rehearsal from 6PM-9PM. Throw in industry auditions and go-see's a couple times a week. People don't understand how crazy my schedule can get sometimes, balancing a career and dance on the side. But I'm young and I love it. I wouldn't trade it for anything.
6. DESCRIBE A TYPICAL DAY IN THE LIFE OF JOHN SAN JUAN. These last few months have been an anomaly because I took a hiatus from dancing. But typically during a dance season, I'll go to work from 9-6PM. Gym for an hour during my lunch break. Leave work for rehearsal from 6PM-9PM. Throw in industry auditions and go-see's a couple times a week. People don't understand how crazy my schedule can get sometimes, balancing a career and dance on the side. But I'm young and I love it. I wouldn't trade it for anything.
7. WHAT 3 THINGS WOULD YOU LIKE TO ACCOMPLISH IN 2007? 1. Career advancement so I can finally buy my own home... so close! 2. Learning not to be so self-deprecating. 3. Get a boyfriend!
Labels: Flawless
posted by C.R. Knight on Monday, January 01, 2007
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