Sean Dorsey Dance graced the halls of the Mahaney Arts Center from Nov. 15 –16 to share their new project, titled “THE LOST ART OF DREAMING.”
The performance was a beautiful mixture of spoken word, expressive dance and queer joy. The central theme, “DREAMING IS YOUR BIRTHRIGHT,” was framed by 16 unique and interconnected dances, each underscored by intricate and elaborate costumes.
The universe played an important role in the first part of the show through its significant focus on the connection between humans and stars. Dorsey encouraged the audience to think of themselves relative to stardust and the fabric of the universe. Exploring the idea of stardust aimed to share how each and every individual is essentially made of the materials stars — carbon, oxygen and other elements. This idea invited the audience to consider themselves as a part of something bigger than the confinements of their bodies and to embrace an expansive imagination where we are all a unique and magical part of the universe.
Within the performance, Dorsey pushed the crowd to propel themselves forward to imagine a brighter future for all people.
Audience member Samia Adjei ’27 felt the bond between the dancers and the audience.
“The performance sort of created a community between the audience and the dancers where, it felt like we weren’t simply viewing a show but were a part of a larger message.” she said in an interview with The Campus.
“PLEASURE REVOLUTION” was arguably the most energetic and upbeat section of the performance. It focused on self-admiration and pleasure; the dancers moved to the with an energy of an empowering level of self-love and confidence.
Another standout number, “ORION”, told the stories of several constellations in our night sky. Each dancer personified a famous constellation while Dorsey spoke about the beauty and strength of each cluster of stars. Flowy blue costumes punctuated the galactic story telling.
Dorsey, a San Francisco native, is a multi-talented choreographer, dancer, teacher and trans activist. He is recognized as the first acclaimed transgender modern dance choreographer in the U.S., and has performed his work in more than 35 cities in the U.S. and abroad. Outside of his dance company, he is the founder and artistic director of Fresh Meat Productions, a non-profit organization that creates and commissions art and programs to advocate for intersectional justice and equity to lift up trans and gender non-conforming artists as change makers.
The show, which debuted in 2022 in California, and will be performed in over 10 cities along its international tour, saw five members of the dance group perform: Sean Dorsey, Brandon Graham, Héctor Jaime, David Le and Nol Simonse —- all queer, gender-non-conforming and trans dancers. Each dancer has their own impressive resume of experiences and brought their own passion to the performance.
This idea felt especially powerful in correlation with the expression of trans joy, especially in the world’s ever changing political and social climate. In such contentious times, the night felt like a love letter to marginalized communities who face violence for simply existing as themselves.
Dina Bazou ’25 was completely in love with the performance.
“I just loved it from the beginning to the end. The first dance starts with a bit of connection, connecting to oneself connecting to each other. And the idea that we're made of stardust, it makes me appreciate life a little bit more and each other a little bit more, because it really weaves in that connection that we have with ourselves. And it celebrates joy and pleasure for life and each other,” she said.
One audience member who grew up in Middlebury and now lives in Maine, traveled back to watch the show for a second time.
“We saw [Sean Dorsey] in Maine. We were so moved by it, we said, okay, we're going to Middlebury!” she said. “I am going to see it tomorrow night too, and I have more friends coming from Maine to watch.”
The show was evocative of self-love, joy and imagination — all themes we could use a bit more of in our lives.
Norah Khan '27 (she/her) is an Arts & Culture editor.
She is planning to major Political Science with a possible minor in Spanish. Outside of The Campus she is also involved with JusTalks, Matriculate.org, College Democrats, QuestBridge and the Rohatyn Global Fellows Program. Norah enjoys reading, running, listening to podcasts and drinking a good cup of chai.
