Review: ‘Strike a Pose,’ a documentary by Ester Gould and Reijer Zwaan

by Andrew Parker

One would be forgiven for thinking that the documentary Strike a Pose would strictly take a behind the scenes look at the nuts, bolts, and drama surrounding pop icon Madonna’s landmark 1990 “Blonde Ambition” Tour, but what emerges from Ester Gould and Reijer Zwaan’s film is something a lot more personal. Focusing on the seven background dancers who shot to prominence after being selected to tour with Madonna and work on the “Vogue” video, Strike a Pose starts off as a trip down memory lane for these people before pulling back the curtain to reveal a lot of secrets, scars, ill feelings, and quiet triumphs. It’s an inconsistent film, but a personable and relatable one.

Before logging 90,000 miles on the road during one of her most successful and controversial world tours, Madonna handpicked seven men to serve as her background dancers. They were visible minorities on the outside, and six of the seven were openly gay. The only dancer who wasn’t was paradoxically the most flamboyant and homophobic of the bunch, but along the way he learned how to accept and love his fellow dancers. For the first thirty minutes of Strike a Pose, Gould and Zwaan conduct black and white interviews with the dancers (meant to visually evoke feelings of the iconic documentary Truth or Dare, which was made about the “Blonde Ambition” tour and featured the dancers prominently) where they talk about the fame and success they experienced.

Naturally, with most narratives of this type, the bottom drops out for most of the people involved. Some of them went on to happiness and success, but other struggled. One would pass away from AIDS, while another would be diagnosed. Some would get heavy into drugs and alcohol. Others would develop larger than life egos that would get in the way of their personal relationships. Some would even enter into a lawsuit with Madonna at the end of the tour to try and get money they felt they were owed following the success of Truth or Dare.

The middle section of the Strike a Pose focuses on a lot of hardship, but most of it comes across quite plainly since Gould and Zwaan deliver it all in a straightforward manner. It also builds to a reunion among the dancers still with us that offers up some tears and not a ton of insight. These stock elements aren’t what ultimately give Strike a Pose what power it has over the viewer, though.

What works best about Strike a Pose comes from how the dancers describe being a part of the tour as an empowering time for them; delivering messages that for better and worse they would take with them the rest of their lives. In 1990 it wasn’t easy being openly gay and paraded around for the world to see, especially at a time when fear of AIDS was running at a near all time high. In some respects, the dancers make the case that the tour was a landmark moment for them both personally and professionally. As a backstage documentary, Strike a Pose is okay, if unsurprising. As a tale of empowerment, however, it’s a lot more successful.

Strike a Pose opens at The Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema on Friday, February 3.

Check out the trailer for Strike a Pose:

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