Connect with us

a&e features

Alvin Ailey dancers find unexpected romance

Couple realized attraction after being roommates on the road

Published

8 years ago

on

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, gay news, Washington Blade

Michael McBride, left, and his fiance, Samuel Roberts. Both are dancers with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. (Photo by Christopher Duggan; courtesy the couple)

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

 

Feb. 6-11

 

Kennedy Center

 

2700 F St., N.W.

 

$49-175

Michael McBride and his boyfriend Samuel Roberts were getting drinks at Locksmith, a local haunt near their New York City home, on an unassuming January day in 2016. While McBride was expecting a casual drink, he was shocked when Roberts suddenly jumped to his feet and began singing the Warblers rendition of “Teenage Dream” by Katy Perry from “Glee” joined by a group of their friends wearing matching Warbler uniforms.

For “Glee” fans the song marked the start of Kurt and Blaine’s relationship. As their friends and family flooded the tiny bar, McBride and Roberts would also kickstart a chapter of their own relationship.

Roberts got down on one knee and asked McBride, who had started crying, to marry him.

He said yes.

“I am the nosiest person that you will ever meet. The fact that I had not even a clue. I’m wearing mom jeans and a sweatshirt and I smelled like bleach. I had been cleaning my apartment all day,” McBride says.

The theatrical proposal shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. McBride, 29, and Roberts, 40, are both dancers in the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. They spend six months of the year performing in New York City and the other half touring all over the world.

The company stops by the Kennedy Center for a six-day residency Feb. 6-11 with McBride and Roberts performing separately and together. The couple will unite on stage for works including “The Golden Section,” “Stack Up” and “The Hunt.”

“It’s really fun when we get to connect and play off each other,” Roberts says.

From roommates, to friends, to lovers, the couple first met in 2009 when they both auditioned for the Alvin Ailey company, which they approximate as being 80 percent gay men, on the same day. They were also each hired by the company that day. McBride, a newbie to the professional dancing world, admits he doesn’t remember meeting Roberts that day. He was too overwhelmed with securing his contract.

However, his emotional response was exactly what caught Roberts’ eye, given he was a more seasoned professional dancer.

As a company rule, dancers were required to have roommates on tour. McBride and Roberts found themselves forced to be roommates as everyone else in the company was already paired up.

But they didn’t start out in sync. McBride says they were “operating on different schedules.” Roberts admits he “loved being with the locals” and was a fan of the nightlife. However, McBride was more into exploring cities in the daytime.

“Because I was new I would wake up very early and go see all the cities with my camera because I was just so excited to travel,” McBride says.

McBride says their relationship became more intimate in September 2010 while they were touring in the United Kingdom. A personal tragedy had rocked McBride leaving Roberts as an unexpected support system.

“It was shortly after my sister had passed. I was emotional and dealing with a lot of stuff with my family. There was one night when I really needed to just sit down and have dinner with somebody and not necessarily need to talk and just to be easy. He was in the room and so I said we’re going to dinner. I think that was the first time that either of us ever realized we had a lot more in common than either of us expected,” McBride says.

Both had become interested in dance at a young age on the outskirts of big cities.

Roberts, who is from Quakertown, Pa., a town in the suburbs of Philadelphia, went to a dance class with his cousin at 10 years old when a teacher spotted his enthusiasm.

“The teacher saw that I was fidgeting around in the back and she asked me, ‘Hey, why don’t you get up and join us?’ And I never sat down,” Roberts says.

Roberts continued to dance into high school and eventually made a good friend who he describes as his “surrogate mother” who would take him to auditions in New York City.

“She took me to the audition at Juilliard, which at the time I had no idea what it was, thankfully. I was able to just go in and do my thing. I made it in and I was so pleased,” Roberts says.

While at Juilliard, Roberts met Robert Battle, who would go on to become the artistic director of Alvin Ailey. Before joining Alvin Ailey, Roberts’ achievements included becoming a founding member of Battle’s dance company Battle Works in 2000.

McBride, who hails from Johnson City, N.Y., started dancing in a small dance studio at 8 years old. In high school he became more serious about dance and attended the Ailey dance program at Fordham University. He joined the company while a senior in college.

In addition to that dinner, McBride and Roberts would continue to share many memorable moments.

During their first year they encountered the D.C. blizzard in 2010. They recall getting stranded in their hotel for a week and the Kennedy Center canceling performances.

Despite the close quarters, their relationship didn’t become romantic until a couple years later.

After dating for a few years, the couple found themselves back in the United Kingdom on tour. They walked past a diamond shop and decided to look at rings together.

“We were just looking in the window and this woman came out and asked us if we’d like to look at some diamonds. We were like, ‘Eh.’ She was like, ‘We have Champagne’ and we were like ‘Absolutely.’ We went in and had some Champagne and we were looking at rings and to our surprise we found two rings we really adored,” Roberts says.

Soon after, Roberts found himself seriously considering proposing.

“I sort of woke up one morning and was like, ‘Wow, I really, really, really love Michael and I want to spend my life with him. There’s no reason for me to not do this. I can’t see one.’ I was so sure of it this one morning. So I said something to his father and realized I wanted to do a flash mob,” Roberts says.

McBride and Roberts admit they both had always gotten emotional watching flash mob proposals online.

It took Roberts a year of planning with friends and family to pull off the special moment in the bar. On the big day, Roberts asked McBride’s friend to take him out of the neighborhood for dinner while he finished the final preparations including a videographer who set up five cameras in the bar. McBride, who says the couple were also planning a road trip to Key West, Fla., that night with their dog, never expected that day he would get engaged.

Now, the couple has purchased an apartment together in the Bronx. Living and working together can be a challenge but the couple says they’ve been able to figure it out.

First, they recognize the importance of having their own space. Roberts says he first moved into McBride’s studio apartment and when they were looking for their own place together they had one request.

“We would live in hotels six months of the year and then be in his studio and the only room with a door was either a closet or a bathroom. When we were purchasing the apartment we had to have one room that is not a bathroom, not a closet,” Roberts says.

Second, they try to make their time off together as much of a vacation as possible.

“One thing that Sam has taught me, even if we have 12 hours off, to make that 12 hours a mini-vacation of sorts and really delve into being relaxed whenever we can in whatever city we’re in. That’s one of the things I fell in love with so much and so fast,” McBride says.

The couple says they take time to visit their families apart. The company now also has rotating single rooms while on tour. Sometimes they will get single rooms so that they can invite each other over for a romantic dinner.

As Valentine’s Day approaches, McBride and Roberts say they are big on the holiday. They will be spending it on tour in Atlanta and this time the planning is in McBride’s hands.

“It’s sort of been tradition that Michael will plan a day for me. It generally starts with a really wonderful breakfast and then some activities throughout the city,” Roberts says.

However, the wedding planning is taking more time. They expect to marry in fall 2019, possibly in the Catskill Mountains, but are working on saving money for the ceremony of their dreams.

As always, the couple plans to put their own special twist on the day.

“It’s also really fun because so many of the wedding traditions that we all know from throughout time are heterosexual entities. So a wedding can be whatever we want it to be. There’s no one to say, ‘Well, it should have been this or that.’ It’s a new frontier,” McBride says.

A performance of Talley Beattys’ ‘Stack-Up,’ one of three works in which partners Michael McBride and Samuel Roberts both perform. (Photo by Paul Kolnik; courtesy Alvin Ailey)

Related Topics:
Advertisement
FUND LGBTQ JOURNALISM
SIGN UP FOR E-BLAST

a&e features

Mr. Henry’s celebrates 60 years of proud inclusivity

Capitol Hill staple remains ‘a caring community’

Published

7 days ago

on

July 9, 2026

By

Mr. Henry’s has long been popular with D.C.’s LGBTQ community. (Photo by Liz Stewart)

America’s 250th isn’t the only milestone birthday D.C. is celebrating this year. 

Beloved D.C. restaurant Mr. Henry’s, that Capitol Hill staple, celebrates its Diamond Jubilee all year long. Named for its original owner Henry Yaffe, the restaurant opened on a warm day 60 years ago in the summer of 1966 and has never looked back.

Yaffe took over what was then a country western restaurant, renovated the interior to his liking, and created an institution. Yet Yaffe had another goal. As a gay man, “he created Mr. Henry’s to be a place where everyone felt welcome — not easy in 1966 — and he succeeded,” says current owner Mary Quillian.

Mary Quillian is the current owner of Mr. Henry’s. (Photo by Liz Stewart)

“Mr. Henry’s has long been a place the LGBTQ community has supported because they felt and still feel welcomed,” says Quillian. Even in the current administration, “the gay community and the diversity-minded community continue to come.”

Since then, Mr. Henry’s has changed hands, opened and closed its second floor, welcomed famed musical acts, and played host to politicians, date nights, breakups, and birthdays. But it still feels like home (and has a note in the National Trust for Historic Preservation) at 601 Pennsylvania Ave., S.E.

Its wood-paneled, Victorian-inspired art-filled décor in the downstairs dining room and bar serves American pub fare for lunch and dinner daily, with brunch on weekends (and a dog-friendly patio). Upstairs, Mr. Henry’s hosts live jazz performances and special events most nights, continuing a musical tradition that has defined the venue for decades. That upstairs bar has played host to names like Roberta Flack and Woody Allen.

Musician Kevin Cordt said that, “Mr. Henry’s has been a part of my life for more than 30 years. I started as a customer, then became a bartender and server, and now I have the good fortune to play trumpet at one of the best live music venues in Washington, D.C.”

Aaron Myers, executive director of the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, is also a supporter. “Not many cities can sport venues that have consistently served the community in the space of culture for more than 50 years, let alone can brag as the birthplace of culture defining talent.”

From the start, Yaffe promoted a rare yet celebrated combination of locals’ bar and soulful nightlife venue. Mr. Henry’s has attracted a diverse crowd at a time when such spaces were – and perhaps still are – uncommon, a diversity that is credited with helping protect the pub during the 1968 D.C. riots.

Longtime customer Evelyn Branic said, “Mr. Henry’s has been my ‘Cheers’ hangout since my wife and I moved to the Hill in 1987. I’ve experienced many iconic moments meeting politicians, reporters, civic activists, and neighbors engaging in spirited conversations. Whether political, LGBTQ, historians, neighbors, or out-of-towners, everyone could find a special place to be greeted as a friend.”

Its welcoming tables come dabbed with a bit of tea: In 1971, in a moment that has since become part of Capitol Hill lore, Yaffe lost the pub in a poker game to Larry Quillian. The Quillian family, recognizing the special role Mr. Henry’s played in the neighborhood, took over ownership, and committed to preserving its spirit. Today, Larry’s daughter Mary owns the bar, having given it a bit of a facelift for the bar’s 50th birthday, bringing in new tables and some fresh menu items.

For example, the menu has some of those dishes that regulars would riot if they disappeared. The Reuben and the hamburgers, the chili and in-house roasted turkey have never departed the menu. Dishes do evolve, says Quillen: they added wings about two decades ago.

In 2026, the restaurant is hosting monthly ticketed “decades” parties, celebrating each of the 10-year periods the restaurant’s been open, plus there were specials in June for Pride. The official 60th anniversary gala takes place Aug. 29, featuring performers, beverages, timeless favorite foods, swag – and the unveiling of a new cocktail.

Inclusive, eccentric, eclectic, Mr. Henry’s is looking forward to maintaining its centrality to diverse crowds in Capitol Hill. Battling inflation, rising menu prices, changing tastes, and thin margins, Quillian says that Mr. Henry’s has — and will always be — “a caring community for so many different folks. And THAT is why I am committed to keeping us going. Society needs places like Mr. Henry’s, now more than ever.”

Continue Reading

a&e features

Television loses a legend, longtime ‘Will & Grace’ director James Burrows

Iconic hitmaker leaves behind a legacy of telling LGBTQ stories

Published

3 weeks ago

on

June 23, 2026

By

James Burrows (Photo by kathclick/Bigstock)

You don’t have to be a pretentious film major to name 10 movie directors. But naming television directors is not that simple. They’re the unsung heroes of your favorite shows, and the late James Burrows was the television director. He passed on June 19, but his DNA runs through television history. 

He directed over 1200 episodes of television and over 50 pilots. He co-created “Cheers” and directed many episodes of long-running series like “Friends,” “Taxi,” “Frasier,” “The Big Bang Theory,” and “Two and a Half Men.” You also may remember him from playing a heightened version of himself on the Lisa Kudrow comedy “The Comeback.”  

He has left an indelible mark on the LGBTQ community. As recently as last year, he directed the series run of “Mid-Century Modern” starring Nathan Lane, Matt Bomer, and Linda Lavin. He was also a longtime director of “Will & Grace” and directed every episode of the series revival. He even directed the unaired “Absolutely Fabulous” pilot with Kathryn Hahn, Kristen Johnston, and Zosia Mamet. 

Not to mention he’s worked with queer icons throughout history, including Betty White and Stockard Channing on their single-season series, and Jennifer Coolidge in “2 Broke Girls.” 

He started his career on shows like “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “Rhoda,” “Laverne & Shirley,” and the first four seasons of “Taxi.” 

He continued to work steadily and directed successful pilots that went to series for “Roc,” “3rd Rock From the Sun,” “Dharma & Greg,” and “Wings.” He directed multiple episodes of “Friends,” “Caroline in the City,” and “Frasier.”  

This magic continued into the 2000s with him directing the pilots for “Two and a Half Men,” “The Big Bang Theory,” and multiple episodes of “Mike & Molly,” and the entire return series of “Will & Grace.” 

What was the secret to his success? He’d enact the “fun clause” in his contract. In his words, “Life is too short to deal with obnoxious leads,” he shared. “So as long as the writing is good and the cast is fun, I’m going to enjoy the experience.” 

He had the magic touch, having multiple pilots turned into long-running series. He was nominated for an Emmy 24 times in 26 years and worked consistently until a year before his death.  

The secret was the way he brought the cast together. He describes, “it was my job to mold them into an ensemble, and they did round into a group of people who loved each other.”

This earned him 11 Emmy Awards and five Directors Guild of America Awards, including being awarded the inaugural DGA’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Television Direction. 

In a 2003 interview by the Television Academy, he was asked how he wants to be remembered, and he said, “That every night forever you can tune in somewhere, and there’ll be a show I did.”

He’s survived by his wife, Debbie, four daughters, seven grandchildren, and the countless people whose careers he launched and the countless viewers he inspired with his television legacy. 

Continue Reading

a&e features

D.C. prepares to party as Pride celebrations kick off Saturday

Bars, clubs have busy lineups; Pride on the Pier returns

Published

1 month ago

on

June 9, 2026

By

The Washington Blade’s Pride on the Pier returns June 13. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Capital Pride’s date change isn’t slowing down the festivities. Back in December, the Capital Pride Alliance shifted the calendar for Pride celebrations in the nation’s capital from the second weekend of June to two weeks later to the weekend of June 20-21 to not conflict with President Trump’s birthday and 250th anniversary of America celebrations, with the aim that “our community can gather safely and without unnecessary barriers… We are protecting our space and preserving Pride as a powerful act of visibility, solidarity, and resistance.” 

On the heels of WorldPride last year, the city shows no sign of slowing down. Instead, restaurants, bars, clubs, and neighborhoods are taking the opportunity to be even more visible. The Blade has put together a (non-comprehensive) list of parties, activations, and activities across town:

Pride on the Pier returns on Saturday, June 13 to the Wharf on the Southwest waterfront. The event, sponsored and hosted by the Washington Blade, is free and runs from 4-9 p.m. There will be vendors, DJs, and drag performances all day. VIP tickets are $25 and come with air conditioned party room, private bathrooms, and free cocktail. More details at prideonthepierdc.com.

Capital Pride Official Opening Party: RIOT! is the official opening dance party of Capital Pride, taking place Friday June 19, 9 PM-3AM. The 2026 edition headlining performer is Myki Meeks, a finalist of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” season 18; Bob The Drag Queen will perform a special set. DMV-area DJs and performers include: Bambi, Baphomette, Bumper, Cake Pop!, Connor, DJ Ed Bailey, DJ Diyanna Monet, Evry Pleasure, Jakknife Complex, Mari Con Carne, Pussy Noir, WessTheDJ. Trade owner Ed Bailey is producing the event.

Kinetic Presents brings the heat across the entirety of Pride weekend as well. It again is partnering with Capital Pride Alliance to produce four events over four days this Pride, including the Official Main Event on Saturday (the Friday official event is at Echostage). Kinetic’s parties are splayed across various D.C. venues, with special performances, massive productions, shirtless dancers, play zones, dance-forward audio and visuals, and international DJ talent. Thursday, June 18 at 10 PM at District Eagle is Lust, with music by Dan Slater and TOMI. Friday, June 19 at 10 PM is UNCUT XXL Heavy Load, at A.i. Warehouse in Union Market District, with music by Alex Acosta, Felipe Lira & Mitch Ferrino; the party is a “high-octane night of muscular house and tribal rhythms.” Saturday, June 20 at 10 PM brings that official main event, Kinetic Toy Land, at Echostage, with music by GSP & Matt Suave. Alaska Thunderfuck headlines. Sunday evening June 21 at 10 PM closes with discoVERS at SAX. A portion of tickets supports the DC LGBTQ+ community through Capital Pride Alliance.

9:30 Club always comes in clutch for the LGBTQ community. Already in June, it produced Kitty Kat Ball on June 7, and Kiesza performed on June 8. On June 20 at 10 PM, the famed Mixtape party hits the stage, care of gay DJs Shea van Horn and Matt Bailer, who have spun together for coming up on two decades. Mixtape has been held at several venues across the city over those years, and now settled on 9:30 Club for Pride. On June 25 at 7 PM, Big Freedia – the bounce artist from New Orleans – hits the 9:30 Club scene for the eighth time, as part of the Big Freedom Tour.

Crush: New this year from the 14th Street bar is the Pride Pop-Up, sitting pretty in the parking lot at 1820 14th St., N.W., at the corner of Swann Street by the start of the Pride Parade route. Hours are Friday from 2-10 PM and Saturday from 12-10 PM. Friday evening features Grizzly Bear Happy Hour, a DJ will set up shop on Saturday, and for those needing another layer, there’s a Crush merch store. Co-owner Mark Rutstein “has always wanted to throw a party in that parking lot, so he did,” said co-owner Stephen Rutgers. Note that Crush (the bar) will have a cover on Friday and Saturday.

Kiki: Over at Kiki, there’s a full slate of Pride-themed programming all week. Tuesday, June 16 at 9 PM brings karaoke; Wednesday, June 17 at 7:30 PM is trivia; Thursday June 18 at 9PM is “Night of 1000 Tatianna’s Drag Show”, and Friday June 19 at 9 PM brings the Juneteenth Serve Drag Show. Saturday, June 20 at 10 PM, post-parade, is a Pride Dance Party with DJ Lemz. Sunday daytime at 5 PM is the Father Figures Daddy Issues Special Drag Show; and after the festival at 8 PM, DJ Tezrah hits the tapes.

Jane Jane: Right along the parade route, gay-owned Jane Jane has transformed its space into a “No Kings, Yas Queens” activation in a direct response to the America 250th commemorations happening downtown, from the colorful window installation, to merch (including a custom bandana and tank) to disco wig installations. Events include industry night on Mondays, donations to LGBTQ charities, and  to-go cocktails during the Pride Parade.

Shaw’s Tavern: Gay-owned Shaw’s Tavern on Florida Avenue celebrates Pride week with a full lineup of themed events, entertainment, and specials, including Pride trivia on Monday, June 15 at 7:30 PM, bingo on Tuesday, June 16 at 8 PM, a cabaret on Thursday, June 18 at 9 PM, Juneteenth Drag Brunch on Friday, June 19 at 12:30 PM, and both a pre-parade brunch (10 AM-4 PM) and post-parade party (5-9 PM) on Saturday, June 20. Sunday, June 21 at 7 PM brings Mama’s Sunday Supper & Drag Pride Show in the evening for anyone who is still awake.

Trade: This classic has a weekend of events, starting on Thursday, with Tiburon Pride Edition, a Latin Dance party in the Shark Tank. On Friday, the bar opens early (at 2 PM), with all-day happy hour and the Jx&Evry Show. On Saturday, the bar opens at noon, offering a prime parade viewing spot from its windows. There will be the CLASH drag show hosted by Tatianna and Crimsyn, and Sweet Spot party that night. On Sunday, the bar opens for normal hours at 2 PM, with DJs Adam K, Alex Love, and WESSTHEDJ.

Pitchers: The multi-level bar in Adams Morgan is hosting a Pride-themed show on Thursday, June 18 at 10 PM, with drawstring bag giveaways – the only kind of bag that will be allowed into the bar during Pride weekend. The show features drag queen Kyle Sonique Love. 

Barrel House Cafe and Bar: Also by the parade route on 14th Street, Barrel House Cafe takes advantage of its large patio to have a slate of events during Pride week, including Schism, a drag and burlesque show on June 18 at 10 PM, as well as an all-day Pride party coinciding on parade day.

Bunker: Bunker again plays host to a series of afters. Friday night (Saturday 3:30 AM) is Unhinged, and Saturday night (Sunday 3:30AM) is Unholy. The regular Saturday night party (10 PM) brings in Venetian and Tiara Missou. All parties have cover charges.

District Eagle: Beyond the Kinetic party on Friday, June 19 brings Gear Night at 10 PM; Saturday, June 20 at 10 PM is LOBO presents PRISM, and Sunday, June 21 is Sundaze wit Papi at 6 PM. 

African Art Museum: On Thursday, June 18 at 5 PM, this Smithsonian museum is hosting a free event with artists and curators celebrating its exhibit, “Here: Pride and Belonging in African Art,” “based on years of close collaboration and dialogue with African visual art practitioners who claim belonging in the LGBTQ+ community, however they define those terms,” according to the museum.

KNEAD Hospitality & Design: The gay-owned KNEAD restaurant group (including spots like Gatsby, Mi Vida, Succotash The Grill) is featuring the GLITTERATI cocktail, made with Tito’s, St-Germain Elderflower, Butterfly Flower, ginger, and yes, glitter. A portion of proceeds from every Glitterati cocktail sold will benefit The Trevor Project. The cocktail will be sold throughout June.

The Fountain Inn is partnering with Rhodium spirits (Rhode Island’s first LGBTQ+ owned distillery) all month, making cocktails like gimlets and espresso martinis featuring Rhodium’s liquors. Proceeds benefit SMYAL, an organization dedicated to empowering LGBTQ+ youth. 

Hard Rock Cafe: Hard Rock DC is taking part in the chain’s annual “LOVE OUT LOUD” campaign, with Pride merch, specials on June 20, and a donation to The Trevor Project.

Continue Reading

Popular