Elliot Trahan steps into some big boots for BWD’s ‘Homecoming’
RICH LOPEZ | Staff writer
rich@dallasvoice.com
For its new season, Bruce Wood Dance decided to go home — at least for one night only. The company returns to Fort Worth on Saturday, Sept. 17, at the W.E. Scott Theater for its 13th season opener, Homecoming, which will feature two of the late choreographer’s signature pieces — Lovett! and Red.
Dancer Elliott Trahan isn’t pressured by the significance of the company’s return to Fort Worth. In fact, it’s just the opposite.
“I don’t think there is as much pressure as much as there is true excitement,” Trahan said by phone before heading off to rehearsals. “Performing those works that have become iconic for our company, and to not just hear about them but be in them yourself, is much more exciting than intimidating.”
Trahan, 26, is in their fourth season with BWD. The company’s repertory is no stranger to them, but this show has a particular resonance. As a dancer in both of Wood’s pieces as well as in artistic director Joy Bollinger’s Slip Zone excerpts, Trahan appreciates that this performance shows off the entire company.
“What I enjoy about this show is that it feels like it’s all of us in different ways that highlight our strengths,” they said. “There are featured roles and some parts that have more space time, but everyone’s personality is in this show.”
For the show’s final piece, Lovett!, Trahan dons the boots in the piece by Wood that the company cites as one of the repertoire’s more requested dances. The Texas tribute set to the music of Lyle Lovett is an interesting one for Trahan, who is Southern himself.
“I’m Louisiana Southern, so I’m more of a cajun-Creole type. Lovett! is very character-driven, and being this cowboy character is pretty foreign to me — not gonna lie.”
Trahan brings up an interesting point beyond their Southern upbringing. They identify as nonbinary in gender with a gay orientation. Because they present as masculine, they traditionally perform male roles in dancing.
They are open to do more, but dance gives Trahan an inclusive outlet.
“A lot of the work we do is typically gendered. There are traditional male and female roles, but I never feel that’s limiting,” they said. “Part of me enjoys that dance has a perfect blend of my masculine performance side and my feminine artistry.”
Within Bruce Wood Dance, Trahan said they have found a special space.
“I never think about my gender role, but I was nervous at first when I joined the company. Yet, I’ve only felt safe and heard and recognized. I’ve been very grateful for having something that is so traditional and codified in a way, and also accepting and inviting,” Trahan said.
So Trahan dancing as a boot-scootin’ cowboy is no big thing, because there is a bigger picture for them: “Dancing has always been a classical art form where gender roles can be reversed or not. I’ve seen a lot of works where gender roles don’t matter,” Trahan said. “Joy says she hires us for who we are and not a mold we can fit.
“That’s a perfect way to define my experience with Bruce Wood Dance, because I’m always in a traditional masculine role, but I feel seen identifying somewhere in the middle.” █
For more information or tickets, visit BruceWoodDance.org.
