23rd Annual HOT!, the NYC Celebration of Queer Culture, at Dixon Place, 7/5-8/2

The 23rd Annual HOT!, the NYC Celebration of Queer Culture, will run July 5th through August 2nd at Dixon Place. The world's longest-running LGBTQ Performance Festival, HOT! offers theater, music, dance, puppetry, performance art and homoeroticism for the whole family! HOT! is the pioneering celebration of queer performance and culture - and the oldest annual festival of its kind in the world. Dixon Place is proud that HOT! serves as the model for other queer festivals across the globe and has become a performance destination for emerging talent in the LGBTQ community.

This year's HOT! festival, features over one hundred participating artists presenting new creations, including Linda Simpson, Enid Ellen (David Mramor), J. Stephen Brantley, David Drake, Nora Burns, Carisa Bledsoe, Michael Cross Burke, Melissa Gordon, MargOH! Channing and MAN-ee Champagne, Lady Scoutington, AnimalParts, Jes Tom, SAWTOOTH dancers, KineticArchitecture, and more

On Wednesday, June 18th, a preview featuring five offerings from the upcoming festival was presented at Dixon Place. Ellie Covan, Dixon Place Artistic Director, introduced excerpts from the following shows:

1) Diaghilesque

Choreographed by Faux Pas le Fae

Presented by KineticArchitecture

Dancers: Koryn Wicks, Lisa Clementi, Diane Skerbec, Meghann Bronson, Amy Thurmond & Dara Swisher

Saturday, July 19 at 7:30pm

The lavish and profound gems of Diaghilev's Ballet Russe are re-imagined by KineticArchitecture.

Dancer, Choreographer, and Transgender Performance Artist Arrie Davidson/Faux Pas le Fae is the Co-Founder/Artistic Director of KineticArchitecture.

In Diaghilesque Faux plays the role of tour guide weaving the viewer through an array of petit ballets which explore feminism, trans issues, abuse primal sensuality.

2) Revenge of the Popinjay

Written and performed by Anthony Johnston

Co-created and directed by Nathan Schwartz

Presented by AnimalParts

Thursday, July 17 at 7:30pm

AnimalParts is a genre-destroying bi-national (US/Canada), bisexual (gay/straight) performance company dedicated to creating unique and vibrant new work rooted in humor, heart, and innovation. A follow-up to AnimalParts' 'avant-garde autobiography' Tenderpits -- Revenge of the Popinjay is an experimental rap-horror show in which Anthony struggles to cope with the loss of his sister while uncovering a frightening link between himself, his lover, and an elusive gay rap star/serial killer targeting heterosexuals. Revenge of the Popinjay combines storytelling, stand-up, physical theatre, performance art and original live rap music to create a one-of-a-kind theatrical event. Popinjay satirizes the clichés of homophobic culture and questions the capacity for evil in all of us.

3) Nominee

Written and Performed by Danielle Abrams

Directed by Ryn Hodes

Saturday, July 12 at 7:30pm

Presented along with Laryssa Husiak's The Forgettable Saga of Donna Wanna and other monologues

In Nominee, Danielle Abrams is up for a job. She is being interviewed by a panel consisting of Jewish grandparents, African-American artist-politicos, and multiracial representatives, including President Obama. Abrams is Black, Jewish, and white. Her nomination inspires the panel to launch into a heated dialogue about multiculturalism, politics, identity, aesthetics, privilege, racism, and skin color.

Danielle Abrams has performed for over 20 years at a wide range of spaces including Detroit Institute of the Arts, The Jewish Museum, The Queens Museum,WOW Performance Café, The Kitchen, and at Annie Sprinkle's and Beth Stephens' Green Wedding. Past performances include Quadroon, in which she performed as a Jewish bubbie, black grandmother, butch dyke who runs a meal plan service, and biracial teenager who "passes" as Greek; Routine, in which she cleansed Catskill's comedy of its racist legacy by bathing in a tub of borscht; and After Before the Revolution, in which she recasts Eleanor Antin(ova)'s rebellion with members of the Black Panther party. Abrams' work has been awarded by NYFA, the Franklin Furnace, and Urban Artists' Initiative.

4) Dandy Darkly's Pussy Panic!

Written and Performed by Dandy Darkly (Neil Arthur James)

Directed by Ian Bjorkland

Friday, July 11 at 7:30pm -- Presented in Dixon Place's Lounge (FREE event)

Dandy Darkly (Neil Arthur James) is a critically acclaimed, alternative-cabaret storyteller and producer of variety shows at such esteemed venues as The Slipper Room, Dixon Place and the Celebration of Whimsy Theater. In 2013 he made his international debut at the Edinburgh Fringe in his solo show Dandy Darkly's Gory Hole!

5) FEAR CITY/FUN CITY

A theatrical concert and play with music

Music by Anna/Kate

Text by Kate Foster and Anna Gothard

Saturday, July 26 at 7:30pm

Songs, stories, NYC spells and NOLA seances... by Queer folk-pop band Anna/Kate, creators of bewitching harmonies.

Anna/Kate are a folk-pop band helmed by, well, Anna--a teacher, solo artist and red-nose clown--and Kate, playwright, activist and jazz singer. Together they perform for music festivals, theater companies, pop-up performance parties and protests. Their song-cycles have been produced by Culture Project/Women CenterStage Festival, Dixon Place, Poetic Theater Productions/Poetic License Festival, and Judson Church/Magic Time and BailOut All-Stars, and college theater/queer organizations. They have developed original content for LaMama, NYC Poetry Festival, Bowery Poetry Club, the Bureau of Queer Services- General Division, the Duplex, and multiple music venues throughout NYC. See www.facebook.com/annakatemusic for info on upcoming concerts and their debut EP, released Summer '14!

For full details about the offerings and artists in this year's HOT! festival, go to: www.dixonplace.org.

Dixon Place, an incubator for performing and literary artists since 1986, is a non-profit organization committed to supporting the creative process by presenting original works of dance, theater, music, puppetry, literature, performance and visual art at all stages of development. Presenting over 700 artists each year, this local haven inspires and encourages diverse artists of all stripes and callings to take risks and push personal and professional limits. Dixon Place's foremost priorities are to serve as a safety net for artists, and to provide vivid experiences for audiences. Many artists, such as Deb Margolin, Blue Man Group, John Leguizamo, Lisa Kron, David Cale, Penny Arcade, and Reno began their careers at Dixon Place. In addition to emerging artists, Dixon Place has also been privileged to present evenings of new and experimental work by more established artists, such as -- Theater/Performance: Justin Vivian Bond, Taylor Mac, Lily Tomlin, Wallace Shawn, Craig Lucas, BD Wong, John Fleck, Kate Bornstein, Ethyl Eichelberger, Holly Hughes, Karen Finley, Kate Clinton, Peggy Shaw, Alan Cumming, Big Art Group; Literary: A.M. Homes, Rick Moody, and Oscar Huelos; Dance: Mark Dendy, Jane Comfort, Douglas Dunn, and Yoshiko Chuma; Music: Vernon Reid, Rodney Crowell, Diamanda Galas, Martha Wainwright, Loudon Wainwright, Lucy Wainwright Roche, Suzzy Roche, Maggie Roche, Rodney Crowell, Cyndi Lauper, and They Might Be Giants.

In 1989, Ellie Covan, founding director, was a recipient of a Bessie, a New York Dance and Performance Award, for her service to the community; and Dixon Place received a Village Voice Obie Grant Award in 1990 and 1999. Additionally, in 1999, Dixon Place was awarded an Edwin Booth Award for Excellence in Theater.

Dixon Place is located at 161a Chrystie Street, New York City 10002-2885.

The Dixon Place Lounge is open before, during, and after the show.

Proceeds from the bar directly support Dixon Place's artists and mission.

For tickets and information for all shows, call 212.219.0736 or visit: www.dixonplace.org.

Twitter: @dixonplace Facebook: facebook.com/dixonplace.

Photo Credit: Jenny Anderson