By Joey Phoenix
Queer Bodies in Motion Presents the virtual premiere of ALICE IN RAINBOWLAND on Thursday, June 10th at 8PM. Dedicated to Queer and Transgender youth in the community, ALICE is a reimagining of Lewis Carroll’s famous work as told through the medium of dance, music, and LGBTQIA2+ pride.
This original and collaborative show, staged at the Oberon in Cambridge, MA, is devised by and highlights queer artists and allies, including dancers, musicians, and the creative community from Massachusetts, New York, and Rhode Island.
Cast highlights include Lilly Rose Valore as Alice, Ana Masacote as the White Rabbit, Tina Cavicchio as the Cheshire Cat, Just JP as the White Golden Flower, and Gabriel Colon-Sciabarrasi as The Dance Cobbler.
Celebrating Queer Bodies in Motion
Queer Bodies in Motion is the brainchild of Ana Masacote (she/her/hers), internationally-renowned Afro-Latin dance specialist, passionate community advocate, founder of Dance to Power, and one of the voices behind Queer Lynn Scene (QLS).
Queer Bodies in Motion is specifically a dance project aiming to build awareness of LGBTQ discrimination and celebrate queer identity.
“I wanted to create a project that really helps highlight discrimination towards the LGBTQ community,” said Masacote. “I also want to spark some conversations for change.”
Originally, Queer Bodies in Motion had planned to produce a series of live events with flash mobs featuring LGBTQIA2+ dancers. But when COVID restrictions were put in place, the team quickly had to rethink the plan.
Image by Carven Boursiquot of Carven Creative Media.
Image by Carven Boursiquot of Carven Creative Media.
“I wanted people to be able to see queer dancers dancing, and queer partner dancing, and for it to be normalized in our society a little bit more. But with COVID we had to re-envision it as a virtual production,” Masacote said.
The inspiration for ALICE ultimately came from Black Trans performer Lilly Rose Valore, who had created a work inspired by Alice in Wonderland in the past. After a series of discussions, planning sessions, and storyline writing, the team was able to create the work that will be premiered in mid-June.
“Lilly, thankfully, trusted me to script sections, rewrite the storyline, and recreate the story around Alice in Rainbowland,” Masacote explained. “But ultimately each artist gave their own idea of how they perceived themselves in it.
“It’s been an immense collaboration with the artists, and through this you will really get to see what they wanted to say about their identity, their gender expression, and their art,” she added.
ALICE IN RAINBOWLAND premieres on Thursday, June 10th at 8:00 pm. The performance will also be available on demand through June 30th. This event, part of a larger ongoing project, is funded in part by grants from Live Arts Boston, Cambridge Arts, and is co-presented by #VirtuallyOberon.
Click here for tickets and more information.
Joey Phoenix (they/them) is the Director of Brand Strategy and Innovation at Creative Collective and a proud member of the Queer Community. As the resident storyteller and town crier, they encourage you to send story ideas, inspiration, or pictures of adorable critters to joeyphoenix@creativecollectivema.com.
May is all about May-kers! Follow us on social @creativecollectivema and @creativenorthshore to see member features. If you’re interested in being featured yourself, send Joey Phoenix a note at @joeyphoenix@creativecollectivema.com
