LGBTQ news and entertainment
Catching up on some news items you might have missed: • OUT: Two-time Emmy-winning choreographer and So You Think You Can Dance star Travis Wall (above) has been taken off of the Break the Floor dance company’s tours after allegations of sexual misconduct and grooming were leveled at him by a then-underaged dancer with the company. Continue reading “News Round-Up: October 25, 2021”
I’m certain the emotionally raw new music video from Grammy winners A Great Big World for “Boys In The Street” will strike a chord deep within LGBTQ audiences. Directed by Se Oh and choreographed by Emmy Award winning choreographer Travis Wall (So You Think You Can Dance), the video chronicles the story of a father’s journey to accepting his son for who he is. Through Wall’s richly layered choreography, we follow a young gay man (alternately played by Aydin Eyikan and Wall) who fights to save his fractured relationship with a homophobic father (Colin Cunliffe). Kudos to director Oh for using light and darkness as a metaphor for the father’s inability to truly ‘see’ his son. The song and video delicately crystallizes both the pain and hope that LGBTQ young people experience in their search for affirmation from their parents. Chad King, vocalist for A Great Big World, shared his thoughts on the video with HuffPost: “I would love for people to connect with the honesty and authenticity of the story behind the song and video, and to maybe have an awareness and appreciation for someone else’s struggles and differences in a way they haven’t had before. I am so proud of the video and how it captures the feeling the song gives me. I hope others will connect to it in a similar way!” 
Chad King (left) and Ian Axel of A Great Big World (photo: Se Oh)
“Boys In The Street” follows A Great Big World’s “Fall On Me” with Christina Aguilera, both of which will be featured on their third full-length album due out this August. The latter has generated more than 30 million streams worldwide and reunited A Great Big World with Aguilera following their seven-times-platinum GRAMMY award-winning hit “Say Something.” Follow the band on Instagram here and Travis Wall here. 
Travis Wall (image via Instagram)
Wall first hit the national spotlight as a competitor on So You Think You Can Dance in Season 2 before going on to choreograph for the reality dance competition for 14 seasons, earning nine Emmy nominations. He currently serves as a resident choreographer for the reality competition and a guest judge. He made his New York choreographic debut with MCC Theater’s The Wrong Man last fall. Wall took to Instagram to share the news writing, “CALLING ALL DANCERS!!!! I’m hosting the FIRST LIVE DANCE CONVENTION APRIL 18th & 19th! Come take class with me and some of your favorite convention teachers! And it’s FREE! My soul needs this! I can not wait to dance with you next weekend! TAG SOMEONE who would love this!!!!” You can also check out a short live performance by Wall and SYTYCD alum Ricky Ubeda below as well.
Bruno Tarchetti in Brazil (via Instagram)
Sexy Eliad Cohen took his uber-popular Papa Party world tour down to Rio for Carnival as well:
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@papaworldtour Carinval @theweekriodejaneiro 💥 📸 @igoramota Body painting by @vitor_martinez
And Max Souza is giving you COSTUME down in Rio for Carnival as he expressed his appreciation for the invite to take part:
International pop star Ricky Martin declared he was ready for Miami (but was Miami ready for Ricky?):
Emmy Award-winning choreographer Travis Wall flew high above Hawaii:
Karlitos Amarilla says “Life is prettier on the beach!” If this is the view, I’d be inclined to agree:
John Travolta recently joined ‘Mr. Worldwide’ himself, Pitbull, onstage in concert. Posted this twin bald pic from backstage:
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A knight hugged a dame as Sir Elton John welcomed Dame Olivia Newton-John to his concert in Melbourne:
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There is nothing like a Dame ❤️🚀 @therealonj 🚀❤️#EltonFarewellTour 📷: @bengibsonphoto
Sean Patrick Murray in ‘Bad Gay’
Lyrics: Nice shirt and pants is that Jcrew I know just what you want to do Stay in, postmate cookies but you can’t seem to stay awake Barry’s Bootcamp at 6 am Too bad I hit the snooze again V Shape, Six Pack just won’t happen Hold please, my Samsung broke So you’re a fun gay Stay out way past one gay Never having kids gay Friends with Antoni gay Well Im the bad type Best friends with your mom type Never been to Spotlight Hate to stand at bars type I’m a bad gay DUH I like it when you take my whole family nosebleeds, Hollywood Bowl Lyft Pool to save just 3 bucks home You’re my gay Romeo Don’t want to join your dodgeball team Too much high school PTSD Won’t wear a jockstrap and jersey (Unless you’re Gus Kenworthy) So you’re a fun gay Stay out way past one gay Never having kids gay Friends with Antoni gay Well I’m the bad type Best friends with your mom type Never been to Spotlight Hate to stand at bars type I’m a bad gay DUH I’ll never call you Dad I know that you get mad when we’re alone You said you’re scared of me? I mean, I don’t see what you see, But let’s get just your mom on the phone I’m a bad gay I’m a bad gay
Travis Wall (via Instagram)
Waaaaaiiiiiittt.
You are not ready for this. Stop, drop and scroll down to watch this.
Broadway/recording diva Shoshana Bean teams up with choreographer divine Travis Wall to brings visual life to her acoustic cover of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul’s “This is Me” from the Hugh Jackman film, The Greatest Showman.
Wall conceived, directed, produced, and choreographed the music video wherein Bean talks Wall through the fears and doubts that life dumps on us.
Wall, like Bean, is a Broadway veteran having made his Broadway debut in the 2000 revival of The Music Man before becoming a major force in the dance world as a fierce competitor on the second season of Fox’s reality dance competition So You Think You Can Dance in 2006.
Bean, of course, starred on Broadway in Wicked as the wicked witch “Elphaba” and brought down the house in Hairspray. She’s since moved on to conquer the music charts with her own R&B/pop albums, touring the country to sold out audiences. I’ve previously written about Shoshana extensively – find more posts about the diva here.
It was only recently that I learned Bean recorded the original demo of “This is Me,” which won the 2018 Golden Globe for Best Original Song. But, with her still strong Broadway roots, it comes as no surprise.
Bonus point for the recording – Proceeds from downloads and streams of the new cover benefit the Los Angeles LGBT Center.
While I enjoyed the song in the context of the film, the powerful point on view here is both Wall and Bean bring their impressive powers to bear on a collaboration where, in my opinion, the song finds its new universal destiny.
Talking about the recording, Tony Award winner Harvey Fierstein wrote, “My daughter, Shoshana Bean, takes this song and makes it her own, which means… she makes it OURS.”
Take a look below, and you can download the song here.
Gorgeous, thoughtful, evocative.
Choreography by the brilliant Travis Wall.
Uber-talented Travis Wall (So You Think You Can Dance?) and his dance company Shaping Sound serve up some serious awesomeness on ELLEN with a dynamic dance piece set to Queen’s iconic “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
Well, I really like this.
This dance, choreographed by Travis Wall, opened last night’s show and is apparently one of the few times, SYTYCD has utilized same-sex partners actually dancing with each other in a some-what romantic scenario.
Clearly the theme of the dance references LGBT equality and same-sex marriage. On top of the excellent execution by the final four dancers (Valerie Rockey, Ricky Ubeda, Jessica Richens, and Zack Everhart Jr.), the choreography is creative, current and thoughtful.
By the way, the recording of “Wind Beneath My Wings” was by Canadian twins RyanDan. You can find the recording here on iTunes.
