Arts & Entertainment
Black turns to silver
‘Black to Silver’ explores aging among African American gays through dance
Shawn Short, the gay producing artistic director of Dissonance Dance Theatre. (Photo courtesy of Dissonance)
Dissonance Dance Theatre has two presentations this weekend of “Black to Silver: a Black Age Continuum (Side B),” which organizers say is “to showcase intimate experiences unique to the African-American LGBT community through text and contemporary styles of dance.”
Under the direction of Producing Artistic Director Shawn Short, the show will also feature local singer Moshe Adams. Several of the performers involved are openly gay. The event will feature three new works from Short: “My Intimate Friend,” a work about coping and masturbation; “Zero,” a piece about HIV disclosure and new relationships; and “The First Time,” a piece that celebrates nostalgia and love between men.
Dissonance bills itself as Washington’s “only African-American-managed contemporary ballet company.”
Performances are in the Jack Guidone Theatre at Joy of Motion (5207 Wisconsin Ave., N.W.). Tickets are $18 in advance and $25 at the door. Performances are scheduled for Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 7. Visit ddtdc.com for more information.
Celebrity News
Madonna announces release date for new album
‘Confessions II’ marks return to the dance floor
Pop icon Madonna on Wednesday announced that her 15th studio album will be released on July 3.
Titled “Confessions II,” the new album is a sequel to 2005’s “Confessions on a Dance Floor,” an Abba and disco-infused hit.
The new album reunites Madonna with producer Stuart Price, who also helmed the original “Confessions” album. It’s her first album of new material since 2019’s “Madame X.”
“We must dance, celebrate, and pray with our bodies,” Madonna said in a press release. “These are things that we’ve been doing for thousands of years — they really are spiritual practices. After all, the dance floor is a ritualistic space. It’s a place where you connect — with your wounds, with your fragility. To rave is an art. It’s about pushing your limits and connecting to a community of like-minded people,” continued the statement. “Sound, light, and vibration reshape our perceptions. Pulling us into a trance-like state. The repetition of the bass, we don’t just hear it but we feel it. Altering our consciousness and dissolving ego and time.”
Denali (@denalifoxx) of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” performed at Pitchers DC on April 9 for the Thirst Trap Thursday drag show. Other performers included Cake Pop!, Brooke N Hymen, Stacy Monique-Max and Silver Ware Sidora.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Arts & Entertainment
In an act of artistic defiance, Baltimore Center Stage stays focused on DEI
‘Maybe it’s a triple-down’
By LESLIE GRAY STREETER | I’m always tickled when people complain about artists “going political.” The inherent nature of art, of creation and free expression, is political. This becomes obvious when entire governments try to threaten it out of existence, like in 2025, when the brand-new presidential administration demanded organizations halt so-called diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programming or risk federal funding.
Baltimore Center Stage’s response? A resounding and hearty “Nah.” A year later, they’re still doubling down on diversity.
“Maybe it’s a triple-down,” said Ken-Matt Martin, the theater’s producing director, chuckling.
The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
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Comings & Goings
Minimal version of ‘Streetcar Named Desire’ heading to Dupont Underground
