Michael Kearns attended the wonderful “Rise Up and Shout” Saturday and reports that the performances were “thrilling.” So are the photographs courtesy of Jeff Xander Photography – Karen O.
The performing artists who comprised the voluptuous pastiche that was appropriately named Rise Up and Shout proved with a deep profundity (and often delicious profanity) that queers know how navigate the stage.
From the time-honored tradition of pink-feathered and Kabuki-inspired drag to the Twenty First Century expressiveness of bombastic gay rap, these kids put on a spectacular show with the help of their Mickey-Judy elders: Jim Pentecost, Don Kilhefner, Mark Thompson and Brian Gleason. This was mentoring in action; experiencing a flock of fabulously-hued butterflies emerge from their pent-up (and often tormented) cocoons.
These renegade stars tossed a few f-bombs but what they mostly hurled at their adoring audience were Q-bombs: that’s “Q” for Queer with a capital “Q.” Defying the conventions of what is beautiful, what is masculine, what is feminine, what is sexy and even what is “gay,” these multi-dimensional performers were not only entertaining us, they were testifying in front of a hungry audience of GLBT supporters. Being “out and proud” is often employed as a convenient cliché. Not so for this lineup of flamboyantly boisterous entertainers; “out and proud” doesn’t begin to describe the degree of self-passion.
Thrilling, fucking thrilling.
On a personal note, I want to acknowledge an intergenerational coup, teaming my 15-year old daughter Tia and my longtime comrade Jim J. Bullock, both working behind the scenes with a team of worker bees who don’t share the spotlight but do share the camaraderie that made Rise Up and Shout such a fantastic ride.
Here’s a visual taste, courtesy of Jeff Xander Photography –
Subscribe to RSS
no comment until now