2 June 2022 12:16

Celebrating Pride Month

We will be sharing stories and celebrating the contribution of dancers from the LGBTQIA+ community, so check back throughout June for more stories, articles, podcasts and resources.

At the RAD, we are also committed to understanding the issues affecting the LGBTQIA+ community and we’ll be sharing your stories and experiences all year round. So, whether you’re a part of the community or an ally, let us know about the issues you’ve faced, or what you’d like to celebrate.

Have you supported a student to feel more comfortable with their identity? Did dance help you find your pride? What do you do to make your dance classes an inclusive environment? Are you going to a Pride parade or party?

Email us with your stories and photos for a chance to be featured here on the website or in our Members’ Area. If you’re celebrating in style this month don’t forget to use the hashtag #ProudToBeRAD to be featured on our social media pages.

Proud to be an Ally

The RAD's Chief Executive on what it means to be an LGBTQIA+ ally.

Hear from Faculty of Education student Chantelle, who talks about her experiences at RAD and offers advice on supporting others in the LGBTQIA+ community

"The RAD gave me opportunities to be comfortable in myself and realise that ‘lesbian Chantelle’ and ‘dance Chantelle’ were just ‘Chantelle’ and that’s something to be proud of." Find out more >

The first place I could be myself

Trans ballet dancer, and RAD student, Sophie Rebecca, on what dance means to her.

#QueertheBallet

Choreographer Adriana Pierce created the initiative, #QueertheBallet, to broaden the definition and representation of classical ballet to meaningfully include lgbtq+ narratives and creative voices. Focusing on queer women, non-binary, and trans dancers in ballet, #QueertheBallet explores choreographic connections often absent from ballet stages and seeks to “queer” our ballet spaces with intention, authenticity, and pride.

"“#QueertheBallet plans not only to boost the visibility of queer female and non-binary dancers, but also to disrupt ballet’s gendered movement system altogether, tossing out some traditional aspects of the male-female pas de deux while reinventing others."
Emily Dixon, The Guardian

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Having an understanding...

An RAD teacher shares her experience about supporting a Trans student at her school.

James Whiteside interview

“Sensitivity, grace, artistry – those are all typically associated with femininity. Those, for a male, are negatives. I don’t agree with that." Find out more

Beyond Male/Female: Nonbinary Dancers Forging Their Own Paths.

Article by Dance Magazine Image: Holly Sass and author Jonathan Matthews- Guzaman in Breaktime's 'Parting Glass'. Photo by Natalie Deryn Johnson

Harper Waters interview

"The dance studio has always been a place where I can turn the volume up to a ten on who I am.” Find out more

Here, queer and dancing

A male pairing on the British tv show Strictly Come Dancing shone a spotlight on the LGBTQ+ dance scene. Emily Garside explores the history and power of queer dance in Dance Gazette.

And the category is

Voguing and classical ballet seem worlds apart. Anna Winter invites leaders from these very different worlds to share some Royal Ballet realness. Find out more

Queer Perspectives from The Australian Ballet

In late 2020 some of the dancers of The Australian Ballet provided their Queer Perspectives, talking about how their identity has shaped their art, and their advice for queer ballet boys.

Find out more >

Resources

Please see resources here from One Dance UK for supporting transgender dancers.

“I know I’m not the only one” – Lesbians in Ballet talk about community, finding their dancestors and reimagining canonical works in is New York Times Article.
“You should be able to be any version of a human that you are, and that you want to be, and do the art form that you love.” Katy Pyle