March 31, 2015

Ashamu Dance Studio

Queer Choreographies: Whatever the Fuck That Means

As a description of a kind of art, discourse, and political/cultural position, the word “queer” is really having its moment. In my own history, I have witnessed the evolution of this word as a slur to its “reclamation” as an intersectional identity by queer activist groups in the early 90s, to its incorporation into academic disciplines, to its current resurgence with young artists who self-identify as queer performance makers. What does queer mean in relationship to performance? If we are thinking about variance or alternative means of communication, isn’t dance always queer? In this workshop we use queerness as a lens for explorations in performance, time, composition, and conversation, working with the shifting valencies and meanings that the idea of queerness holds.

Miguel Gutierrez, a 2010 Guggenheim Fellow in choreography, lives in Brooklyn and makes performances. His work has been presented internationally, including at BAM’s Next Wave and AMERICAN REALNESS (NYC), Walker Art Center (Minneapolis), ImPulsTanz (Vienna), Festival D’Automne (Paris), and has been supported by a variety of foundations. He is currently making a series called Age & Beauty.

This workshop was sponsored by the Mellon Dance Studies Colloquium at Brown University, in partnership with RISD.

queer-choreographies-draft-2

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