Just out., June 03, 2011, Page 70, Image 70

OREGON S LGBTQ NEWSMAGAZINE
pridefiles
perform as part of its Pride-season show,
“Revolution!”
“A few months ago, [PGMC artistic di­
rector Bob Mensel] said, ‘We’re gonna do
NakedMan again. Stage it for us again,’”
Scardina recalls. “It was like hearing the
angels singing.”
Despite the namz, NakedMan contains no
nudity. Originally commissioned in 1996 by
the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chrous, the
full-length song set is “about stripping away
the fears and the labels and the stigma” as­
sociated with being in the gay community,
Scardina says.
“Like anything, it kind of matures,” he
adds. Last time the PGMC performed the
piece, the community was coming off the
peak of the AIDS epidemic, and many cho­
rus members had lost loved ones to the
disease.
Though the song suite’s themes of separa­
tion, mourning and celebration still ring
true, Scardina has modified the choreogra­
phy to shift the focus to community from
individual relationships. Instead of relying
on his core group of PGMC dancers, The
Locomotion, for the duets in the old chore­
ography Scardina is including the entire
130-member chorus.
“Choreographing with 130 men on stage is
like living architecture,” Scardina says, draw­
ing comparison to his current line of work.
While he once had his own modern dance
company in San Francisco and is clearly ex­
cited to be in the field again, Scardina says
that architecture and design incorporate
many of his favorite dance qualities. Both
incorporate rhythm, harmony and line.
“With architecture, one of the phases is
called ‘space planning,’” Scardina explains.
“It’s like choreography—you want to make
sure it flows. You think about how people
are going to move through that space.”
Portland Gay Mens Chorus presents Revo­
lution!, June 18, 7:30 p.m.; Arlene Schnitzer
Concert Hall, 1111 SfV Broadway; S16-S42;
pgmc.org; Paolo Design Group, paolodesign-
group.com.
— E rin R ook
JUNE 3. 2011
P29
vintage jewelry, estate engagement rings
artisan creations & other luscious treasures.
ection of
“I’m a photographer, I’m a queer'
photographer. Where in the
body of queer photography can I
contribute?”
-ALLY PICARD
The Community
Documentarían
Ally Picard does more
than take photos
Bloodhound Photography is the brainchild
of Ally Picard.
“I’m a photographer, I’m a queer photogra­
pher. Where in the body of queer photogra­
phy can I contribute?”
That’s the main question that Picard, 30,
wrestles with as a creative documentarían of
Portland’s alternative, queer community. She
and her camera have become synonymous
with numerous dance parties in town, such
as MRS., Art Party and Bent. Picard says her
aim is “documenting beautiful queer people
of all different types and kinds at their best.”
Originally from New England, Picard
studied English literature and Latin at
McGill University in Montreal before mov­
ing to New York City, where she spent six
years. She worked a number of odd jobs be­
fore finding a full-time gig at the Unem­
ployed Philosophers Guild, which makes
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