Black Queer Dance: Gay Men and the Politics of Passing for Almost Straight

Mark Broomfield’s new book, Black Queer Dance, examines one of the most visible crucibles for masculinity—the male dancer—and illuminates the contradictory and conditional acceptance of Black gay men’s contributions to American modern dance. The book questions the politics of "coming out" and situates a new framework of "doing out" for understanding marginalized black LGBTQ people in the 20th and 21st century. Based on ethnographic fieldwork in New York City, Black Queer Dance features contributions by acclaimed dancer-choreographers Desmond Richardson and Dwight Rhoden Co-Artistic Directors of Complexions Contemporary Ballet and Ronald K. Brown, Artistic Director of Evidence, who offer an expansive vision of masculinity.

Looking at imagery, video footage, live performance, and readings, this program features Broomfield in conversation with Duane Cyrus, Carlos Jones, and Aubrey Lynch, as they discuss nuanced perspectives of how Black masculinity functions in the lives of professional male dancers that expose the illusions of gender performance.

Photo Credit: Elizabeth Roxas and Desmond Richardson in Donald McKayle’s Rainbow 'round My Shoulder. Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture and Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, Inc., Photography by Jack Mitchell, © Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, Inc. and Smithsonian Institution, All rights reserved. Jerome Robbins Dance Division.

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