Arts & Entertainment
Queer company Sean Dorsey Dance preps weekend D.C. performances
Out choreographer says social justice for LGBT people is key motivation


The cast of ‘Boys in Trouble,’ a Sean Dorsey-choreographed work. (Photo by Lydia Daniller)
Sean Dorsey Dance
‘Boys in Trouble’
Saturday, May 19 at 8 p.m.
Sunday, May 20 at 7 p.m.
Dance Place
3225 8th St., N.E.
$15-30
Transgender choreographer Sean Dorsey had a love for dance from a young age but was always surrounded by cis-gender dancers. He became discouraged by the lack of representation and decided to shelve his dream.
“I never saw a single person like me, namely a transgender person, in dance. I think a part of my brain kind of shut that off as an option for my life’s journey,” Dorsey says.
At 25, Dorsey, who was pursuing a career in social justice community organizing, decided he could fuse his love for social justice with storytelling through movement.
Now 45, Dorsey is the first transgender modern dance choreographer in the U.S. The Vancouver, British Columbia native spearheads Sean Dorsey Dance, an all-queer dance company, that uses dance to tell LGBT stories. It’s a privilege Dorsey says is not given to many LGBT dancers. While Dorsey is the only transgender member of the dance company, he notes that cis-gender, LGB dancers have their own struggles.
“There is a great and tragic irony that there are many, many LGBQ in the dance field but very little work that allows those LGBQ people to be their full, authentic, out-of-the-closet selves on stage,” Dorsey says. “While there are many cis-gender gay, bisexual, lesbian, queer professional dancers and choreographers, what they mostly create or perform is work that’s rooted in heterosexual narratives with very binary movement, costumes and roles. Our company is really celebrated for breaking out of those things.”
One such work the company is performing is “Boys in Trouble,” a project Dorsey started working on three years ago. Dorsey’s choreography for the dance formed through his experience teaching free movement workshops to cis-gender, transgender, gender-non-conforming and other members of the LGBT community who identify on the masculine spectrum. He also traveled the U.S. and recorded interviews with people on the topic of masculinity.
Dorsey learned through speaking with people that there was an artistic hole for the issue of masculinity.
“We’ve really heard so loudly from communities that people’s struggles with things like toxic masculinity and peer pressure from within trans and queer communities to be the right kind of man or to be trans enough and the continued struggles of black communities and communities of color dealing with a nation founded on white supremacy,” he says. “We hurt so passionately in these communities that people are so hungry not for just dialogue about these issues but also an artistic conversation that would allow them to respond to the work and also to begin their own healing around these issues.”
“Boys in Trouble” will embark on a two-year, 20-city tour across the country following its two-night engagement at Dance Place. This is the first time the project will be on tour but Dorsey has toured with other LGBT-focused performances before.
“The Missing Generation,” which the company will simultaneously tour with along with “Boys in Trouble,” received a positive response from audiences ranging from large cities to rural areas. The performance “gives a voice to trans and queer longtime survivors of the early AIDS epidemic,” according to Dorsey. He recorded 75 hours of oral history from these survivors which was used to inspire the work.
Dorsey says that even though his projects are LGBT-focused, they can be enjoyed and understood by straight audiences as well. He believes the performance’s key themes can resonate with anyone regardless of gender identity or sexuality.
“Straight audiences are deeply moved by the work,” he says. “They tell us that seeing transgender and queer bodies on stage feels extremely resonant to them and really succeeds revealing truly universal themes and narratives like difference, loss, love or all of our deep longing to be connected to other humans.”
It’s a process Dorsey works hard to conceptualize for that exact response. Dorsey uses storytelling as a key element to bring emotional themes and social justice issues to life on stage.
“I don’t create modern dance that is just dance for dance’s sake and it’s not just random, abstract, movements. Everything that I create is driven by the themes and concepts that I’m working on.”
Sean Dorsey Dance members have a busy summer ahead of them. The company will perform at dance festivals including Fresh Meat Festival, a festival of transgender and queer performances, in San Francisco June 14-16. Fresh Meat Festival is produced by Fresh Meat Productions, a transgender and queer arts production company started by Dorsey.
The company also booked its first European gig in Stockholm, Sweden this summer. Dorsey says all these bookings are notable for a transgender choreographer.
Whether it’s introducing marginalized communities to audiences or giving a voice to audiences that felt silenced, Dorsey wants everyone to leave the theater connected by the same emotion.
“I hope that audiences will leave with a heart full to overflowing and a feeling in their body of having been altered or changed in some ways and to have experienced some kind of loving shift in their mind,” Dorsey says. “This is a work so far that has just really cracked open people’s hearts and minds.”

Sean Dorsey says there are too many binary strictures in most contemporary dance. (Photo by Lydia Daniller; courtesy SDD)

You’ve done your share of marching.
You’re determined to wring every rainbow-hued thing out of this month. The last of the parties hasn’t arrived yet, neither have the biggest celebrations and you’re primed but – OK, you need a minute. So pull up a chair, take a deep breath, and read these great books on gay history, movies, and more.
You probably don’t need to be told that harassment and discrimination was a daily occurrence for gay people in the past (as now!), but “American Scare: Florida’s Hidden Cold War on Black and Queer Lives” by Robert W. Fieseler (Dutton, $34) tells a story that runs deeper than you may know. Here, you’ll read a historical expose with documented, newly released evidence of a systemic effort to ruin the lives of two groups of people that were perceived as a threat to a legislature full of white men.
Prepared to be shocked, that’s all you need to know.
You’ll also want to read the story inside “The Many Passions of Michael Hardwick: Sex and the Supreme Court in the Age of AIDS” by Martin Padgett (W.W. Norton & Company, $31.99), which sounds like a novel, but it’s not. It’s the story of one man’s fight for a basic right as the AIDS crisis swirls in and out of American gay life and law. Hint: this book isn’t just old history, and it’s not just for gay men.
Maybe you’re ready for some fun and who doesn’t like a movie? You know you do, so you’ll want “Sick and Dirty: Hollywood’s Gay Golden Age and the Making of Modern Queerness” by Michael Koresky (Bloomsbury, $29.99). It’s a great look at the Hays Code and what it allowed audiences to see, but it’s also about the classics that sneaked beneath the code. There are actors, of course, in here, but also directors, writers, and other Hollywood characters you may recognize. Grab the popcorn and settle in.
If you have kids in your life, they’ll want to know more about Pride and you’ll want to look for “Pride: Celebrations & Festivals” by Eric Huang, illustrated by Amy Phelps (Quarto, $14.99), a story of inclusion that ends in a nice fat section of history and explanation, great for kids ages seven-to-fourteen. Also find “Are You a Friend of Dorothy? The True Story of an Imaginary Woman and the Real People She Helped Shape” by Kyle Lukoff, illustrated by Levi Hastings (Simon & Schuster, $19.99), a lively book about a not-often-told secret for kids ages six-to-ten; and “Papa’s Coming Home” by Chasten Buttigieg, illustrated by Dan Taylor (Philomel, $19.99), a sweet family tale for kids ages three-to-five.
Finally, here’s a tween book that you can enjoy, too: “Queer Heroes” by Arabelle Sicardi, illustrated by Sarah Tanat-Jones (Wide Eyed, $14.99), a series of quick-to-read biographies of people you should know about.
Want more Pride books? Then ask your favorite bookseller or librarian for more, because there are so many more things to read. Really, the possibilities are almost endless, so march on in.
Music & Concerts
Indigo Girls coming to Capital One Hall
Stars take center stage alongside Fairfax Symphony

Capital One Center will host “The Indigo Girls with the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra” on Thursday, June 19 and Friday, June 20 at 8 p.m. at Capital One Hall.
The Grammy Award-winning folk and pop stars will take center stage alongside the Fairfax Symphony, conducted by Jason Seber. The concerts feature orchestrations of iconic hits such as “Power of Two,” “Get Out The Map,” “Least Complicated,” “Ghost,” “Kid Fears,” “Galileo,” “Closer to Fine,” and many more.
Tickets are available on Ticketmaster or in person at Capital One Hall the nights of the concerts.

Friday, June 13
“Center Aging Friday Tea Time” will be at 2 p.m. in person at the DC Center for the LGBT Community’s new location at 1827 Wiltberger St., N.W. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more details, email [email protected].
Women in Their Twenties and Thirties will be at 8 p.m. at Wundergarten. An update will be posted the night of the event on where to find WiTT’s table. There’ll be a Pride flag to help people find the group. For more details, join WiTT’s closed Facebook group.
Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Pride Month Happy Hour” at 7 p.m. at Freddie’s Beach bar and Restaurant. This event is ideal for making new friends, professional networking, idea-sharing, and community building. This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
Saturday, June 14
Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Pride Month Brunch” at 11 a.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar & Restaurant. This fun weekly event brings the DMV area LGBTQ+ community, including Allies, together for delicious food and conversation. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
Rainbow History Project will host “Behind the Scenes With the Senior Curator of ‘Pickets, Protests and Parades’” at 7:30p.m. at Freedom Plaza. This behind-the-scenes experience offers a rare glimpse into the creative process behind this groundbreaking showcase of DC’s LGBTQ+ history. Learn about the bold design decisions that shaped the Quote Wall and Hero Cubes and the powerful stories that almost made the cut. Tickets cost $82 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.
Monday, June 16
“Center Aging Monday Coffee Klatch” will be at 10 a.m. on Zoom. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ+ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more details, email [email protected].
Genderqueer DC will be at 7 p.m. in person at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. This is a support group for people who identify outside of the gender binary. Whether you’re bigender, agender, genderfluid, or just know that you’re not 100% cis. For more information, visit their website at www.genderqueerdc.org or check us out on Facebook.
Tuesday, June 17
Bi+ Roundtable and Discussion will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is an opportunity for people to gather in order to discuss issues related to bisexuality or as Bi individuals in a private setting. Check out Facebook or Meetup for more information.
Wednesday, June 18
Job Club will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom. This is a weekly job support program to help job entrants and seekers, including the long-term unemployed, improve self-confidence, motivation, resilience and productivity for effective job searches and networking — allowing participants to move away from being merely “applicants” toward being “candidates.” For more information, email [email protected] or visit thedccenter.org/careers.
“Legends Live Loud: A Queer Karaoke Experience” will be at 7 p.m. at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. This will be a dynamic, Center-wide karaoke event celebrating the brilliance and cultural impact of some of our most colorful queer icons. The Center will honor legends through music, pop culture, dance, and inextinguishable liberation. For more details and to sign up, visit the DC Center’s website.
Thursday, June 19
Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Book Club” at 7:30 p.m. at Federico Ristorante Italiano. This book club is co-hosted by EQUALITY NoVa and is another opportunity to engage in a fun and rewarding activity. The group doesn’t discriminate when it comes to genres it reads – from classic literature to best selling novels to biographies to histories to gay fiction. For more details, visit Eventbrite.
Cultivating Change Foundation will host “Cultivating Pride Happy Hour” at 5:30 p.m. at Dacha Beer Garden. This Pride month, the organization is inviting LGBTQ+ people and allies in food and agriculture to come together in communities nationwide. These informal gatherings are a chance to connect, celebrate, and build community, whether it’s over coffee, a cocktail, or a conversation. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
-
World Pride 20253 days ago
WorldPride recap: Festival, parade, fireworks, and Doechii
-
U.S. Federal Courts4 days ago
Judge temporarily blocks executive orders targeting LGBTQ, HIV groups
-
Photos4 days ago
PHOTOS: WorldPride Parade
-
Photos3 days ago
PHOTOS: WorldPride Street Festival and Closing Concert