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Xavier Santiago
House of Estrela · Celestial

Xavier Santiago

A Bronx b-boy who can see what no one else can.

Their storyEpisode 1

The new kid who can see them

Bronx, 1986. Xavier Santiago is the new kid at Bronx Science Prep, a soft-spoken b-boy whose rhythm hides the chaos in his heart. His mother is gone, his father's boxing gym is sliding toward foreclosure, and his grandmother still prays to Orishas he stopped believing in.

On the dance floor he's untouchable, with a stillness at the top of every move that his mother taught him. Then a cosmic storm hits Yankee Stadium. His eyes turn gold, a stadium section stops in mid-air, and suddenly he can see the Jagun. So can the Danu.

Related
#Venus Estrela
#Zodiac Estrela
#Héctor Santiago
World
#The Bronx
#Orun
Event
#Yankee Stadium
#The Great Shatter
No Shade! official trailer

Episode 1:
Stadium Music

A young Bronx b-boy who has always sensed there was more to the world is pulled into an interdimensional gang war. He finds out that voguing is the key to his cosmic powers, and now he has to save a world from ruin, unravel the mystery of his mother's death, and still get his homework in on time.

Coming to Kickstarter

Episode 1 needs its House

We're funding Episode 1, Stadium Music, on Kickstarter, with rewards straight out of Orun. Get the word the moment it launches.

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Ballroom as battle

Elements of Vogue

Vogue isn't a dance here. It's a fighting style. Every formation bends Ashe, the energy in all things, and each of the five elements channels one part of the Yoruba soul. Hover an element to read it.

Hand Performance, an Element of Vogue
OriHead / Destiny

Hand Performance

The Ori governs purpose and thought. In Hand Performance, the hands become an extension of the mind circling around the head, expressing divine will, shaping energy patterns, and directing power.

Duckwalk, an Element of Vogue
OkanHeart / Emotional Pulse

Duckwalk

Duckwalk mimics the pulse of a beating heart. The rhythm, endurance, and defiance needed to sustain the Duckwalk are a mirror of Okan's rhythmic resilience.

Catwalk, an Element of Vogue
AraBody / Physical Vessel

Catwalk

The Catwalk is your full Ara on display. It's body language, attitude, shape, and control. You're not just walking, you're offering the flesh: strong, aware, unapologetic. It's body worship.

Floor Performance, an Element of Vogue
IpileGrounding / Ancestral Root

Floor Performance

By touching the ground, the performer reconnects with their lineage and the Earth's ancestral memory. Floor Performance is a ritual of returning to and drawing strength from Ipile.

Dips & Spins, an Element of Vogue
EmiBreath / Life Force

Dips & Spins

Spins stir the air (breath), and Dips are the surrender. Together, they embody the flow of Emi, letting the Kawe manipulate momentum, air, and spirit flow.

The Five Elements of Vogue shield: Hand Performance (Ori), Duckwalk (Okan), Catwalk (Ara), Floor Performance (Ipile), Spin and Dip (Emi)
A formation can:HealingSealingStronger strikesTelekinesis
The 12 Houses of Orun

House Rules!

Each House serves one Orisha and is led by a Mother or Father. Not every member is Jagun. That title is earned on the ballroom floor. Pick the House you'd walk for.

Jagun
    The story of Orun

    Lore Drop

    16th century, the Ketu nation, West Africa. Families vanish and children are stolen as the slave trade tears through Ketu. The people cry out, not to kings but to the Orishas. Even together, the Orishas can't stop it, so they appeal to Olodumare, the creator, who is far beyond the mortal realm.

    Oshun flies to him as a peacock and is burned nearly to death on the way. Her sacrifice moves Olodumare. He forges the Okan, a gem filled with his own spirit, and the Orishas pour theirs in too. Together they make Orun, a realm of the spirit where the Jare could live free.

    Orun is divided into 12 Houses, one for each Orisha. To protect them, the Orishas call warriors to a grand competition. The first Ball. Those who win are named Jagun. Then the Danu tried to steal the Okan, and it shattered across Earth. Every cosmic storm wakes another shard.

    Rooted in ballroom. Ballroom was built in Harlem by LGBTQ+ Black and Latinx people who found chosen family in Houses. They walked, danced and performed to reclaim power and affirm who they are. No Shade! carries that culture into a mythic world.

    Orun from above, the twelve House districts circling the center SCIENCECENTER LECTRON MUERTOS FORTE FROST DIAMONTE AURORA INFERNO FUMACA ETHER RIVIERA FAUNA ESTRELA
    Orun is built as Metatron's Cube: twelve Houses in balance around the Science Center. Select a House.
    The Imori festival parade through Orun
    The Imori festival
    Orun's city at night, waterfalls and towers
    The city of Orun
    The Grand Ball Arena
    The Grand Ball Arena
    Orun
    Yoruba: spirit realm. The dimension created by Olodumare and the Orishas.
    Okan
    Yoruba: heart. The crystal Olodumare made from his own Emi-Inu. It holds Orun together.
    JareJAH-REY
    Yoruba: the innocents. The people of Orun.
    JagunJAH-GUN
    Yoruba: warrior. The champions who protect each House and compete at balls for rank.
    KaweKAH-WEY
    A person of Earth, the realm called Àyè.
    DanuDAH-NEW
    Yoruba: deactivated. Jare banished from Orun.
    Ashe
    The energy in all things. Vogue formations bend it into power.
    Emi-Inu
    The living spirit inside every person. The people of Orun exist as pure Emi-Inu.
    Kiko
    A talisman that crosses realms, lets its wearer communicate, and turns any door into a portal.
    KaraunKAH-RA-UN
    Yoruba: shell. A human skin that lets a Jagun be seen on Earth.
    Oni
    Monsters born when a shard's energy warps a human during a cosmic storm.
    Ball
    The ceremony where Jare compete to become Jagun, and Jagun compete for rank.
    The basics

    No Shade!, explained

    What is No Shade! Legends of Orun?

    No Shade! Legends of Orun is an original anime-style animated series. A young Bronx b-boy discovers that voguing unlocks cosmic power and is pulled into a war over Orun, a spirit realm built by the Orishas of Yoruba mythology.

    Is No Shade! an anime?

    It's an original animated series made in an anime style, with a Black and Latinx cast, ballroom culture and West African mythology at its heart.

    What does voguing have to do with the story?

    In No Shade!, vogue isn't just a dance, it's a fighting style. Every formation bends Ashe, the energy in all things. The five Elements of Vogue (Hand Performance, Duckwalk, Catwalk, Floor Performance, and Dips & Spins) each channel a part of the Yoruba soul.

    Who are the Houses of Orun?

    Orun is divided into twelve Houses, one for each Orisha: Estrela, Inferno, Lectron, Fauna, Diamonte, Frost, Aurora, Muertos, Fumaca, Ether, Riviera and Forte. Like ballroom Houses, they're chosen families led by a House Mother or Father, and their warriors, the Jagun, earn their titles on the ballroom floor.

    Is No Shade! based on real ballroom culture?

    Yes. Ballroom was built in Harlem by LGBTQ+ Black and Latinx people who found chosen family in Houses. No Shade! carries that culture into a mythic world, alongside the Orishas of Yoruba tradition.

    Who created No Shade!?

    No Shade! Legends of Orun was created by Art Director Shaun Harrison.

    When and where can I watch No Shade!?

    Episode 1, Stadium Music, is in development and the trailer is live on this page. Join the list or the Facebook group to hear first when the episode and its Kickstarter launch.

    Get Involved!

    Be there when Orun opens. Join the list for behind-the-scenes looks, new art from the world, and the first word when the Kickstarter goes live. Joining is free, and every fan counts.

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    The community

    Inside the House

    Nearly 800 people are already in the No Shade! Facebook group, getting Lore Drops, Meet the Legend spotlights and first looks at the world as it's built.

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