Queering Cultural Forms Panel Discussion
Facilitated by David Herrera
Friday, May 3rd | 6-8:30pm
Join Facilitator David Herrera and Queering Cultural Forms teaching artists Rogelio Lopez, VERA!/Vera Hannush, SNJV, and Dr. Uzo Nwankpa as they discuss the challenges faced by LGBTQ+ people in cultural dance forms and what ways dancers and cultural dance practitioners can support each other in bringing their full selves to the dances.
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Join us as we begin to dream of what the future of our cultural dance forms can look like when they are welcome to everyone. Stick around for an open Q&A session and time for mingling and stacks!
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This is event is free and open to all!
RSVPs are appreciated but not required.
Access Information
This panel will have live ASL Interpretation
BANDALOOP Studios is a wheelchair accessible space.
Bathrooms are gender-neutral and single stall and ADA-accessible
Masks are required for attendees. Panelists will have taken a same-day covid test and will be unmasked.
Free Classes | May 4-18, 2024
ASL Interpretation is available upon request for all classes. Contact qdf@shawl-anderson.org
HYE TIME!
queering up Traditional armenian dance
VERA! / Vera Hannush
Saturday, May 4th| 1-3pm
Come join VERA!, Armenian American drag king and dancer, and learn Armenian line and circle dances like the tamzara, kochari, and Michigan hop! We will also delve into some jingle belt shimmying; jingles provided!
Having learned from queer and trans Armenian friends in diaspora, VERA! is ready to share these fun and culturally rich dance moves with YOU! And of course, with their own flair and queer frame - let's LELELELELELELElet loose, it's HYE ("Armenian" in Armenian) TIME!
Queering BHANGRA
SNJV
Sunday, May 5th | 11:45am-1:15pm
Bhangra is a high energy dance with roots from the Northern Indian region of Punjab. Narratives of daily life are embedded in each movement and theatrical expression. SNJV presents Bhangra beyond the gender binary to honor the effervescence in all of us. Bhangra is a high intensity form of movement that welcomes all. No prior experience necessary.
Embracing Authenticity:
A Spiritual Journey of Queer African Expression
Dr. Uzo
Saturday, May 18th | 1-3pm
Is it safe to be queer and African? Have you ever pondered the link between illegality, queerness, spirituality, and pride within our displaced bodies? How do marginalized and displaced individuals navigate fear, comfort, power, and agency within themselves? This workshop delves into exploring and transmuting energy within both physical and social bodies, processing the noise and channeling the energy into resilience and empowerment. We will use the mediums of breath, movement, and sound for this exploration.
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Please note: This is class is open to People of African Descent and their partners, parents, besties and supports.
About QDF
Founded in 2019, the QUEERING DANCE FESTIVAL is by and for LGBTQ+ movement artists. Through performances, events, workshops and more, QDF highlights the artistic work and issues on the minds of the queer, trans and gender-nonconforming dance community in the East Bay.
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Produced by the QDF Steering Committee, a non-hierarchical collaborative of queer dancers, QDF presents dance through a queer lens, elevating the work and diverse voices of local LGBTQ+ movement artists from all backgrounds.
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QDF STEERING COMMITTEE
Snowflake Calvert, Chibueze Crouch, Clarissa Dyas, Deneka Siu, Jessi Barber
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Questions, Comments, Critiques, Love to send? Email us at qdf@shawl-anderson.org
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Past Committee Members:
2021-2023: Aiano Nakagawa
2021-2022: Gabrielle Lochard, Ky Woodward-Sollenes
