11/2+3: Sins Invalid strips taboos off sexuality and disability

THE DANCING TREE PRESENTS

Sins Invalid:
An Unshamed Claim to Beauty in the Face of Invisibility
Twelve provocative artists take to the Brava Theater stage to strip taboos off sexuality and disability

Friday and Saturday, November 2 & 3, 2007 at 8 PM

SAN FRANCISCO -- Twelve provocative artists from California to New York strip taboos off sexuality and disability in a groundbreaking evening of erotic spoken word, performance and video entitled “Sins Invalid: An Unshamed Claim to Beauty in the Face of Invisibility.” Shows take place November 2nd and 3rd at 8 PM each night at the Brava Theater in the heart of San Francisco’s Mission District.



This second annual showcase of poetic bodies and hot activism is the only event of its kind in the United States. Founders Patty Berne and Leroy Moore, both Bay Area artists and activists with disabilities, were inspired to create the event when they realized just how enormous the difference was between the way they felt about themselves and how the rest of society did. “We’re both pretty hot,” says Berne. “And we both humbly know it. Still, every day we each struggle with the disconnect between what we know to be true about our beauty and what the world seems to believe – that we are ‘less than’, undesirable and pitiable.” Berne and Moore were also frustrated with the dominant view that people with disabilities must be asexual or sexually deviant such as filmmaker David Lynch’s consistent portrayal of perverted, evil cripples.



The two wanted to develop a show, which was simultaneously erotic and communicated resistance politics. “It turned out to be easier than one might think,” says Berne. “People claiming their bodies and desires for liberation are tender and powerful and fierce – and that’s sexy.”



They took their idea to The Dancing Tree, a non-profit alliance of visual and performing artists seeking to facilitate, develop, perform, document and publish the stories of underrepresented people around the world. The Dancing Tree embraced the project, and last year over 300 people witnessed the groundbreaking, erotic event in San Francisco.



This year’s line up includes 9 live performers and three video artists from the Bay Area, Texas, Chicago, Massachusetts, New York, and even Canada. Some of the many outstanding performers include:



Maria Palacios: Palacios is a Texas-based Latina poet, author, spoken word performer and polio survivor. Her feminist collection of poetry “The Female King” has made her one of Houston’s favorites in the spoken word scene. Palacios performs her acclaimed piece about making love to a woman in a wheelchair.



Lateef H. McLeod: McLeod, originally from Jamaica, is now an Oakland-based author and poet with cerebral palsy who speaks with the aid of a voice output communication device known as a Liberator. He will perform excerpts from his work “Living with Joey,” a powerful piece of spoken word about his difficulty swallowing (he must remind himself to do this regularly) and how it impacts his relationship with a lover.



Seeley Quest: Quest describes herself as a “queer crip gender traitor artist.” She has performed at numerous events including the International Queerness and Disability Conference, the True Spirit Conference and the nationally touring Tranny Roadshows and has been an artist in residence at the Jon Sims Center. She will perform a monologue on queer crip sex while dressed in leather boy drag and then perform a lap dance for a member of the audience in a back brace.



Leroy Moore: Moore, co-director of “Sins Invalid”, is a writer, poet and activist. He is the host of KPFA’s regular show on disability “Pushing Limits” and is the creator of the Krip-Hop Project that produces the work of hip-hop artists with disabilities around the world. Moore presents an SM inspired piece, performing as a submissive to an off stage domina’s verbal instructions.



Peggy Munson: Munson is the author of “Origami Striptease”, winner of Project Queerlit’s literary prize and a finalist for a Lambda award. She has published widely in anthologies such as Best American Erotica. Munson is homebound in Massachusetts due to a 15-year struggle with Chronic Fatigue and Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS) and Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS). She will perform excerpts from her book on video.



Other performers include Lisa Thomas-Adeyemo of Oakland, Noemi Sohn of San Francisco, ‘ron Daniella of Southern California, Lezlie Frye of Brooklyn, NY, Todd Herman of San Francisco, Patty Berne of San Francisco and Loree Erickson of Canada. New York poet Roopa Singh serves as emcee.



Tickets to “Sins Invalid: An Unshamed Claim to Beauty in the Face of Invisibility” are just $10-15 sliding scale. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. Tickets are available at the door only.



Performances are wheelchair accessible and ASL interpreted and take place at the Brava Theater, 2789 24th St., San Francisco, CA. For more information, the public should call 510-649-8438 or visit thedancingtree.org.



PLEASE NOTE: This show contains nudity and explicit content.



“Sins Invalid: An Unshamed Claim to Beauty in the Face of Invisibility” is made possible by grants from the AEPOCH Foundation, San Francisco Arts Commission, the Zellerbach Family Fund, Hewlett Packard Foundation, Potrero Nuevo Foundation and the Rainbow Grocery Collective.