UGLY (Black Queer Zoo)
Part dance-theatre and part pop-culture collage, Raja Feather Kelly is UGLY and this is the latest from the Warhol-obsessed; Black; Queer; Drama Queen of the feath3r theory and his response to the dearth of nuanced black queer subjectivity in the mainstream. UGLY premiered at the Bushwick Starr, September 5-9th, with support from the Harkness Foundation for Dance and the Princess Grace Foundation-USA.
“A ‘Yellow Glamour Alien’” by GIA Kourlas
“I am an Ugly man. No, I am not an artist like those who created Beyoncé; nor am I one of your New York chosen ones /darlings / flavor of the week ectoplasms. I am a queer of substance, of color and depth, thoughts and expression– and I might even be said to possess magick. I am Ugly, understand, simply because you refuse to see me… ”
“The human mind is hungry and needs to be fed, and there’s spirit and dignity that popular culture does not serve... It was at that moment I knew Raja’s ballet had been effective.”
