TENDER CITY: THE SILENT SLOW DANCE PROJECT Created by Kevin Jesuino

TENDER CITY: THE SILENT SLOW DANCE PROJECT is a socially engaged performance and video installation that invites queer men to participate in silent, consensual slow dances in public urban spaces. The project explores tenderness, male intimacy, and the reclamation of public space—particularly in environments historically shaped by hetero-patriarchal, capitalist design. For participants, the experience offers a somatic connection to the visibility of the queer body within the hardened architecture of the city, drawing inspiration from the subtle, coded gestures of queer cruising culture. For witnesses, it becomes an encounter with “the other” and a rare glimpse into the often unseen tenderness of masculinity.
April 19: 7 PM – 8:30 PM Public Presentation on Tender City: The Slow Dance Project by Kevin Jesuino, Nanaimo Art Gallery
June 13: Public Activation: Tender City: The Slow Dance Project
10:00 AM-12 Noon – Facilitated Workshop, Nanaimo Art Gallery Art Lab
12:30 PM-2:00 PM – Public Activation, Dallas Park (Front and Church Street)
2:15 PM-4:00 PM – Debrief with participants