what if we’re beautiful
SAMPLE PROGRAM
Julius Eastman, Joy Boy
Angélica Negrón, Pedazos intermitentes de un lugar ya fragmentado
Nico Muhly, Drown
Elijah Daniel Smith, Stagnation Blues
Donnacha Dennehy, Concertina
Daniel Thomas Davis, What If We’re Beautiful
composers
What If We’re Beautiful is a performance exploring concepts of queerness, chosen family, and defining home, offered as both a chamber music program and collaboration with dancers/choreographers, Aaron Loux and Brian Lawson. Daniel Thomas Davis’ piece of the same title inspired this collaboration, and is a resounding celebration of queer joy. Additional works by Angélica Negrón, Julius Eastman, Nico Muhly and others each offer unique perspectives on these concepts.
collaborators
brian lawson
Brian Lawson was born in Toronto and graduated summa cum laude with a BFA from Purchase College. Upon graduation he performed with Pam Tanowitz Dance before joining the Mark Morris Dance Group. He obtained his MFA from University of Washington in 2020 and subsequently joined the faculty at Cornish College for the Arts. Lawson has built a teaching practice for professional dancers, and regularly leads classes for the José Limôn Dance Company and Gibney Dance in New York City. He currently serves as an assistant professor at Skidmore College and continues to perform with PTD. Brian researches collaboratively with Adele Nickel (Form Believers) and Aaron Loux in addition to making his own work.
Aaron loux
Aaron Loux is a multifaceted dance artist, maker, and educator living in New York City. He encountered modern dance as a child at the Creative Dance Center in Seattle, later earning a B.F.A. from Juilliard. For twelve years, Aaron was a celebrated member of the Mark Morris Dance Group, appearing in the New York Times’ “Top Male Dance Performances of 2014.” He has also performed with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet, Merce Cunningham Trust, Cornfield Dance, Christopher Williams Dance, and Arc Dance Company. His choreography has been presented at the Juilliard School, Marymount Manhattan College, the Works & Process Artists Virtual Commissions series at the Guggenheim, and dance festivals across the country. Aaron teaches dance and yoga to adults of diverse backgrounds, including beginners, professionals, and dancers living with Parkinson’s disease through the Dance for PD® program. Aaron’s writing appears in the September 2023 and January 2024 issues of PAJ: A Journal of Performance and Art, published by MIT Press. Aaron is currently teaching ballet as an adjunct instructor at Marymount Manhattan College while pursuing a B.A. in American Studies at Columbia University.