Project Description
Inspired by the belief that personal stories can work to identify human commonalities regardless of sexual orientation, NEW ART held a workshop series called “Moving Stories” to involve community members in the creation of material for the performance. Ten participants, between the ages of 18 and 68, were recruited to take part in this 8-week series which was designed by Kimi Eisele, a NEW ART dancer. Jennifer Hoefle co-facilitated the workshops which used writing and movement exercises to help participants access memories and experiences in creative ways. Written stories, spoken-word poetry, and dance movement served as the foundation for solo and group work used in the November 2006 performance at ZUZI! Theatre. Community members were not only engaged in the development of the performance, eight of the participants also performed alongside dancers from three of Tucson’s modern dance companies. Emerging and established choreographers were invited to contribute professional work to the performance, including new works or existing repertory duets that were “reconfigured” to represent issues of LGBT identity, either through adding text or re-casting the piece as same-sex duets.

Civic Engagement/Dialogue Activities
Re:Configurations relied on community dialogue during the planning process through a partnership with Wingspan, Southern Arizona’s LGBT Community Center. Facilitators shared with the community and professional participants their understanding of LGBT terms and definitions and presented information on Proposition 107. The staging of the performance on the weekend before the November 7 vote was timely in bringing public attention to the real stories of those in the LGBT community which counter media portrayals of homosexuals as either props for flamboyant comic relief or victims. As audience member TC Tolbert said, “It felt so good to see LGBT people reflected as beautiful for a little while.” Public opinion of the show was high, with one board member offering a substantial financial contribution for future production. Public opinion, however, was against Proposition 107 making Arizona the first state in the nation to reject a ban on gay marriage and protect the benefits of domestic partnerships.