A Sense of Shifting: Queer Artists Reshaping Dance

For this kinetic illustrated survey, Romack (Queer), assistant managing editor of T magazine, teams up with photographer Malka to capture queer performers who are destabilizing spaces usually reserved for traditional dance. Running the stylistic gamut from hip-hop to ballet, chapters highlight San Francisco’s “Sundance Stompede,” a country western festival where queer dancers reclaim “Wild West aesthetics” from the genre’s sometimes-heteronormative associations; how queer themes subtly animate the work disability arts ensemble Kinetic Light does to challenge mainstream concepts of accessibility; and queer performance artist NIC Kay, who incorporates clips of such internet dance trends as the Renegade into their pieces to demonstrate how Black dance practices have been historically co-opted. While some entries are stronger than others (despite excellent photos, an essay on the Masterz at Work Dance Family offers relatively little background on their dance style), at its best the collection provides a revealing peek into a lively and innovative queer dance scene. It’s an expressive ode to the art form’s breadth, depth, and diversity. Photos. Agent: Ayla Zuraw-Friedland, Frances Goldin Literary. (June)