Sean Dorsey was the first openly trans man on the cover of Dance Magazine. He is a talented choreographer, dancer, educator, writer, and activist, and he is the artistic director of Sean Dorsey Dance and Fresh Meat Productions. In this episode, we take you back to Sean’s early childhood in a creative and loving family, full of leftists, and those passionate about social justice. Sean and I connect with our dance stories, and he talks about having parallel but separate lives; one in the arts and one in community organizing. He also describes the humble beginnings of Fresh Meat Productions, now celebrating 20 years! Towards the end of this conversation, I ask Sean why it’s so important for him to speak up as a white, trans man. He admits that his skin color gives him certain access in the dance industry and opens up about his commitment to getting that same access to Black and Brown artists. Sean is a great possibility model and I know you will learn so much from this episode. Be sure to check out www.FreshMeatProductions.org to learn more about Sean’s work.
Guest Bio:
Sean Dorsey is an award-winning choreographer and dancer and the founder and Artistic Director of Fresh Meat Productions. Recognized as the U.S.’ first acclaimed transgender modern dance choreographer, Dorsey has been named “San Francisco’s Best Dance Company” (SF Weekly) and was named one of the nation’s “Top 25 to Watch” by Dance Magazine. He has been awarded five Isadora Duncan Dance Awards and the Goldie Award for Performance. Dorsey has been awarded major support from the National Endowment for the Arts, National Dance Project, New England Foundation for the Arts, National Performance Network, Creative Work Fund, Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, San Francisco Arts Commission, Queer Cultural Center (San Francisco), Bates Dance Festival (Lewiston), Dance Place (Washington DC), The Theater Offensive (Boston), 7 Stages (Atlanta), Links Hall (Chicago), Maui Arts & Cultural Center (Maui), and Highways Performance Space (Los Angeles). Dorsey has collaborated with artists including Lana and Lilli Wachowski (Directors, The Matrix, Cloud Atlas), and Anohni (formerly Anthony and the Johnsons)
