From October 9 – December 10, the award-winning contemporary dance company RAWdance conjures our queer ancestors to create a series of duets of men in love, inspired by found, historic images in “LOVING: A Photographic History of Men in Love 1850s – 1950s” by Hugh Nini and Neal Treadwell. The exhibit at 836M puts the creative process on display, including rehearsals, source material used by the artists, and the queer history of the Jackson Square/Barbary Coast neighborhood.
The residency culminated in a series of free performances featuring a cast of eight stellar dancers, an original score by Joel St. Julien, and costumes by Mary Domenico. You are encouraged to join Shawn Sprockett for a free, special tour of forgotten venues surrounding 836M one hour before each performance. This abbreviated 30-minute version of his celebrated Unspeakable Vice tour, unearthing Jackson Square’s lost queer history, lays the groundwork for the historically-rooted duets in Loving Still.