Sean Dorsey stands alone on a dark stage. His voice fills the air as he dances, cutting through space with gentle confidence. He speaks of the blessed anonymity of a bus ride alone at night. His body is open, settled, and free. When two men appear on the stage, Dorsey’s movement changes. He becomes small, folding into himself as if he hopes to be swallowed by his own skin.
“What are you?” the men ask, their words sharp, stabbing Dorsey’s body like needles. He contorts, crossing his legs and arms over one another, twisting until he is a tight ball of bone and sinew.
The story Dorsey tells in this section of his newest work, Boys in Trouble, comes from years and years of “bus stories” just like this. Dorsey is transgender.
As the first acclaimed transgender modern dance choreographer in the United States, there is no doubt that Dorsey’s work is special. But the reason for this is greater than just gender identity. Boys in Trouble is deeply vulnerable, honest, and unapologetic. And, unlike most dancers, Dorsey comes to the stage not as a character, but as his full self.
“I had some emotional creative blocks around bringing myself into the work,” said Dorsey by phone. “It was harder for me to turn the light on myself and share some of these stories.”
When Dorsey was a child, he was always moving and creating. But he never dreamed of being a professional dancer or choreographer.
“These things were my bliss, but I also didn’t see anybody like me in any of those worlds,” he said. “There didn’t exist a reality in the universe where a person like me could be those things.”
But now, through innovative dance theater works like Boys in Trouble, Dorsey has created his own reality. And judging by the widespread acclaim his company — Sean Dorsey Dance — has garnered, this is a reality in which many are taking part. The five-member company, based in San Francisco, is celebrating its 15th year, in part, by touring Boys in Trouble to 20 cities nationally and internationally, including its recent stop at Glorya Kaufman International Dance Center for a USC Visions & Voices event.
Though Boys in Trouble addresses the harsh realities that come with identifying as LGBTQ+, the work is full of humor. The dance sections are bookended by interludes of conversation between Dorsey and his company dancers Will Woodward, Brian Fisher, Arvéjon Jones and Nol Simonse. They talk about such heavy and serious topics as white privilege and toxic masculinity, but the humor they bring often borders on standup comedy.
“I find humor to be something that bypasses the brain and all the judgement, lack of understanding, and bigotry,” Dorsey said. “It goes right to the gut and helps us connect.”
Judging by the torrents of laughter that echo through the audience during the work, Dorsey is right.
Dorsey’s language — both its movement vocabulary and spoken-word — is relatable, accessible. His vulnerable presentation of himself onstage leads to a deep connection that is almost palpable between audience and performer.
“For the last 10 years I have focused entirely on lifting up other people and lifting up other people’s stories and liberation and embodiment,” Dorsey said. Boys in Trouble is the first time he’s brought his personal story into the spotlight. And when we see him, we are seen.
Boys in Trouble opens with Dorsey, center stage, framed by a single spotlight. In contrast to the bus section, where his movement is self- conscious and hidden, Dorsey starts the show with a solo full of power and elegance. His arms emanate from his back like wings, his legs strong and rooted beneath him. His dancing defies gender, interweaving the delicate and nuanced with the strong and powerful. Being transgender is his superpower.
“I truly love being transgender.” Dorsey said. “I feel like it’s just the greatest blessing. I give thanks that I’m trans. I love trans people. I just think there’s so much beauty, consciousness, creativity and humor in trans folks and in trans culture.”
This performance was presented in partnership between the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance and USC’s “Vision and Voices” series.
Photo: Kegan Marling