KEEPING WATCH is Headed To Cannonball Festival

Keeping Watch is a visceral journey of coming out, daringly presented by dancer/choreographer Rush Johnston. On a journey that winds its way through growing up poor in South Carolina, the fear of revealing their queer and gender identity to family, and the general homophobia of the church, Keeping Watch is a soul-bearing, emotional gut punch that will stir your consciousness and emotions to their cores. Rush takes the audience on this ride directly, breaking the fourth wall by speaking their hopes, fears and dreams to those that will listen and understand. This brave, bold work contains some nudity and graphic imagery, and is suggested for an audience over 18. For further questions about the show's content, audience members can contact kaleiddancecollective@gmail.com. 

“Keeping Watch has become a memoir of my southern queer coming of age. Throughout the process of crafting this work, I revisited traumatic events of homophobia and estranged relationships while also making this process into an act of radical self care and love. It's my deepest hope that other queer, poor, or otherwise marginalized folks can find solace and representation in this work, and Keeping Watch can serve as a symbol of hope and an agent of change in today's tumultuous world.”

This bold work not only rips the cover off of Rush's queer and transgender experience; it continues to showcase them as one of the important artists who is reinventing contemporary dance in 2023. 

About Rush 

Rush Johnston (they/them) is a Bronx-based multimedia choreographer, performer, filmmaker, and movement researcher. Rush creates at the intersection of visual and performing art, often exploring modes of artistic expression beyond the binary. As a queer, Native, neurodiverse artist, their work often plays with perception and identity, inviting viewers to question proposed truths of self and social misunderstanding. Social justice work is a key element of Rush's creative vision, often encompassing themes of political turmoil, queerness, and mental health. Rush is the founder and artistic director of Kaleid Dance Collective, an interdisciplinary artistic platform for creative experiments and exhibitions. 

 Learn more about Rush at www.rushjohnston.com.  

About Cannonball Festival 

Cannonball Festival, produced by Almanac Dance Circus Theatre, is a curated performance series taking place throughout Philly September 9th through October 1st, concurrent with the Philadelphia Fringe Festival. This satellite festival is all about building community and creating a hub of energy so we can make this fringe season a splash! With over 130 events spanning theater, dance, circus, and film, including indoor and outdoor mainstage shows, nightly cabarets, events, workshops, and more, Cannonball has something for swashbucklers of all ages and inclinations. Learn more at www.cannonballfestival.org. 

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