BLUE SCREEN
full of it
full of it is an exploration of intimacy because it seems, to Hernandez and Arellano, the closest thing they can find to god. They have been each other’s lovers, adversaries, representatives, collaborators, and saviours for a few years now–in this piece they will dance and laugh their way to something that could resemble salvation or [redacted].
BLUE SCREEN is an amorphously organised public forum and creative platform by Joseph Hernandez (he/him), a Seattle-based choreographer and arts administrator.. He keeps dancing and making dances in the spirit best described by Kathy Acker: “The only reaction to an unbearable world is an equally unbearable nonsense.”
He began his work as a choreographer in Antwerp, Belgium. Since then he has made dances for companies throughout Germany, France, and Italy– most recently for Staatstheater Nürnberg, Festspielhaus Hellerau, and Societaetstheater Dresden. He was an active curator at STORE CONTEMPORARY in Dresden, as well as a founding member of the TANZNETZ DRESDEN Studio Round. In the US, his work has been presented by the Joyce Theater in NYC, Whim W’him Contemporary Dance Seattle, the Hamptons Dance Project, and Ballet Idaho. He was appointed as Associate Choreographer by the Northwest Dance Project in 2021, creating 5 works for the company before ultimately deciding to make art in a different way.
He currently works at Velocity Dance Center and is excited by their mission of uplifting experimentalism and artist-centred programming. He believes the future of dance is messy and hilarious, and only possible through community care and collective action.
@joseph____hernandez @blue_____screen | joseph-hernandez.com bluescreencontemporary.com
Michael Arellano (he/him) is a dancer and performance artist born and raised in Rochester, MI. Michael graduated from Western Michigan University in 2019 earning a BA in dance and BS in psychology. In 2017 he studied abroad in London, Englawnd at the University of Roehampton and attended the BalletBoyz Dancer’s Course. During his studies, Michael performed work by Aszure Barton, Kyle Abraham, James Gregg, Antony Tudor and many more. Since graduating he has been a collaborator and company artist with GroundWorks DanceTheater, BocaTuya, OpenSpace Dance, and most recently Whim W’Him Seattle Contemporary Dance. He has had the pleasure of performing new creations by Joseph Hernandez, Ihsan Rustem, Bret Easterling, Rauf Rubberlegz Yasit, Emilie Leriche, Ana Maria Lucaciu, and many others. Since 2024 he has been working as a freelancer and most recently performed in a production of Aida with the Opera de Rouen with choreography by Kristian Lever, and an evening length performance El Túnel by Kiani Del Valle. Michael is passionate about utilizing dance and performance as powerful, expressive forces for connection in the world.
