Arts & Entertainment

Baltimore arts briefs: June 22

Baltimore Theatre Project and Dance Baltimore presents ‘Ageless Grace,’ Throwback and more at Grand Central, Frederick Pride, and more

Published

14 years ago

June 21, 2012

Staff reports

Maria Broom, Ageless Grace, gay news, Washington Blade

Maria Broom will perform in ‘Ageless Grace’ this weekend in Baltimore. (Photo courtesy Baltimore Theatre Project)

‘Ageless’ show explores dance in several genres

Baltimore Theatre Project (45 West Preston St.) hosts “Ageless Grace,” an annual concert presented by Dance Baltimore that features performances by dancers 40 and older, on Saturday at 5 p.m.

Dancers in this year’s production are both former professional dancers as well as “community” dancers who perform for fun in more recreational forms.

The show will feature dances from all genres include tap, modern, jazz and more. The companies participating include Tapischore, Itinerant Dance Theater, Dance Alchemy, Nyame Nti and New Era Dance Company. There will also be solo performances by Torens Johnson and Maria Broom.

Tickets are $12 in advance, $15 at the door and $10 for seniors, students and Dance Baltimore members. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit theatreproject.org.

Throwback and more at Grand Central

Grand Central (1001/1003 N. Charles St.) has several events this week.

Tonight is the club’s weekly dance party with $2.50 drinks until 11 p.m. Sappho’s is having its own happy hour from 8 to 10 p.m.

Saturday has two-for-one drinks until 8 p.m. and Throwback, featuring all ‘90s music with DJ Arturo. Admission to Throwback is $5.

Monday and Tuesday, Grand Central has karaoke with host Nikki Cox from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Wednesday is “Hump Wednesdays,” an electropop, alternative, indie dance night with DJ Arturo.

The week ends Thursday with ladies night featuring DJ Lems and $2.50 drinks until 11 p.m. and happy hour from 4-8 p.m.

Weekend Pride event in Frederick, Md., Saturday

Frederick’s LGBT Community Center is hosting a “Picnic in the Park” on Saturday at Ballenger Creek Park (5420 Ballenger Creek Pike) at noon.

The day will include kid-friendly music provided by a DJ, games, speakers and community resources, including at least six non-profits on hand to provide information.

Participants are expected to bring their own food and beverages. Leashed social dogs are permitted.

The picnic will be held rain or shine as there is covered seating for more than 100 people. The group will be meeting in shelter No. 1 and has also reserved the adjacent ball field.

New Fells Point show opens tonight

Fells Point Corner Theatre (251 South Ann St.) has a new show “Shana Unsettled,” opening tonight at 8 p.m.

The show follows Shana Uzali, who lives in a state of constant turmoil and instability. She is stuck in a fantastical world she created and is visited by various character trying to help her get out of a place of indecision and fear.

Directed by Jim Knipple and Janel Miley, “Shana” stars Alisa Brock, Kelly Cavanaugh, Jamie Driskill, James Giza and Judy Pojda.

Showtimes are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m. and June 29 and July 12 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $12. The show will run through July 15.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit fpct.org.

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Photos

PHOTOS: Fredericksburg Pride March and Festival

LGBTQ celebration held in historic Virginia town

Published

18 hours ago

June 29, 2026

Michael Key

A scene from the 2026 Fredericksburg Pride March. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

The sixth annual Fredericksburg Pride March was held in downtown Fredericksburg, Va. on Saturday, June 27. Stafford County Board of Supervisors Chair Deuntay Diggs led the march alongside Fredericksburg City Council Member Jannan W. Holmes. The Fredericksburg Pride Festival took place at Riverfront Park after the march. Bree Fram was the featured speaker.

(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

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Egypt

Iran, Egypt play in World Cup ‘Pride Match’

FIFA allowed Pride flags inside Seattle stadium

Published

2 days ago

June 28, 2026

Michael K. Lavers

(Screen capture via KOMO News/YouTube)

Iran and Egypt on Friday faced off during the World Cup’s “Pride Match” in Seattle.

Iran is among the handful of countries in which consensual same-sex sexual relations remain punishable by death. Discrimination and persecution based on sexual orientation and gender identity is commonplace in Egypt.

Friday’s match coincided with Pride weekend in Seattle. The Egyptian Football Association and the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran both objected to playing in the “Pride Match.”

Egypt and Iran tied 1-1.

FIFA, for its part, allowed Pride flags inside the stadium during the match.

“The FIFA World Cup 2026 is an inclusive event that welcomes people from all backgrounds,” a FIFA spokesperson told the Washington Blade in a statement. “Fans of all sexual orientations and gender identities are welcome at matches and events. General statements of human rights, including rainbow flags and other flags representing sexual orientation and gender identity, are permitted under the FIFA World Cup 2026™ Stadium Code of Conduct and may be displayed inside stadiums provided they are used in a manner consistent with the code.”

Human Rights Watch welcomed FIFA’s decision to allow Pride flags inside the stadium. Outright International, a global LGBTQ and intersex rights group, distributed Pride flags in Seattle on Friday, which was Pride Match Day.

“Visibility matters,” said Outright International Executive Director Maria Sjödin. “Pride is now being celebrated in more than 100 countries, including this weekend in Seattle. For many LGBTIQ people, seeing a Pride flag in public is a reminder that they are not alone, and that their rights and dignity are recognized.”

FIFA President Gianni Infantino earlier this year told Die Weltwoche, a Swiss magazine, that “there will be no ‘Pride Match’ at the (FIFA) World Cup.”

“There will be a FIFA World Cup match in Seattle, and on the same day, events organized by external organizations will be taking place in the city,” said Infantino. “But that has nothing to do with the match itself.”

Peter Tatchell, a long-time LGBTQ activist from the U.K. who is director of the Peter Tatchell Foundation, was among those who traveled to Seattle for Friday’s match. Tatchell accused FIFA of not vetting World Cup teams — specifically Iran, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Ghana, Senegal, Qatar, Tunisia, Morocco, Iraq, Uzbekistan, and Algeria — over whether they would allow gay players.

“FIFA is protecting LGBT+ visibility in the stands while failing to protect LGBT+ players on the pitch,” said Tatchell.