The Queer Joy Repertory Experience

Community Contemporary is created for diverse bodies/identities by Angelina Benitez (she/they), a queer, fat, biracial dancer. The class builds community through movement, conversation, and consent-based practice, and redefines contemporary dance (often depicted as thin, white, heteronormative and wealthy) as a space for all people to explore their creativity regardless of their prior dance experience (or lack thereof).

The Queer Joy Repertory Experience

This summer, the Repertory Experience extension of the program invites class participants to co-create a short dance film highlighting queer joy that will be released online. We seek to make queer joy visible in this dance experience and encourage participants to grow in their ability to take up space and be perceived. On filming day we’ll spend time moving outside, film with Olivia Moon/Olivia Moon Photography, take “Queer Joy” portraits with Allie Krystofik/Allie Krystofik Photography, and dance to music by Anaís Azul in the sunflower field of Lexington Community Farm.

Please note:

In this program, participants will be asked to make space for vulnerability as they explore the complexities of gender, sexual orientation, comfort/discomfort, queer icons/organizers, perception, and euphoria individually and in groups. Rehearsal will be processed-based and include a variety of get-to-know-you(rself) activities and compositional exercises. Students will be guided through creating their own movement, and journaling/drawing as much as being given “set choreography”. Over the course of 12 weeks we’ll try to answer:

• How can we explore the spectrum of queerness through movement?
• How can we tap into familiar movement patterns in order to create new ones?
• How do we embody queer joy?

Movement can stir up stored emotion in your body, and - paired with these topics - it may feel challenging at times. We hope for this to be a brave space where we can get a little out of our comfort zones and into our “growing zones”. Angie encourages advocating for what you need during class whether that means sitting out, eating a snack, taking a long bathroom break, or giving The Click feedback about class.

FINANCIAL ACCESSIBILITY

We understand that the queer community faces unique financial challenges. Thanks to private donors, we are able to offer 2 full and 3 partial scholarships to this program. Partial scholarships will be $75 off tuition - recipients will pay a total of $125, with no additional Eventbrite fees applied. Apply with this simple form by end of day Monday, May 5. Applications will be reviewed by Angie & The Click’s Education Committee, and all applicants will be notified of decisions no later than May 23.

With Gratitude

This program is made possible in part by resource support from The Dance Complex and Lexington Community Farm, and rehearsal space awarded to Angie via the Boston Foundation's Next Steps for Boston Dancers grant program. We are able to offer full and partial scholarships due to the generosity of three anonymous donors.

DETAILED SCHEDULE (READ PRIOR TO REGISTERING)

This program consists of class, rehearsal, and filming. Please read the following detailed scheduling carefully.

CLASS:

Thursdays June 12-August 14 (excluding July 3) 6:30-8pm at The Dance Complex

REHEARSAL:

Thursdays at The Dance Complex

June 12: 8-9pm

June 19: 8-9pm

June 26: 8-8:30pm

July 17: 8-8:30pm

July 24: 8-8:30pm

July 31: 8-8:30pm

August 7: 8-8:30pm

August 14: 8-8:30pm

FILMING:

Sunday, August 31 3-7:30pm

RAIN DATE: Sunday, September 7 3-7:30pm

*PLEASE NOTE: There is NO CLASS OR REHEARSAL on July 3. There IS class but NO REHEARSAL on July 10.

This registration page is only for the Repertory Experience. If you wish to register as a drop in student for class only, .

PROGRAM POLICIES

1. Registration in advance is required.
2. We do not offer refunds or transfers for this program. Please be sure about your availability and desire to participate prior to registering.
3. Please note that we do not have the capacity to answer questions about registration via Instagram DMs or Facebook Messenger. We also do not check messages sent through Eventbrite. Any questions or concerns about class registration should be sent to Ym9zdG9uY2xpY2tub3RjbGlxdWUgfCBnbWFpbCAhIGNvbQ==.

About the Instructor:

Angie Benitez (she/they) graduated from Salem State University with a B.A. in Modern/Contemporary Dance and has since studied at Bates Dance Festival and continues to study with local Boston-based artists. Angie has immersed herself in teaching dance and performing in the Greater Boston area at local studios, schools and residencies through organizations such as The Click, Human Movement Project, and at High Street Studios. Her recent performance experience includes local arts festivals and events such as Moving Through March, Roots & Routes, Verse / Visual, 24 Hour ChoreoFest, Salem Arts Festival, and more. Much of her work is focused on collaboration and community. When she’s not teaching dance, you can find her writing poetry, working as a social media strategist, creating fiber art, and meditating with her plants.

About The Click:

Developed in 2021, The Click is a collaborative dance company and creative collective in Greater Boston. Its members are dancers whose primary medium of physical expression is through contemporary dance forms, but who experiment in many modes and genres of creativity. As a collective, The Click’s members are each deeply invested in answering the universally complex question: who am I and what am I doing here?

The Click contributes to the consistent presence of creativity in Boston and beyond in several ways: by educating pre-professional youth dancers, professional adult dancers and the dance-curious of any age; performing original creations several times a year at traditional and non-traditional venues across Massachusetts, New England and beyond; and by investing in the curiosity of those new to dance in Boston or new to dance in general by maintaining an open, inclusive and accessible community.

Follow us on Instagram: @the.click.boston

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