Fresh Meat 2011
“fierce and fine tuned…history in the making” (Bay Area Reporter)
Outrageously popular, artistically outstanding, powerful and always delicious … The Fresh Meat Festival is the nation’s premiere transgender and queer performance festival. This year, Fresh Meat celebrates its 10th Anniversary with a BANG and an all-star lineup!
The Fresh Meat Festival is proud to present America’s Best Dance Crew superstars VOGUE EVOLUTION in their first Bay Area appearance! Don’t miss this 4-shows-only engagement with the nation’s fiercest vogue crew. (Advance tickets recommended.)
Special guests top a massive 10th Anniversary lineup including Vogue Evolution (New York), same-sex ballroom world champions Robbie Tristan and Willem DeVries (Los Angeles), trapeze superstar Cohdi Harrell (New Mexico), Sean Dorsey Dance, the Gay Asian Pacific Alliance Men’s Chorus, Na Lei Hulu I Ka Wekiu, Shawna Virago, StormMiguel Florez, Natasha Muse, Emily Leap and Amir Rabiyah. Nightly lineup at www.freshmeatproductions.org.
Fresh Meat Productions builds community through the arts by creating, presenting and touring year-round transgender arts programs. We are the first and only organization of our kind in the nation. Fresh Meat’s programs include the annual Fresh Meat Festival of transgender and queer performance, Sean Dorsey Dance’s local and touring performances, and media arts events. Founded by Artistic Director Sean Dorsey, Fresh Meat Productions celebrates our Tenth Anniversary Season this year!
Performer Biographies
Vogue Evolution
Vogue Evolution (NYC) is New York City’s premier vogue dance company. They achieved worldwide acclaim on America’s Best Dance Crew and made MTV history as an all-gay and transgender company. Vogue Evolution is comprised of some of New York’s most respected and creative leaders in the House/Ballroom scene.
Vogue Evolution’s mission is to both entertain and educate world audiences about House/Ballroom culture, which emerged during the Harlem Renaissance and for decades has influenced pop culture and media. The House-Ballroom Scene is a culture of celebration, competition and unity, where house members from all over the country gather and compete at events called “Balls” in different categories such as “Face,” “Runway” and the ever-popular “Vogue”.
Vogue Evolution began as the brain child of ballroom veteran Pony Zion who then collaborated with Dashawn Evisu, Michael Roberson, Sage Mugler and Leiomy Maldonado. Vogue Evolution also works to empower Black and Latino LGBT youth around self-value and to educate the community around HIV/AIDS awareness. Vogue Evolution takes responsibility for the cultural evolution in and out of the “ballroom scene” striving to create powerful change in the world. www.myspace.com/voguetheory1
Sean Dorsey Dance – Photo By Lydia Daniller
Sean Dorsey Dance – Sean Dorsey is a San Francisco choreographer, dancer and writer. He has been awarded two Isadora Duncan Dance Awards and the Goldie Award for Performance. He was recently named one of the nation’s top “25 to Watch” by Dance Magazine. Sean Dorsey Dance has been named “San Francisco’s Best Dance/Performance Company” (SF Weekly), and Dorsey’s suite of dances Lou was named one of the “Top Dances of 2009” (SF Bay Guardian).
Dorsey has performed his work extensively throughout the Bay Area and on tour in the US and Canada. He has collaborated with artists including the Wachowski Brothers (Directors, The Matrix), Kate Bornstein and Antony and the Johnsons, and has been featured on PBS-TV, NPR radio, and in national and local publications.
Dorsey isthe founder and Artistic Director of Fresh Meat Productions, the nation’s first nonprofit organization to create and present year-round transgender arts programs. Fresh Meat’s programs include the popular annual June Fresh Meat Festival, Sean Dorsey Dance’s local and touring engagements and media arts programs.
At the Fresh Meat Festival, Sean Dorsey Dance will perform excerpts from their new concert, The Secret History Of Love. Sean welcomes your invitations and contacts to help tour this concert to other cities. www.freshmeatproductions.org
Storm Miguel Florez – Photo By Sarah Deragon
StormMiguel Florez: In June 2010, StormMiguel released his latest solo project, Long Lost Sun, through his label, Bad Flower Music. StormMiguel’s unique and haunting vocals and Americana-folk guitar style invite the listener to reflect on his life and loves growing up queer, transgender, and assimilated Mexican American. While his songs are personal, his music and lyrics weave together universal themes of love, loss, family, culture, and complex identities that resonate with listeners from all backgrounds and experiences. StormMiguel is passionate about connecting audiences with queer and transgender musicians. He’s the founder of internet based Bad Flower Radio, and is currently studying music recording and production. www.stormflorez.com.
GAPA Chorus – Photo By GAPA Chorus
The GAPA Men’s Chorus gives voice to queer Asian Pacific men through song. A significant cultural component of the Gay Asian Pacific Alliance (GAPA), the Chorus was formed in 1989 to provide a showcase for the vocal music talents of gay & bisexual Asians & Pacific Islanders. Its varied and multilingual repertoire includes songs in Mandarin, Tagalog, Japanese, Hawaiian, Latin, French, Spanish, and English, among others. Particularly effective in outreaching to the mainstream LGBT and Asian Pacific communities, the Chorus promotes GAPA’s goals by highlighting diversity and queer Asian Pacific visibility at its every appearance. www.gapa.org/gapa-mens-chorus
Cohdi Harrell
Cohdi Harrell (New Mexico) is an acrobatic performance maker currently based in the high desert of northern New Mexico. Interested in subtlety more than spectacle, and transition over trick, his unique style of poetic acrobatics has brought him international attention and into a myriad of projects and collaborations. Cohdi is the co-creator of Ricochet, a contemporary circus duo whose intimate theatrical circus shows have toured to sold out audiences across the country. He is currently involved in an ongoing project, Red Room, a queer cabaret in Zagreb, Croatia, and will be joining the Santa Fe Opera for their summer season. Cohdi is dedicated to the progression of contemporary circus as a global art form, and is committed to doing his part to help put America on the map. http://www.ricochet.name/
Emily Leap
Emily Leap is an aerialist and dancer. She trained on static trapeze at the San Francisco Circus Center with Elena Panova. Her solo trapeze work has, over the years, taken her from clubs in SF and NY to shopping malls in Manila to a castle in the French countryside and lots in between. In 2005 she was given the award for Best Aerial Act at the American Circus Festival. Before fleeing San Francisco in 2008, she was working with Lizz Roman and Dancers and Keith Hennessy/Circo Zero. In 2009 she received and Izzie Award for her work with Circo Zero. Now that she is maybe, possibly back in San Francisco, she is working with Sara Shelton Mann and Joanna Haigood/Zaccho Dance Theater. She has a degree in English Literature from UC Berkeley. She is very pleased that, after years of teasing, Sean finally invited her into the Fresh Meat Festival. www.emilyleap.itv2.de/
Natasha Muse. Courtesy Photo
Natasha Muse is not only the winner of the 2010 “Battle of the Bay Comedy Competition” she’s also guaranteed to be at least the second-funniest transsexual you know. Natasha’s cerebral wit has gotten her in the door at the San Francisco Punchline, Purple Onion and all the best comedy clubs and shows in our vicinity. She is adored by her peers, easy on the eyes, and a force to be reckoned with on Twitter. Natasha also is the host and producer of San Francisco’s long-running underground hit “A Funny Night for Comedy,” and the podcast, “Too Soon.” www.natashaMuse.com
NC Lei Hulu I Ka Wikiu. Courtesy Photo
NC Lei Hulu I Ka Wikiu’s acclaimed dance company presents hula as a full theatrical experience that blends traditional and contemporary forms of Hawaiian dance. Founded in 1985 by Director/Kumu Hula, Patrick Makuakane, the company of 40 dancers is known for its unique contemporary style called hula mua, or “hula that evolves.” The style blends traditional movements with non-Hawaiian music like opera, electronic, dance, alternative, and pop. Both hula mua and authentic, traditional pieces are showcased in the company’s visually captivating stage productions. www.naleihulu.org
Amir Rabiyah. Courtesy Photo
Amir Rabiyah lives in Oakland, California. He received his BA in Women’s Studies from Portland State University and his MFA in Writing and Consciousness from the New College of California. He has performed and read his poetry, fiction and non-fiction all over the US. Amir has been published in Mizna, Riffrag, Tea Party Magazine, the Kearny Street Workshop’s anthology: I Saw My Ex at a Party, Left Turn Magazine and Gender Outlaws: The Next Generation. He was a finalist in Cutthroat Magazine’s 2008 Joy Harjo Poetry Contest. He featured with the Men’s Story Project at UC Berkeley, a performance and dialogue performance project which explores and deconstructs social ideas about masculinity. On another note, Amir also loves glitter, sauciness, and secretly wishes he could breakdance. www.amirrabiyah.yolasite.com
Robbie Tristan and Willem de Vries
Robbie Tristan and Willem de Vries are one of the most successful Same Sex Ballroom duos: they have both won World Champion titles and together they hold a Gay Games Silver medal. They perform all over the United States and Europe.
William de Vries appeared on Season 6 of ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ where he made a statement for the rights of all same-sex partners to be able to dance, compete, and be treated equally and fairly, judged solely on their technique rather than on their sex or sexual preference. As a Philadelphia DanceSport champion, British Open Pink Jukebox Trophy winner, United States Men’s Latin Champion, and Gold Medalist for U.S.A. at the 2006 World OutGames, de Vries has also appeared on ABC/Out.com, SheWired.com and VH1’s ‘Tough Love’ and has worked with Vanessa Williams, Gilles Marini, Melissa Rycroft and Kate Walsh.
Robbie Tristan began Ballroom dancing at the age of 7 and won the Junior National Champion title at the age of 11 in his home country, Hungary. His musical theatre credits include the Eastern European tour of Cats. His highest achievements are in International Same Sex style, where Robbie has won the European and World Champion titles, the later for both Standard, Latin and Show Dance, making him and his dance partner the only Same Sex Dancers who have all the World Champion Titles. He has been featured in Good Day LA, NBC Raw, LA Times Magazine and the People issue of LA Weekly as one of the up and coming people in LA. www.DancingWithPride.com www.RobertTristan.com www.thewill2dance.net
Shawna Virago – Photo By Lydia Daniller
Shawna Virago (Performer) is a singer/songwriter whose music twists together folk punk and roots music creating anthems for a new generation. Her songs are raw observations about survival in a predatory world, sticking up for the underdog, queer love and gender outlaws. Her performances are celebrated for their compelling mix of original songs, storytelling and standup.
Virago has toured extensively to theaters, clubs, Festivals, Pride stages, colleges and universities. Recent appearances have included the National Queer Arts Festival, The San Francisco Trans March Stage, The Femme Conference, The Tranny Roadshow, The Fresh Meat Festival, The San Francisco Transgender Film Festival, HomoAGoGo, Sex Workers Art Show, Los Angeles Pride, Long Beach Pride, San Francisco Pride, and more.
Virago is also the Artistic Director of the San Francisco Transgender Film Festival and her own films have screened throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe. Virago is also a published writer and her latest work is included in Gender Outlaws The Next Generation. Miss Virago also composed original music for Sean Dorsey Dance’s acclaimed dance theater work Uncovered: The Diary Project, about pioneering transman Lou Sullivan. www.shawnavirago.com