OUTdoor Offerings

SATURDAY, JUNE 15 @7PM

City Heights Performance Annex

For our final evening of performances, we’re pleased to showcase a beautiful array of queer performance by local and visiting artists. Join us for a showcase of works by Adam Shay (he/ they), Alyah Baker (she/her), Amelia Rose  Estrada (she/her) & Gabriel Mata (he/him), Annalise Carrillo Constantz (she/they) & Melí Gómez (they/them), Era James (she/her), Lavina Rich (she/her), Sam Arrow (they/them), Shannon Yu (sha/shas) aka SHA Creative Outlet, and Esteban Rosales (he/him) & Avery Polster (he/him/her).Reminder to bring a blanket and/or chair as this event is held outdoors.

This event is ADA accessible. DISCO RIOT is committed to accessibility and holds with great care the needs of our entire community, especially those who are disabled. We encourage you to contact Alyssa Rose, Program Coordinator (email: operations@disoriot.org) regarding any specific accommodation needs.

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Adam Shay is a movement-based artist currently residing in the Bay Area. Before moving, he spent the past 5 years in San Diego as an active volunteer in the Dance and Arts communities. Adam discovered his passion for dance while in Undergrad at Purdue University, and has since performed in venues including ODC and Safehouse Arts in San Francisco as well as at the Midwest American Collegiate Dance Association. With a background and professional career in Game Development and Interactive Media, Adam's interests lie at the intersection of digital media and performance art. He explores ideas in how technology and its impacts express themselves in art, as well as curious to expand more ways of incorporating immersive technologies into dance. @throwinshayde

Alyah Baker is a dance artist, scholar, and choreographer working at the intersection of art and embodied activism. She holds an MFA in Dance: Embodied Interdisciplinary Praxis, a B.A. in Sociology, and a minor in Dance from Duke University. In her work, Alyah examines power, the politics of place, and identity while centering liberation and joy. She is deeply committed to accessible arts education and building equitable creative ecosystems. Alyah has been recognized in local and national media, including Dance Teacher Magazine and the New York Times. American Dance Festival, Queering Dance Festival, Oakland Ballet, and others have commissioned Alyah’s choreography. In 2021, Alyah founded AB Contemporary Dance, a project-based company exploring storytelling, queer aesthetics, and Black feminist praxis. The company's current project, Quare Dance, is a recipient of the 2023 - 24 National Performance Network Creation and Development Fund. @blackandbrownballet

Amelia Rose Estrada & Gabriel Mata are Latinx queer artists in Washington DC. Their work as choreographers, educators, and interdisciplinary performers explore issues of identity and intergenerational relationality. Through dance and voice, they articulate the nuanced narratives of their marginalized experiences, challenging societal norms. Their work serves as a vibrant tapestry, weaving together the threads of queerness and Latinx heritage. As educators, they empower the next generation with tools for self-expression and resilience. Intergenerational relationality is a focal point of their work and they aim to bridge gaps and foster understanding between people of different backgrounds and experiences. These artists illuminate the diverse hues of their existence, celebrating queerness and Latinidad in a harmonious dance of cultural affirmation. @gabrielmatamoving -  www.gabrielmatamovement.com , @melzestrada - www.aremoves.com

Melí Gómez & Annalise Carrillo Constantz are children and grandchildren of immigrants and farmworkers. They dance together to connect to themselves, each other, their ancestors, and the land. They dance to make sense of it all. Meli Gómez (they/them) is a first generation queer artist. They attended UCSC, earning a BA in Theater Arts, minor in dance. They've been involved in multiple projects locally through acting, film, and dance. They have performed in works with GERALDCASELDANCE, Chloe Rosen, and were part of the first annual Black and Brown Queer Dance Festival. Today they continue weaving their intersecting identities into their movement work. Their primary focus through their work is navigating movement amidst the waves of chronic pain, processing and feeling. Annalise Carrillo Constantz (she/they) is dance/performance artist who grew up beneath the oak trees on Ramaytush Ohlone land. She’s queer, she’s Mexican, and she’s kinda crunchy. She has performed in works with GERALDCASELDANCE, Alex Law, and REYESdance, amongst others. Annalise teaches kindergarten, makes their own dance work, and plays bass in a punk band called gutfux. @xmeliii @tendr0ni

Manila born and San Diego raised, Era is an artist and community leader specializing in dance. For nearly 20 years, Era has been fortunate to be a part of numerous dance teams and organizations throughout California including Culture Shock San Diego where she is currently a work study program coordinator, instructor and troupe member. Era has also started a grassroots performing arts organization named The Healing Arts Embassy a.k.a. THAE that hoping to bring healing and life sustainability to artists through the use of education, opportunities and resources. In recent years she has focused training in arts forms such as hip hop, whacking, house and other street and club styles.  @erajames_

Lavina Rich, choreographer and founder of Push Process Movement, is focused on exploring the human experience through movement. She studied dance at Grossmont College and then UCSD with many of San Diego’s finest dance creators and educators. Since then, Lavina has performed with many local companies and international artists. Lavina had the privilege of dancing as an original member of bkSoul. Lavina has established herself as a patron and diverse contributor to the San Diego dance community. Lavina was one of the first recipients of the Emerging Artist program through the Arts District at Liberty Station- which gave her residency in Dance Place for eighteen months to create work. While there, she was able to create several new works for The La Jolla Playhouse WOW Festival, Disco Riot’s Queer Mvmnt Festival, San Diego Dance Theater’s Live Arts Festival. In 2022 she was recognized in the San Diego Union Tribune’s LGBTQ Pride Week feature. @knerdgirl @pushprocessmvnt

Sam Arrow (They/Them/Theirs) is a dance artist creating work that feels both personal and universal. Their art centers on family needs within ableist, heteronormative, oppressive structures. They are a micro activist who draws on their life as a parent and partner, and knowledge about the human body to empower those around them. They trained in dance, including ballet, modern and jazz from the age of 8 and graduated with a BFA in Dance from the University of Arizona and then earned a Doctorate in Physical therapy from the AZ School of Health Sciences.They are a Permanent Artist in Residence with [nueBOX] and business owner of Arrow Physical Therapy, which specializes in pelvic floor health. @samand___

Shannon Yu 余香儒(sha/shas) is a Lenapehoking(Brooklyn)-based artist from Taiwan. Sha holds an MFA in Performance and Performance Studies from Pratt Institute and a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from National Taiwan University. Shannon identifies as a multi-disciplinary artist, dancer-choreographer, and queer creator. Sha practices Breaking, Hip Hop, Contemporary floorwork, and Wing Tsun Martial Arts. Shannon is the founder and Artistic Director of multimedia dance company SHA Creative Outlet. Sha has shown work at La MaMa, Movement Research in Judson Memorial Church, Triskelion Arts, Abrons Art Center, The Landmark Loew's Theater, and has been awarded residencies with Dance in Bushwick, Chen Dance Center, New Dance Alliance, and The Center at West Park. Shannon has been in festivals such as Performance Mix Festival, the Evolution Festival, YES! Dance Festival, Your Moves Dance Festival, and WOW Festival. Shannon is named 2023 Asian American Arts Alliance’s Jadin Wong Fellow for Dance. @hsiangru.yu @shacreativeoutlet

Esteban Rosales is a Mexican-American movement artist from Phoenix, Arizona. He values abstract composition as much as performance quality, pulling inspiration from existential nihilism, glamour and absurdity. In Phoenix, he dances for Safos Dance Theatre, Yes & Productions, and Weird & Wonderful. He is presenting his next evening-length work, ROBOTICA, fall 2024. @Licensedputo - https://estebanrosalesdance.wixsite.com/main 

Avery Polster is a mover, creator, and teacher based in LA. A two dollar sign on Google maps type of bitch. (recent) solo work for DISCORIOT’s inaugural Queer Dance Fest. Summer 2022. Multimedia performance and installation at Cerritos College, a collaboration with dear friend Avia Ramm. Fall 2022. @avery.polster

Although RSVP helps us prepare for your attendance, on the day of the show, seating is first come first serve. So show up on time or early to ensure you will have a seat!

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For more information about the week of Queer Mvmnt Fest: https://discoriot.org/qmf24/