The first night of the Queer Spectra Arts Festival began on a high note with DoubleTake by Meagan Bertelsen and Haileigh Larmer. This piece explored tactile movement, with dancers engaging in floor work and touching their bodies. The music by Scott Lippitt and thandii added an upbeat, celebratory, and light-hearted atmosphere to the performance, making it feel like a joyous celebration.
The highlight of the evening was The Marthaodyssey, an embodied dialogue between Martha Graham and Madonna. Far from a parody, this piece cleverly integrated Graham's iconic cupped hands with a Madonna song, creating a performance that was both humorous and thought-provoking. The solo dancer, dressed in a cape and tightie-whities, lip-synced to recordings of Graham discussing dance technique and what makes a good dancer. This creative blend of humor and homage provided a delightful end to the show.
The Marthaodyssey, photo by Essie Shaw (@essiedolly).
Among the performances, Cael Crosby's poetry readings stood out for their emotional depth and resonance. Another memorable work was the short film Dusk by Khol Avalos Bybee, which impressed with its well-crafted dialogue, striking visuals, and effective use of blue tones, adding a layer of visual poetry to the narrative.
Saturday's performances were equally compelling, starting with One Day I Will Be on Time by Charlotte Stemeyer. The dancers wore eye-catching, sexy Victorian-era costumes adorned with lace, pearls, and corsets. Some sections of the dance were performed without music, with the dancers creating rhythms through clapping and footwork in a group locomotive shape. This innovative approach was visually and auditorily captivating, making the performance stand out.
Creator Destroyer by Chloe Barry was a mesmerizing screendance in which the performers embodied the power and beauty of volcanoes and lava. As a volcanologist, Chloe's deep appreciation for the subject was evident in her performance. The screendance featured video of spewing lava paired with Chloe dancing with a bundle of red string lights, symbolizing lava. The film's editing, which overlaid erupting volcanoes with Chloe's dance, created a stunning visual effect, making it appear as if she was dancing on the volcano itself. Chloe's use of red string lights wrapped around her body added to the mesmerizing imagery, making it look as if she was in direct contact with the flowing lava.
Another standout was Undefinable / Fabrication Together / We Experience by Milo Ono, Edison Corvera, Jordan Reynosa, and Hunter Hazard. This short but impactful dance featured well-executed lifts and choreography. Hunter's music composition complemented the dance beautifully, enhancing the overall performance. A particularly intriguing element was watching the dancers put on clothes from a pile on the ground, adding a layer of spontaneity and creativity to the piece.
Rae Luebbert's screendance Greenware: My Queer Clay Body was another highlight. The film began with text explaining that greenware is clay that has been shaped but not yet fired, setting the stage for the visual and thematic exploration that followed. I felt like I could hear Rae’s voice in the written text, it was very concise and effective. The film featured scattered images and videos of the clay-shaping process, displayed in small squares, which allowed viewers to follow different stages of the process simultaneously. The middle section of the screen was filled with video clips resembling the curved and rounded shapes of the clay, creating a visually cohesive effect. The ending, which combined the sounds of the pottery wheel, the slapping clay, and Rae’s hands shaping the clay, formed a satisfying auditory experience that left a wonderful sensory impression.
The festival concluded with the whimsical and joyful I Feel All Right by Severin Sargent-Catterton and Sophia Heiner. This dance explored the multifaceted nature of love and collective joy without the need for explicit explanation. The joy on the dancers' faces and the playfulness in the choreography were palpable. Set to ABBA’s "Super Trouper," the music choice was perfect, adding to the happy and upbeat atmosphere of the performance. The symmetry of the dance and the dancers’ beautiful technique provided a visually pleasing and emotionally uplifting finale to the festival.
Overall, the Queer Spectra Arts Festival showcased a rich tapestry of performances and artworks that celebrated queer identity through innovative and diverse artistic expressions. Each piece, whether it was dance, film, or poetry, contributed to a vibrant and thought-provoking exploration of what it means to be queer in today's world. The festival not only entertained but also challenged and inspired, making it a memorable and significant cultural event.
Shelby Strickler's dance journey began in Baltimore, Maryland. Having graduated with a BFA in Modern Dance from the University of Utah in December 2023, she is a performer and teacher in Salt Lake City, passionately sharing her love for dance.