Dance artist Ronald Belaza will present the dance forms whacking and punking.
Punking is an energetic dance style that originated in the 1970s in the queer club scene in Los Angeles. The dance form became particularly popular through the program "Soul Train", and was an important form of physical liberation for queer dancers on the west coast of the United States. Whacking originates from punking and is defined, among other things, by stylish arm movements, striking body postures and a clear physical expression. These club dance styles are inspired by silent films, cartoons and martial arts, danced to real disco music. Here it is all about attitude, posing, improvisation and emotions.
Belaza is interested in the potential of dance and its function as a bridge between people. He asks how the performing arts field can actively include club dance forms such as punking and whacking in a way that creates real exchange rather than just superficial representation. He is also interested in raising the visibility and recognition of punking and whacking dance, both as an established practice and by allowing them to be integrated into the performing arts field in Norway. Belaza is the initiator of Queer The W*ack, happening at Dansens Hus during Oslo Pride, June 25th and 26th.
Date: Tuesday, April 21st
Time: 11:00-12:30
Location: Foyer at Dansens Hus
Language: Norwegian
Participation and lunch are free, but registration is required.
Bio:
Ronald Belaza (Oslo, Norway / Philippines) is a dancer, choreographer and artistic director, as well as the founder of Queer The W*ack. He has been active in the whacking/punking community since 2009, and is known for his musicality, strong stage presence and clear commitment to queer representation within club and street dance culture.
He has a bachelor's degree in jazz dance from the Oslo National Academy of the Arts (KHIO), and also has education in street dance and theater from Norway and New York. He has participated in battles, been a judge and taught at major festivals internationally.
In parallel with his work in club and battle culture, he has participated as a dancer in musicals and theater productions. He has also created the performance Walls together with Ida Louise Sundby, and was Dansens Dager 2024 ambassador together with her, where they worked to spread whacking throughout Norway. This was one of the highlights of his career.
Ronald has been a performing dancer in the whacking performance CALLING together with the Italian company Waackengers, is part of Oslo Waackers, and founder of OMW – Oslo Male Waackers.
Through Queer The Wack he creates platforms that combine battles, teaching and community building, with a focus on queer history, artistic integrity and international exchange within the whacking/punking culture. In 2026, Queer The Wack will be held at Dansens Hus on June 25–26 as part of Oslo Pride.
He is currently in the process of his solo pre-project DISCOvery, which is supported by the Norwegian Arts Council in 2026.
Queer The W*ack homepage with videos and pictures:
https://queerthewhack.com/