One Kentucky ballet company is speaking out against hate and prejudice after a homophobic customer sent an angry email.
The Louisville Ballet is gearing up for the premiere of its latest production. The performance called Human Abstract focuses on the power of LGBTQ love and attraction.
As the official description of the performance explains:
“Feel the power as we bring a riveting psychological drama to life. This co-production between Louisville Ballet and Louisville Visual Art is an intimate and innovative dance and visual art experience that will excite the senses and push the boundaries of the art form through creative collaboration.”
To promote the show, which will run from February 28 to March 3, the ballet company released the above photo of two male dancers holding hands. Unfortunately, that photo proved to be too much for one fan of the company.
According to arts focused news source ArtWritingIsDead, a Louisville physician sent a homophobic email to the ballet company in protest of the show and its marketing. The email was sent back in March of 2018 when the ballet season was first revealed. That email was then somehow leaked.
However, that wasn’t the only hateful email received by the Lousiville Ballet. Several other homophobic, anti-gay, and hateful messages were shared online.
In response to the initial hateful email, Louisville Ballet released an open letter through local news source WLKY and then Facebook.
Despite some of the hate directed at the ballet company, Louisvillle Ballet is excited for the upcoming production. Talking to WLKY, Chris Perez, Louisville Ballet’s director of marketing, noted the importance of art representing life.
"We have a responsibility to tell these stories in an authentic way. This story isn’t only about a same-sex couple, but about the complexities of human relationships and how damaging isolation can be, especially when you don’t feel supported,” said Cherie Perez.
"Louisville Ballet has long been the subject of numerous hateful homophobic emails and written letters. The difference is that we now live in a culture where we feel safe to stand in our truth, and our truth is this: we stand for love, acceptance, inclusion, and diversity. We know that people with different ideologies and backgrounds only contribute to a richer society," Perez added.
If you want to support Louisville Ballet by seeing the production, you can purchase tickets here.
h/t: ArtWritingIsDead, WLKY,
