Abstract:

I wrote the poem Intersection upon leaving a dance class that I teach at Johns Hopkins University. The beauty and openness of my students and our shared immersion in dance was put into sharp contrast by a demonstration of Christian fundamentalists just outside campus that would occur every Tuesday for several months, disappear, and then return again when not expected. The demonstrators accused passersby of being sinners, consigned us to hell if we did not accept Jesus as our savior, and were inflammatory about abortion.

Teaching my students was an expansive experience. I would inevitably leave the studio in buoyant spirits so encountering the demonstrators felt invasive and psychologically violent to me. This was especially true when I encountered their demonstration unexpectedly. I now see that clash as a microcosm of the world we have been living and dancing in since Trump resumed office last January. More than ever, values intrinsic to living fully in the body, in community, and in art make me conscious of dance as resistance to dehumanization.