MORE ABOUT THIS PROJECT

NOT IN MY HOUSE is a collaboration between Kristi Faulkner Dance and the Ruth Ellis Center to engage and inspire LGBTQ youth and the Detroit community through performance and storytelling. 

Vogue is a lifeline for many LGBTQ youth at the Ruth Ellis Center. “Not in My House” references the protective structure of families, known as houses within the vogue community, which represent belonging, security, and often replace biological families who disown LGBTQ youth. It is within these chosen families that LGBTQ youth learn to navigate the challenges of living in a world that often judges, fears, hurts, and very often harms LGBTQ individuals simply because of who they are.  "Not in My House" is built on the premise that by sharing our stories, we create a world in which identity and difference can unite, rather than divide. 

This multi-year collaboration has resulted in the creation of this original live performance blending the aesthetics of vogue and contemporary dance to explore LGBTQ identity and challenge gender norms though the creative re-imagining of our coming out stories. Comprised entirely of artists who identify as LGBTQ, "Not in My House" radically shifts the narrative about LGBTQ identity by placing the power in the hands of those who can tell their own stories with authenticity. "Not in My House" seeks to inspire and empower LGBTQ youth to live their truth by providing representation of queer voices, specifically queer voices of color, in a society that often silences and marginalizes those voices.