“When he came out of anonymity, he let people into a space where he could be open,” said dance choreographer Ruben Martinez, founder of the Danceteria collective, of the collaboration between Sam Smith and Joseph Hardy, the co-founder of queer space Sensory Spectrum. “From that, we’ve grown as a community, as a community of artists and storytellers.
“There’s a lot of conversation and ideas that are happening in the queer space that are being overlooked,” Martinez added. “Every year, we’re able to talk about our stories and our desires as a community. We’re able to discuss what it means to have a queer space.”
In this week’s episode of Mentors on the Run, we chat with Martinez, Sam Smith and others about why the spaces they inhabit are so important to them — and how a little help goes a long way.
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On my break from teaching 10th grade at the local high school, I got to hang out with dance choreographer Ruben Martinez and pianist Drew Martin. Martinez and Miller began the Danceteria collective, a community for artists and performers, in Stuyvesant Town in 1994. They’ve expanded to dance concerts and trans-celebration workshops in Chelsea and beyond, where they promote dance, activism and creativity in a public space.
Elsewhere in the episode, we’re all treated to a snippet of DANCEROOP, “the world’s first non-stereotypical drag posse of course,” brought to you by choreographer Dominique Davis.
Will pay you 25 bucks for the privilege.
