The dance style first emerged as part of the NYC underground ballroom scene, in which the dancers transition through a series of poses that emulate those of fashion models.

As a teenager, Jose began attending and competing in balls hosted by the New York City "houses", where the best voguers gathered to battle on the runway for prizes and recognition.

Leveraging his formal dance training, Jose developed a unique style of voguing based on clean lines, precision poses, and effortless transitions, with a projection of disciplined elegance.

[1] Public interest in the ballroom scene began to grow in the late 1980s, providing Jose the opportunity to showcase his talents to a broader audience.

In subsequent years, Jose and the House of Xtravaganza frequently lent their talents in support of organizations related to the LGBT community.

[9] Jose Gutierez Xtravaganza also appeared in Madonna's music video "Justify My Love",[10] and modeled for Jean Paul Gaultier.

He appeared in the 1991 Peter Lindbergh project Models: The Film alongside Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, Stephanie Seymour, Tatjana Patitz and Naomi Campbell.

[16][17] In the fall of 2012, Jose Xtravaganza partnered with filmmaker Jason Last, known for his cutting-edge fashion work, to create the short film VOGUE(ing).

As Jason Last explained, "(Jose) came on board with one very specific request – that we create something special together and present Vogue(ing) in a new way, steering clear of the obvious first degree references that would otherwise be deemed as simply syndicating what already was."

[19] In September 2013, Swedish electro-pop duo ICONA POP released the music video "All Night" featuring Father Jose X along with other ballroom personalities.

[22] For the 2015 twenty-fifth anniversary of the original release of Madonna's Vogue, Jose reunited with fellow Blond Ambition dancer Salim "Slam" Gauwloos for a video tribute broadcast on MTV.

The musical drama series, set in the South Bronx of the 1970s against a backdrop of disco and the birth of hip hop, was released by Netflix in summer 2016.

[29] Jose appeared in three episodes of the 2018 National Geographic television documentary series “The ‘90s Greatest”, commenting on Madonna’s groundbreaking 1990 Blond Ambition Tour, as well as pop and dance culture of the period.