Dani Tirrell (Seattle, WA) – The Beautiful
WEEKEND 2: This dance/theatre work, created and choreographed by Seattle dance artist Dani Tirrell, is centered on Dani’s relationship with America/Seattle and his identity as a gay black man. He summarizes it as: semi-patriotic, gender non-conforming Butch Queen, some heels, some Drag, and a little bit of Thug Realness.
BIO
Detroit native Dani Tirrell is a dancer, performer, choreographer and dance educator. Most recently Dani’s work has been seen at the Seattle International Festival of Dance (Seattle), Black Choreographers Festival (San Francisco), Poetry + Motion (Seattle), On the Boards: 12 Minutes Max (Seattle), Global Dance Party (Seattle), Gay City Arts: Up Close Personal and Young Tanz Sommer (Austria).
In 2012 he was awarded a grant through The Central District Forum of Arts and Ideas creation Project. Dani is currently on staff and Northwest Tap Connection and The Beacon. He has choreographed for Broadway Bound Children’s Theater (Seattle), Brown Box Theater (Seattle) and Repertory Theatre of Hope (Detroit). Dani is the founder and Artistic Director of Dani Tirrell Dance Theater/Color Lines Dance Ensemble. He currently teaches Modern, House and Vogue throughout the Seattle area.
PERFORMANCE SYNOPSIS
The Beautiful will examine the question: “What is freedom if you are gay, black, living in America and raised in the Detroit area?” Using Vogue and House dance as a base, along with contemporary modern movement, the concepts of sexuality and the human condition are explored against a backdrop of Detroit and the automotive industry. The sound score will consist of reworking American patriotic songs interwoven with House music. In this work, Dani finds himself asking:
Who were these songs were created for?
Does these songs mean the same today as when they were first written?