Arts & Entertainment
How a community of Black and brown LGBTQ dancers are spreading their love of waacking in Atlanta.
Waacklanta founder Vince “Venus” Nguyen hosts Heat, the organization’s waacking dance battle at Creatives Rental Space in Atlanta on Friday, Aug. 8, 2025. (Natrice Miller/AJC)
Attending a waacking class feels like a spiritual experience.
On a Monday night in August, at a studio in the Atlanta’s Creatives Rental Space, a group of 13 students — of all races and ethnicities — stretch along to the Hues Corporation’s 1974 hit “Rock the Boat.” A few more students trickle in as the class progresses.
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Waacking to the world
Dancer Kai “Floyy” Holnes dances on Day One of the Waacklanta Heat whacking battle at Creatives Rental Space in Atlanta on Friday, Aug. 8, 2025. (Natrice Miller/AJC)
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Samara “Princess Lockerooo” Cohen poses for photos following Waacklanta’s Heat dance battle at Creatives Rental Space in Atlanta on Friday, Aug. 8, 2025. (Natrice Miller/ AJC)
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Feel the heat
“It just really means a lot to see people fall in love with the style, but also fall in love with themselves and discover themselves,” says Vince Nguyen, who organizes waaking dance battles in Atlanta. (Natrice Miller/AJC)
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Aaron “Kooky” Williams dances on Day One of the Waacklanta Heat whacking battle. (Natrice Miller/AJC)
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DeAsia is a music and culture reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She focuses on the intersection of arts, culture and diverse communities, as well as how emerging social trends are being expressed through the lens of the Atlanta aesthetic. DeAsia’s work can be seen in Pitchfork, Essence, Teen Vogue, Elle and more.
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