OUT DANCE PROJECT (2021)
OUT Dance Project is a community-engaged project that lifts up the personal stories of rural LGBTQIA2S+ folks and the songs most deeply connected to them, to combat that sense of isolation, illuminate connections, and build rural queer pride. Inspired by the Queer Songbook Orchestra and created by artists Sophie Traub and Eliot Feenstra, OUT Dance Project is based on our belief that hearing stories that reflect your experience is a critical part of addressing the loneliness that often accompanies being rural & queer.
We collected stories from rural LGBTQIA2S+ people across Oregon about how specific songs have carried them through life-defining moments. An ensemble of queer choreographers and dancers created original works based on the stories, and these stories and dances were performed during the online public performances, livestreamed on Howlround, in March of 2021.
The performances can be watched here in full, or here as individual videos.
This is the third project of Beyond Boom & Bust, an initiative exploring the cultivation of rural economic and social resilience through the performing arts.
Choreographers: Snowflake Calvert, Mizu Desierto, Crystal Sasaki
Dancers: Z, Nicholas Wakeman, Lara Pacheco, Mia O’Connor-Smith, Link, Emanuel Colombo, Bianca (Fox) Ballara, Chay, Fern, Amanaka, Mary Rose, Juniper, Eliot Feenstra and Sophie Traub
Writers: Bird Wicks, Lexi Sylvester, Joni Whitworth, Kayla Wade, Kelly Riggle, Anonymous, Bridgette Extraordinaire, Casey C. Davenport, Lycan Coss, H. NiAodagain
Production Team: Megan Cornelius, Sarah Anderson, Alex Gaylon and Olivia Louise
Graphic Design: Claire Harkola, Eliot Feenstra and Mia O'Connor-Smith
This project was made possible through the generous support of the Oregon Alliance to Prevent Suicide, AllCare Health, the Miller Foundation, and the Josephine County Cultural Coalition.
Set A - Hosted by Nativewomanshare and the LGBTQ+ Listening Project, Josephine & Jackson Counties.
Set B - Hosted by Rural Alliance for Diversity, Harney County.