ABOUT OUT Dance Project
We are OUT Dance Project: building resilience by connecting rural queers through story and dance. In these times of great upheaval, transformation, and struggle, we’ve all gotten creative about building community and solidarity across distance. As queer folks living in rural Oregon we know how hard feeling like ‘the only one’ can be--even though we are here. OUT Dance Project is a community-engaged project that lifts up the personal stories of rural LGBTQIA2S+ folks and the songs most deeply connected to them, to combat that sense of isolation, illuminate connections, and build rural queer pride.
The OUT Dance Project is a series of online performances of dance pieces alongside personal stories by rural queers. We collected stories from rural LGBTQIA2S+ people across Oregon about how specific songs have carried them through life-defining moments. A selection of these stories were shared during the online public performances in March of 2021, alongside choreographed dances to the featured songs by a queer dance ensemble. After each performance, we hosted a facilitated talk-back conversation, aimed at building connections between participants, and collectively processing the material of the dances and stories and their implications.
Inspired by the Queer Songbook Orchestra and created by artists Sophie Traub and Eliot Feenstra, OUT Dance Project is based on the belief that change starts with stories, and stories are the foundation of relationships. Hearing stories that reflect your experience is a critical part of addressing the loneliness that often accompanies being rural & queer.
The OUT Dance Project is the third project of Beyond Boom & Bust, an initiative to cultivate economic resilience through the performing arts in rural Oregon.
The OUT Dance Project is a series of online performances of dance pieces alongside personal stories by rural queers. We collected stories from rural LGBTQIA2S+ people across Oregon about how specific songs have carried them through life-defining moments. A selection of these stories were shared during the online public performances in March of 2021, alongside choreographed dances to the featured songs by a queer dance ensemble. After each performance, we hosted a facilitated talk-back conversation, aimed at building connections between participants, and collectively processing the material of the dances and stories and their implications.
Inspired by the Queer Songbook Orchestra and created by artists Sophie Traub and Eliot Feenstra, OUT Dance Project is based on the belief that change starts with stories, and stories are the foundation of relationships. Hearing stories that reflect your experience is a critical part of addressing the loneliness that often accompanies being rural & queer.
The OUT Dance Project is the third project of Beyond Boom & Bust, an initiative to cultivate economic resilience through the performing arts in rural Oregon.
OUR FUNDERS & Partners
The Oregon Alliance to Prevent Suicide, Trauma Informed Oregon and the Illinois Valley Community Development Organization (IVCDO) are our partners. The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) has generously provided project funding, administered by the Association of Oregon Community Mental Health Programs.
This project is made possible through the generous support from AllCare Health, the Miller Foundation and the Josephine County Cultural Coalition.
Click here to access the OHA's LGBTQ Mini-Grant Press Release.
This project is made possible through the generous support from AllCare Health, the Miller Foundation and the Josephine County Cultural Coalition.
Click here to access the OHA's LGBTQ Mini-Grant Press Release.