Dorian Corey
Dorian was born in 1937 in Buffalo, New York. She started out a fashion designer and drag performer but later transformed into a star after leaving her hometown. In the 1950s Dorian was employed as a window dresser in a department store before she moved to New York to study arts.
In the 1960s, she toured as a snake dancer in the Pearl Box Revue. Dorian was among the four dancers who appeared in the Pearl Box Revue in 1972. She took part in Wig Stock and is a key figure in Paris is Burning. In August 1993, Dorian died of AIDS complications at Colombia Presbyterian Medical Center at the age of fifty-six.
Pepper LaBeija
Pepper was born in the Bronx in November 1948. She also started out as a fashion designer and an American drag queen. Pepper took part in numerous drag balls, and she was well known for her Egyptian runway performances. Pepper won approximately 250 trophies.
Pepper suffered from type 2 diabetes which eventually led to a double amputation of her legs. She died in 2003.
Willi Ninja
William was born in New York in April 1961. He was a choreographer and a self-taught American dancer. William was inspired by Haute Couture to develop unique styles of movements and dances, including innovative vogueing techniques. William worked hard to care for his sick mother but died of AIDS in September 2006 at the age of forty-six.
Anjie Xtravaganza
Angie was born in New York in October 1964. Angie was the Mother of the Xtravaganza House in the 1980s. She was among the first transgender performers, a member of the gay ball culture, and an underground superstar. Angie took the house surname Xtravangaza as her name in 1982. Angie passed in 1993 at the age of 28 due to AIDS-related liver illness.
Paris Dupree
Paris was born in 1950 in the United States. She started out as a drag performer and founded the House of Dupree. The title of the film, Paris is Burning, is taken from a famous 1986 ball hosted by Paris Dupree. She urged the young queer community not to be afraid to express themselves in ways mainstream America could not understand.
