2024
Queering Cultural Forms
Free Class & Discussion Series
~May 3-18~
BANDALOOp | 1601 18th St
Oakland
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.
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!
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 Folklórico
Rogelio Lopez
Saturday, May 4th | 3-5pm
Join Rogelio Lopez for a beginner's folklorico class that resists the traditional gender dynamics of the form. Participants will learn traditional steps from the region of Yucatan, in particular a dance entitled La Mestiza
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.
Please note: This is class is open to People of African Descent and their partners, parents, besties and supports.
Ebube Obioma & Ky Frances, photo by Robbie Sweeny
FROLIC!
March 28-30
Counterpulse | 80 Turk St. San Francisco
PROGRAM A
Thursday, March 28 | 7:30pm - ASL
Saturday, March 30 | 5:00pm - ASL & Audio Description
Works by: IDHAZ and Nahaulle | Yvonne Onakeme Etaghene | Nol Simonse | Ebube Obioma & Ky Frances
PROGRAM B
Friday, March 29 | 7:30pm - ASL
Saturday, March 30 | 7:30pm - ASL & Audio Description
Works by: Melí Gómez & Annalise Carrillo Constantz |
Ishami Dance Company | Quinn Dior | Ebube Obioma & Ky Frances
The Queering Dance Festival presents FROLIC! our annual extravaganza of new commissioned work by Queer and Trans Bay Area choreographers!
Co-produced by and presented at CounterPulse
Thurs-Sat March 28-30, 2024
80 Turk St. San Francisco
Accessibility:
-
Live ASL Interpretation every performance
-
Live Audio Description at the Saturday performances with Haptic Access Tour 1/2 hour before each show
-
Masks required for all audience members
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Wheelchair accessible venue
Access Questions? Email qdf@shawl-anderson.org
2023
QDF Free Class Series!
Sunday, December 10th, 2023 | 11am-4pm
Berkeley Ballet Theater - 1370 10th Street, Berkeley CA
Pre-register highly encouraged, Drop-ins welcome
Wheelchair accessible studio
Masks optional but encouraged
House & Contemporary Fusion
w/ Jenelle aka JADU
11am-12:30pm | BBT Studio 3
Contemporary
w/ JanpiStar
12:45pm-2:15pm
BBT Studio 3
Queer Political Healing
w/ Snowflake Calvert
2:30-4pm
BBT Studio 3
FLANNEL & FROST QDF Winter Gathering
Saturday, December 9th | 12-3pm
Telegraph Beer Garden, 2318 Telegraph Ave, Oakland
Everything is a lot, so we are keeping it casual for our annual winter gathering! Come hang with us at Beeryland (aka Telegraph Beer Garden) from 12 - 3 pm. Grab a drink and bring a friend as we close out the season. Wearing your finest flannel is *highly* encouraged.
*Free Entry, Outdoor Seating, ADA Accessible*
Hope to see you there!
QDF Free Class Series
Wed, June 7 - Sun, June 11, 2023
Berkeley Ballet Theater, 1310 10th St, Berkeley
Free! Pre-registration is strongly encouraged!
Undercurrent
Steph Hewett
Wed, June 7th
5-6:30pm
Studio 3
This class will explore artistic practices of transgression through utilizing somatic and improvisational techniques. We will investigate the ways our bodies hold information and how our movements support our exploration of the body as a site of resilience and deep wisdom.
Stephanie Hewett (she/her) is an multidisciplinary artist working within the mediums of movement and sound. She experiments with different sonic frequencies to uncover ancestral vestiges in the body and uses movement as a guide towards radical methodologies for queer and Black liberation. Originally from the Bronx, New York (Lenapehoking territory), Hewett currently lives in Oakland, CA (Ohlone-Chochenyo territory) where she DJs and produces electronic music under the moniker, Madre Guía. She holds an MFA in Dance Studies and utilizes her creative energy to access modes of resistance in the form of spiritual, physical, and sonic defense.
COME/Closer Improv Practice
Nina Haft
Thursday, June 8
5-6:30pm
BBT Studio 3
How do we exchange energy across spaces between us? In this workshop we will improvise together, playing with everyday movements and also movements from other parts of lives. As we move into summer and approach the Solstice, we will explore balance and nourishment in our bodies and in community. Movers of all kinds, levels, styles, backgrounds and experiences are invited!
Nina Otis Haft is Artistic Director of Nina Haft & Company, a Bay Area-based contemporary dance ensemble exploring the nature of space and place. Nina has been profiled in Dance Magazine and received support from Djerassi Resident Artist Program, Hambidge Center, Shawl-Anderson Dance Center, Margaret Jenkins’ Dance Company (CHIME), Conney Project on Jewish Arts, California Arts Council, among other arts foundations. NHCo is known for Dance in Unexpected Places, performing in dockyards, synagogues, bars, parking lots, regional parks, cemeteries and other liminal spaces. Her work has been presented in Boston, LA, Madison, NYC, Portland, San Diego, Novosibirsk, Amman, Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Ramallah. ninahaftandcompany.com
Queer Pop! Jazz Funk
Jess Bozzo
Saturday, June 10
2:45-4:15pm
BBT Studio 2
During this jazz funk class, the focus is on feeling your f***ing fantasy baby! Jazz Funk is an industry dance style that pulls influence from all styles of dance--some include, but are not limited to, hip-hop, jazz, and heels. The majority of the class will be spent learning choreography that is rooted in musicality and full out movements that feel powerful/juicy/hot hot hot in the body. This class is a safe and supportive space for you to commit to what feels good in your body and to be perceived in the ways you want to be seen!
Jess Bozzo (she/they), originally from Sacramento, is a choreographer, teacher, and performing artist based in the SF/Bay Area. She received her BA in Dance from San Francisco State University in 2018, where she worked with local companies, ka•nei•see, ODC/Dance and Garrett+Moulton Productions. Jess is currently performing with Blind Tiger Society, Cookie Harrist, REYES Dance, and Hunniez, a local crew in Oakland, and teaches biweekly on Mondays at Full Out Studios.
Queering Ballet
Snowflake Calvert
Sunday, June 11
12:15-1:45pm
BBT Studio 2
Queering Ballet class is for ALL Trans, Non-Binary, and Queer dancers to explore a ballet class that focuses on de-gendering and decolonizing classical ballet roles within contemporary ballet. Join us as your authentic beautiful self to have fun with us.
Snowflake Calvert (she/her) is a Two-Spirit performance artist. In her career she’s a professional dancer, drag host, and filmmaker. She produces LGBTQ+ events, co-producing Seeds and Sequins, collaborator of TRY Project; Izzie Awards committee member; and a steering committee for the Queering Dance Festival.
Full Out with Feeling
Julie Crothers
Sunday, June 11
2:00-3:30pm
BBT Studio 2
Class will consist of a juicy follow-along warm up, a couple dramatic passes across the floor to country music triplets, and some funky fresh phrase work from Jules’ upcoming show “Holy Crap”. Class is appropriate for all levels and tools will be offered to empower participants to make choices throughout class that align with what is best for them and what they want! Full Out with Feeling is an opportunity to connect with yourself, your body, your joy, and each other, and get a little sweaty in the process.
Julie Crothers is a white, queer, disabled performer, choreographer, and community educator based in Berkeley, CA. As a maker, Julie utilizes contemporary dance, character, and comedy to tell stories, encourage self-reflection, and foster connection. In everything she creates, Julie strives to be honest, bold, and full of self-irony, and loves inviting audiences into the worlds she creates, where all are welcome.
FROLIC!
Sat-Sun April 1-2
Live Oak Theater, Berkeley
5:30p & 7:30p
Five commissioned LGBTQ+ dance artists present new work as part of the annual Queering Dance Festival!
Program A: Alyah Baker | Scott Duane | Emma Tome
Program B: Clarissa Dyas | Xochipilli Dance Company
ASL Interpretation on Saturday | Live Audio Description on Sunday