All The Dancing Now Barred in Russia

I was upset by the new ruling in Russia that outlaws any positive portrayal of gay life. It made me think about all the beautiful ballets that wouldn’t be allowed there. But I needed help envisioning them all, so I invited Facebook friends to contribute their memories and ideas.

So, on August 14, I said (posted), “Let’s make a list of all the ballets that could now get you arrested if you danced them in Russia. I saw two excellent ones tonight, by Olivier Wevers’ Monster, and his Flower Festival. Of course there is the beautiful Concerto Six Twenty-Two by Lar Lubovitch. Maybe some dances by Stephen Petronio or some by HIJACK in Minneapolis. Who knows some others?”

The responses were such much fun that I thought I’d share them in the blogosphere:

Victor Hugo Trevina:
Gemini by Vicente Nebrada


Josephine Pizzino:
The Hard Nut,
by Mark Morris

Morris’ The Hard Nut. Photo by Peter DaSilva.

Danielle Wilkins:
One of the Dust by Daniel Wilkins. An athletic male duet with an unexpected kiss


Naomi Mori: Swan Lake and Dorian Gray by Matthew Bourne, Proust by Roland Petit

Domenico Luciano of Dominic Walsh Dance Theater in Matthew Bourne’s
Swan Lake. Photo by Frank Atura, Courtesy DWDT.

David Parker:
I’ve certainly made a few. Bang, The Thumbsucking Pas de Deux from Nut/Cracked, my Velcro piece Slapstuck….

David Parker and Jeffrey Kazin in Parker’s
Slapstuck. Photo by Nicholas Burnham.

Mary Lisa Burns:
Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane’s D-Man in the Waters


David Parker again: Tere O’Connor made a wonderful piece for two men who start out apparently kissing and then part very gradually revealing a red thread connecting their mouths. Am I remembering this correctly, Tere? I think Christopher Batenhorst was in it.


David Hochoy:
How about my latest..Les Noces! (and the music is Russian!)

Noah Trulock and Justin David Sears-Watson in Hochoy’s
 Les Noces. Photo © Drew Endicott, Courtesy DK.

Stephen Petronio:
You’re right David P. I love that duet


Theodore Bale:
Rudi Van Dantzig, Monument for a Dead Boy. Mark Morris, The Hard Nut. Maurice Béjart—too many to list here.



Carla Peterson: Joe Goode’s works, am thinking specifically of those that took on HIV/AIDS in the late 80s/90s (programmed several at the Wexner Center when I was there). More recently, Tere O’Connor’s Cover Boy. And, of course, so many of Petronio’s!



Nancy Dalva: Paul Taylor’s Funny Papers (choreographed with the company at the time), Eventide, Offenbach Overtures.

Marcus Galante:
Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake for male swans








Mark Dendy:
every single one of mine


Nancy Dalva:
THE TROCKS! Though really quite apt not since it is travesty, not specifically gay. But still. They do partner each other.

 The Trocks in The Black Swan. Photo by Sascha Vaughn.

Theodore Bale:
Oh how could we have left out the majority of Michael Clark’s ballets???


Alice Bloch:
Ashton’s Cinderella with the stepsisters in drag? Mark Morris’ Dido & Aeneas.


Nancy Dalva again: Neil Greenberg. And John Jasperse.

Ismene Brown:  Every Michael Clark and Russell Maliphant work—in Maliphant’s case because he works on male pdd, & it would be SO easily misinterpreted. But hey, who’s done female pdd?