The Hijra Clap in Neoliberal Hands Performing Trans Rights in Pakistan

CriticalActs The Hijra Clap in Neoliberal Hands Performing Trans Rights in Pakistan

Claire Pamment

Hijron ko maza ata hai tali bejanain mein by community members as a reassertion­ of (three claps) legitimacy, became the official third gender Bengali ko maza ata hai (clap) muchi khana mein ­designation by the State of Pakistan (F. Khan Siyasatdan ko maza ata hai (clap) election 2016:159–60) after 2009 when a series of larnay mein. Supreme Court rulings and (transnationally — Bindiya Rana (2018) funded) NGO transgender initiatives began to take notice of the human rights violations (Hijras enjoy clapping [three claps], against these vulnerable populations. Assigned Bengalis enjoy [clap] eating fish, male at birth, yet describing themselves Politicians enjoy [clap] fighting in elections.)1 as possessing “the soul of a woman,” these gender-fluid individuals depart from hetero­ Bindiya Rana, a Karachi-based trans activ- patriarchal norms and are invariably cast out ist and hijra guru (leader), exemplifies the by their natal families. Amidst widespread affective pleasures and disruptive possibili- (continuing) social discrimination and insti- ties of the gender-fluid and socially margin- tutional exclusion, often denied inheritance, alized hijras’ tali, their “signature clap” (Roy opportunities for formal education, employ- 2015:1), an important marker of hijra pehchan\ ment, and medical provision, and subjected to (identity) throughout South Asia (Reddy police brutality, the subcultural hijra/khwaja 2005:136; Zimman and Hall 2009:175). The sira community, presided over by gurus, offers clap holds a special place for hijras, or khwaja initiates an alternative family structure in siras as they are now recognized in Pakistan — which their gender variance is valorized rather a Persian title for individuals who sometimes than made a subject of shame.2 ascended to powerful court roles in Mughal The clap, as Kira Hall argues, is an “impor- India, and whom, along with the hijra, 19th- tant index of identity” for hijras because it century British colonial authorities derogato- functions to situate users as “neither man nor rily denoted “eunuchs” and sought to eliminate woman,” marking an “embodied alterity” that (Hinchy 2014; S. Khan 2016; Pamment 2010). resists assimilation into normative binaric The “khwaja sira,” a renaming advocated­

1. All translations unless otherwise indicated are my own. 2. A collaborative project with Shahnaz Khan, supported by funds from the Social Science Humanities and Research Council of Canada enabled the fieldwork in Pakistan between 2013 and 2015 (Lahore, Islamabad/Rawalpindi, Karachi, Multan, and Sehwan) that informs this article.

Claire Pamment is Assistant Professor in the Department of Theatre, Speech and Dance at the College of William & Mary. She is author of Comic Performance in Pakistan: The Bhand\ (Palgrave, 2017) and codirector of the devised docu-theatre Teesri Dhun (The Third Tune) with Pakistani khwaja sira and trans performers. She is the performance reviews editor for the journal of theatre and religion, Ecumenica. [email protected]

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Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/dram_a_00821 by guest on 28 September 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/dram_a_00821 by guest on28 September 2021 142 Critical Acts the restofsociety, andentails combativetactics the differencefrom, andnotthe similarityto, clap fostersethicaldispositions thatinsiston down kinestheticallythroughthe gurus, the other celebratoryoccasions)(2018). Passed monial performancesatbirths, weddings, and training suchassong, dance, andbadhai(cere- the community, beforeotherperformance gurus teachnewinitiatesorchelas astheyenter Lahore, describestheclapasfirstskillthat khwaja sirasinger, actress, anddancerin and sustained(2003). NaghmaGogi, asenior tural memoryandknowledgeareenacted formance isakeymeansthroughwhichcul- aural attention occupies morespace clapping ofapplause, thehijraclaptypically (Tripathi 2017, 2018). Unliketheconventional quality thatshenames “a sortofyinandyang” ers” andinscribingtheclapwithaquasi-sacred in the “joint forcesofmaleandfemalepow- the clapofflatpalms, markingthepleasures ceeded toissuealoudhollowstrikingthrough each hand: “there ismaleandfemale.” Shepro- slightly askew, fingersspread, shenoddedto symbolic significanceoftheclap. With hands College of William &Mary, elaborated the in adanceworkshopwithmystudentsatthe demonstrating varioushandgesturesormudras ist, anddancerLaxmiNarayan Tripathi, while 2009:175). The Indian, hijra, transgenderactiv- ­gendered socialscripts(inZimmanandHall ralities uponwhichitisunleashed. its affectsdependentonthespacesandtempo- tive thatcancelebrateaswellitredress, (2005:136), constitutesanunstableperforma- performances”Reddy names “‘troubling’ tural injustice. Hijraclapping, whatGayatri political power, pointingoutfactorsofstruc- sures, andherlackofaccesstogoodfood ity; differentiatingherself, hergender, herplea- rhymed meter. Indoingsosheassertsheralter she alsousestheclaptorupturesteady marginalized hijrasandprosperouspoliticians, finding acommonalityamongevensocially have somethingthatwetakepleasurein, thus highlights intheaboveepigraphthatweall the morepowerisconveyed. While Bindiya more zealous, andmorefrequenttheclapping, or protest. As practitionersnote, thelouder, joban (endorsement), anger, theonsetofafight, Diana Taylor hasarguedthatembodiedper — and canexpresshappiness, — commanding visualand - - cumvent theseeminglyrelentless forward to reenterapriorhistoricalmoment andcir backward’asaway advocacy fora “‘feeling (Supreme Court2009). Ishare Sara Warner’s community inthePakistaniSupreme Court a humanrightspetitionconcerning thehijra ment withtransgenderrights, ontheedgesof before theacceleratedonsetofNGOengage- an instanceofhijraclappingthattookplace ist genealogiesoftheembodiedclap. Iturnto narrative, Iwillrevisittheindigenousactiv- mative possibilities. To complicatethisprogress campaign diveststheclapofitsmultipleperfor tion oftheclapasastigmatizinggesture, the mobility, andimplicitlyacceptingthedesigna- clapping hijra/khwajasirainfavorofupward applause. However, byrenderingabsentthe and inofficeswhoareheraldedwithaclapof gender subjectsonfashionramps, inschools, ity mustbechanged, offeringimagesoftrans- campaign intendstourgethatsuchhostil- to khwajasiraswhoinhabitpublicspaces. The lecherous menissuethehijraclapasataunt forming theclap, malechildren, police, and paign’s video, insteadofkhwajasirasper combat transphobiainPakistan. Inthecam- Rights Day(December2017), usestheclapto Network (APTN)onUnitedNationsHuman Pacific NGO Asia international Transgender tising agencyBBDOPakistanonbehalfofthe human rightscampaignlaunchedbytheadver der rightsinPakistan. our attentionamidsttheunfoldingoftransgen- action inthepublicsphere, theclapcommands tutes communityandcommunitiesconstitute sira identity. Byextension, iftheclapconsti- bonds thatunderscoreandsustainhijra/khwaja clap drawsattentiontotheaffectivecommunity far awaywewillrecognizeher” (2018). The other (sonicallyand/orvisually): “if ahijrais Gogi states, communitymemberstofindeach clap fosterscommunitynetworks, enabling, as mance skillscultivatedwithinhijralineages, the critical tosurvival. Primarytootherperfor nomic necessity), suchcombativeskillsare ging orsexwork(whetheroutofchoiceeco- khwaja siraswholiveprecariouslythroughbeg- normative) violence, andparticularlyforthose everyday (hetero-patriarchal, class, andcis-­ visible khwajasirawhoissubjecttoexorbitant in negotiatingsocialhostility. Forthehyper #ChangeTheClap, arecentsocialmedia ------Critical Acts 143

4 - - - your uniforms! Put on the bangles!” (Shabab Put on the bangles!” your uniforms! police macho- They threatened Khan 2015). strip themselves of the officers demanding ism, a socially uniforms and adopt their masculine the sarto- by wearing degraded femininity to the hijras. akin of bangles, rial adornments the clap and Shaming the police institution, of the humilia- chant performed a reversal at the wedding tion hijras had experienced the patriarchy of party and ran amok with pound- The hijra clap, the police institution. accompanied by ing at the doors of injustice, and finally flying flower dancing, singing, institutional violence, vention against repeated colonial criminalization. mired in the legacy of pots (Asghar 2009), performed a critical inter pots (Asghar 2009), If the “medium is the message” in Marshall message” “medium is the If the the clap- McLuhan’s well-worn dictum (1964), ping protestors issued a passionate embodied lash- police station, Taxila plea outside of the ing out at the unjust policing of hijra bodies. will “What Bobby retorted to media outlets, look at all of us! we do if you ban our dance, will you ban the pea- The peacock also dances, a source Dance, (in Shabab Khan 2015). cock?” is often given spiri- of pleasure and livelihood, Kum tual significance by the community (Kum - The hijras’ spectacular protest affec 2014). prompting tively disorientated police staff, to doors to finally open and the SSP to listen resulting in the release of the their demands, - arrested hijras and suspension of the incrimi But the hijras’ claps carried fur nating officers. ther power, attracting media attention that was attracting media ther power, Aslam Khaki to inspire the jurist Mohammad to file a peti- Trust) Welfare (of the NGO Insaf tion championing this community’s human Heard within rights in the Supreme Court. a week of Bobby’s siege on the police station (remarkable by Pakistan’s juridical standards), the petition paved the way for a whole gambit and NGO activity, social reforms, of legislature, transnational funding and media interest con- and has cerning the rights of hijras/khwaja sira, subsequently extended to a wide spectrum of - - - While 3

Warner draws on Heather Love’s Feeling Backward (2007) but as she notes “resists [her] melancholic urge to ‘dwell draws on Heather Love’s Warner at length on the “dark side” of queer life’” (2012:27). aim that by taking These 19th-century legislators banned performances by individuals they called “eunuchs” with the one administra- away livelihood from these “professional sodomites” (Drummond in Sandford 1866) they would, as 1874). tor describes, “die out” (Tyrwhitt after a wait for the SSP [Senior Superintendent of Police] for more than irritated and the protesters got one hour, singing and shouting started clapping, slogans loudly [which] caught the atten- tion of the police staff and the visitors (Asghar 2009) alike. Denied entrance to the police station and 3. 4. Warner reaches back to dissident lesbian gai- reaches back to dissident Warner LGBT his- ignored in US ety systematically of assimilation” “amnesiac scenes tory with its of clapping that I explore a moment (2012:29), moment but is disruptive in its was extremely present progressive nar largely ignored in the discourses in Pakistan. ratives of trans rights is critical to under This feeling backwards shortcomings of trans standing the neoliberal found in #ChangeTheClap rights in Pakistan as of hijra pehcha\n.with its appropriations

- the swell the opportunity to file a report, ing crowd of angry hijras launched a public fer Police Station, Taxila protest outside the off “Take vently clapping and chanting in unity: Taxila 2009 Clapping for Change, Almas Bobby hijra guru the In January 2009, clapping for gathered with over 100 hijras, police station in Taxila change outside the a northern Punjab (Shabab Khan 2015) after that violent police raid upon a wedding party of and arrests stripping, involved the looting, city A report by the Rawalpindi hijra dancers. ana- police justified their action by dishing out “castrated tomical and moral disapproval at the (in men [who] were busy in vulgar dance” despite lacking While such raids, Khaki 2009). are commonplace in Pakistan legal mandate, the (and have in the past been accompanied by this protest rape and even murder of hijras), led by Bobby (though not the first [Pamment 2010]) attracted the attention of police and as one newspaper reports: media onlookers, march” of neoliberalism (2012:27). of march” Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/dram_a_00821 by guest on 28 September 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/dram_a_00821 by guest on28 September 2021 144 Critical Acts “the manyadoptions, translations, andhybrid- eastern India, whileimportantlypointingout gender/sexually marginalizedcommunitiesin tions andeffects” (2017:10). Intheirworkwith in thereiterationofcapitalist/colonialistrela- be epistemologicallyandpoliticallycomplicit der paradigmitself, whichisofUSorigin, can Lewis andDanIrvingassert, “the transgen- “trans-mutated” intofurtherexclusions. As Vek nalities, theseclassandmoralbiasesoften foreign-funded initiativesandneoliberalratio- der rights, aidedbyNGOsworkingthrough khwaja sirarightsbegantoextendtransgen- 2016).and normativecitizenship(Hamzic; As promoting apoliticsofrespectability, morality, khwaja sirasinto “good citizens” (Dawn2009), ilationist top-downmodelofmakinghijras/ new elitegatekeepers, committedtoanassim- The hijra/khwajasiraclaphadpassedthrough arguably characterizedtheclappingprotestors. community leadershipofgurus morally suspect, perpetuatedbyadepraved and beggingweredeemedunrespectable the Gurus” (SupremeCourt2009). Dancing ment isalsorestrictedastheyareenslavedby andfurther,‘Gurus’”; “Their rightformove- forced todanceandalsoforbeggingbythe respect havealsobeenviolatedinthattheyare petition wentontostatethattheir “rights to itance, education, andemployment, butthe upon therightsofthiscommunitytoinher by thegovernmentandsocietythatinfringed rected. The courttooknoteoftheviolations forming atweddingpartiesweremorallyredi- Protests fortherighttoearnalivelihoodper shape legaldiscourseaboutthecommunity. absence hasallowedforelitelawreformersto excluded fromtheearlyrightshearings. Their ing, andprotestinghijrashavegenerallybeen become apowerfulforce, theclapping, danc- umbrella of“transgender.” gender andsexualminoritiesthroughthebroad

7. 6. 5. While transgenderrightsinPakistanhave company: Rocketman Films. Project/business andcreativedirector: JamayalTanweer. Writer:JamayalTanweer andMoizKhan.Production started aclappingprotest(Jameel2018b). 10 khwaja siraswerearrestedunderfalse charges,NadhraKhan,whenbarredfromenteringthepolicestation, of itsworkoutsidepolicestations(2018b). Forexample,in2017afteramassarrestMuzaffarabadwhich The clapcontinuestobeusedbycommunity members,andMehlabJameelpointstonumerousrecentinstances See alsoGossett,Stanley, andBurton’s critiqueoftransvisibilityintheUS(2017:xv). — traits that - - rather thanreprimandingtheboys, forcibly them. They arejoinedbythepolicewho, using thehijras’powerfulperformativeagainst palms withthehijraclaptoshoothemaway, (fag, sissy), andrhythmicallypoundtheir with thederogatoryslur “chhakka, chhakka” at aweddingfunction. The childrentauntthem adorned insparklyattireasifenroutetodance their gametoblocktwokhwajasiraswhoare A groupofschoolboysplayingcricketstop ground, againstaforebodingsoundscape. language videoopensonadimanddustyplay- of hijra/khwajasira/transhands. potent performanceofresistance, istakenout #ChangeTheClap (2017)ashijraclapping, a These observationsarguablypertainto matter andwhosedonot” (Spade2015:18). can propupexistingnormsaboutwhoselives ibility, onlytotheextentthatvisibility critiqued for “offer[ing] alimitedformofvis- recognition, equality, andinclusion, hasbeen ment, definedasworkingonpremisesoflegal Even withintheUS, theneoliberaltransmove- changed. ture that, thecampaignurges, needstobe people performtheclapasastigmatizingges- everyone exceptkhwajasiras/hijrasandtrans rights campaign#ChangeTheClap(2017) In themainvideocomponentofhuman #ChangeTheClap, 2017–18 conditions inwhichitfunctions: the usesoftermpersebutstructural Aniruddha DuttaandRainaRoycritiquenot izations oftransgenderasarubricidentity,” which theyareembedded. (2014:323, 335) the class/caste/racial­ scalar geographiesof­ of socialmovements, thedismantlingof transformation ofthepoliticaleconomy likely tobeachievedinisolationfromthe The decolonizationoftransgenderisnot 7 This 90-second(mostly)Urdu- hierarchies within development, and 6

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Critical Acts 145 –60, 185). The video transitions with climatic musi- read her clap backwards, demonizing it. One demonizing it. read her clap backwards, “There are affirms, Pakistan newspaper report the clap originated but many ideas about how it has come to signify one thing is for certain; The hijra (Saeed 2017). negativity and begging” clap figured as merely a sign of stigma removes emptying them of agency from its practitioners, activist histories and possibilities. smoke cal flourish to a fashion show where the is now a theatrical effect on a five-star hotel where transwoman model Kami Sid catwalk, the (a recognizable celebrity) assertively walks At 9 clap in #ChangeTheClap. (Courtesy of Figure 1. The hijra clap in #ChangeTheClap. BBDO Pakistan) Figure 2. From the media campaign #ChangeTheClap, featuring the model Kami Sid. (Courtesy of BBDO Pakistan) The next shot The next 8

want to come?” and again clap and want to come?”

Quotes from the video are translated into English (and offered in the film as subtitles), except where noted. Quotes from the video are translated into English (and offered in the film as subtitles), except where popular Punjabi The clap is however often a gesture adopted by male comedians impersonating khwaja siras in the theatre and in slapstick caricatures in satirical television shows (Pamment 2017:145–6, 154 — 9. 8. them away. Next, a khwaja sira beg- Next, them away. at the traffic ging on the roadside lecherous gang junction is told by a car and they will show her of men to get in the the men snig- she refuses, When a good time. While the hijra clap. ger and again issue the of everyday patriarchal video portrays scenes the clap violence inflicted upon khwaja siras, is rarely used by cismen in such contexts. opens in a smoky teahouse where smoky teahouse where opens in a men disrupt the path a group of group of khwaja siras, of another to the ladies’ this time on their way lustfully jeer, The men bathroom. else you can “we have somewhere go

drag the khwaja siras by their hair siras by their hair drag the khwaja - “respect out of the and clothes able neighborhood.” least in my interactions with khwaja siras over least in my interactions with khwaja siras from such shows of harassment, the last decade, vio- everyday bullying to scenes of institutional are invariably met with rebuke from lence, By con- often through the clap. khwaja siras, hands khwaja siras raise their in the video, trast, but are rendered passive as as if about to clap, retaining the the males complete the gesture, clap- power of the heteropatriarchy, Western- Like ping the hijras away. funded women’s rights campaigns that have propagated the message “need saving” that Muslim women the construc- (Abu-Lughod 2002), tion of the victimized khwaja sira, stripped of the clap that typically consoli- communicates agency, dates rescue narratives and justifies here human rights interventions, at the behest of the transnational transgender rights donor (APTN). In this developmental economy, mediated not by khwaja siras but by an elite commercial advertising agency with little prior contact with the 2018), the community (Tanweer khwaja sira is rendered an object of pity through class hierarchies that Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/dram_a_00821 by guest on 28 September 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/dram_a_00821 by guest on28 September 2021 146 Critical Acts of themsneers, “hey look, it’sthat lier carscenereappearintheaudienceandone ramp. The twolecherousmenfromtheear 11. 10. these transpeopleappearnamedandtitled. was BBDOeverabletoprovidetheirnames), mances, theyneverappearwithcreditsnor Tanweer saystheywerepaidfortheirperfor ity withtheirlaborremaininginvisible(while the videowhoareclappedawayintoanonym- tion. Unlikethekhwajasirasinfirstpartof that thecampaigndeemsworthyofapprecia- show” (2018), whichItranslatetomeanroles paign, describesas “a certainrolewewantedto what Jamayal Tanweer, thedirectorofcam- with “positive representations” oftranspeople, thundering applause, wearenowpresented to showappreciation. Against asoundtrackof hijra clap, intoastraightergesture, clapping hands shiftfromtheskewedpositionof your mind;itwillchangeclap.” The man’s ple likeuscouldgetthisfar, right?Change era, “Why didyoustop?Neverthoughtpeo- addresses him, lookingdirectlyintothecam- begins toinitiatethehijraclapbutstops. Kami about tacklingtransphobiaandsocial change: ion industry. Tanweer stressesthatthe videois education orjobsintheNGOsectorfash- of classrespectabilityorhaveaccesstoformal khwaja siras who don’t conform to these images transgender subjectsattheexpenseofstreet ically endowsapprovaluponthese “deserving” into theclapofapplause. The videoproblemat- heteropatriarchy, whosehandsstraightenup the hijraclapagaininhandsofaman, the into applause.” The videoendsonaclose-upof sage (inEnglish): “It’s timewechangeridicule ramp. A titlecardappearswiththefilm’smes- “Kami Sid: Transwoman Model” walkingthe on publictransport;andfinallywereturnto demurely acceptstheofferofaseatbyman Rana: Transwoman“Neeli Social Worker” a motivationalspeakerleansintomicrophone; students; “ManiAQ: Transmanfellow Activist,” transwoman student” peersoveraniPadwith titlesareassigned: English text “Irha Parishei:

Asim Azher. Celebrities includedOsmanAliButt,Ahmed AliButt,MehwishHayat,Ayesha Omar, AnousheyAshraf,and (2018). Thislistremainsincomplete. Neeli Ranahasinformedmethatthese performersincludedNeelofar, Faizi,andMaxi,khwajasirasfromLahore — ” andhe - 10 -

on socialmedia. of applause, amultitudeofclapswentviral clap, thentransformingitintoastraightclap (Raja Saad2017). Performingfirstthehijra began clappingalongwiththecampaign actresses toschoolanduniversitystudents, der) individuals, fromcelebrityactorsand through acrowdmorelikecontagionthan in socialdynamics, showsthatapplausespreads fiers. RichardMann, amathematicianworking elsewhere havebeennotedtobeunstablesigni- ple inPakistan;however, clapsofapplause encouraging showofsolidarityfortranspeo- Pakistani television, many(largelycisgen and throughmediacoverageonmainstream prop uptheseideals. khwaja siraandherclaparecommodifiedto sionals (Sengupta2016). The culturallyspecific ers,” but surgeons, students, andotherprofes- stating theywerenothijras, “not sexwork- ­transmen andtranswomenholdingplacards, paign #IamNotAHijra(2016), whichfeatured of thecontroversialIndiansocialmediacam- ­scripting of#ChangeTheClapisreminiscent ble fortheviolenceinflicteduponthem. The not conformtosuchimagesareresponsi- (Roy 2016:412), suggeststhatthosewhodo of ­ Indian contextsasa “transgender ­ legitimacy inwhatJeffRoydescribes rity model, andthesocialactivist. Endowing deems worthy:thetransstudent, theceleb- the heteropatriarchyandneoliberaleconomy rights willbeendoweduponthose­ video impliesadifferentstory, thathuman Despite theseaspirations, thediegesisof self-understanding andempowerment” On socialmediainPakistanandabroad we areaskingsocietytochange. (2018) am innopositiontoaskthemchange, munity isapowerfulsymbolforthem. I son orfromthekhwajasira/hijracom- their clap. The sameclapforatransper khwaja siras, nottransgender, tochange normal people What wearetryingtosayisthatwant 11 —

On thesurfacethisisan people whoarenot narrative individuals - - Critical Acts 147 - Neeli, Neeli, — who appear as car — toonesque pop-ups. I type in “khwaja sira,” “khwaja sira,” I type in toonesque pop-ups. but these are not “the clap” and even “hijra,” I am instead prompted in her repertoire. Choices range to ask about something else. “gender transition,” from “misconceptions,” Meeno Ji and her “about your friends.” and friends — Neeli, Kami, Mani, and are Irha — bot What the transgender reduced to code. largely culled from US trans- offers are scripts, for gender websites including National Center Facebook Messenger application invites users Facebook Messenger “any ques- Meeno Ji, to ask fictive trans person transgender people tions you may have about or get to know more about #ChangeTheClap As human-machine interface campaign!” - Meeno Ji responds in real time and intro duces her friends from the campaign Kami, Mani, and Irha Mani, Kami, Figure 4. Neeli Rana of the Meeno Ji application. (Courtesy of BBDO Pakistan) Figure 3. Meeno Ji, from the BBDO campaign “Meeno Ji: The World’s the BBDO campaign “Meeno Ji: The World’s Figure 3. Meeno Ji, from Bot.” (Courtesy of BBDO Pakistan) First Transgender

One may ask whether the claps whether the claps One may ask launched as part A separate series of videos While the work of trans voices in around #ChangeTheClap are around #ChangeTheClap of audiences con- symptomatic or a fronting social transphobia, at self-congratulatory applause ideals the triumph of neoliberal communities upon witnessing trans normative assimilating by adopting elite/educated/ palatable for ideals, upper-class audiences? interviews with three of the campaign features the first video (Kami of the trans people from While speak- AQ). and Mani Neeli Rana, Sid, stressing equal- ing to the campaign’s agenda, through they do so ity and common humanity, which begin their own subjective experiences, to complicate the framings of the video and main While the its neoliberal underpinnings. street video distances these individuals from the in these interviews Neeli Rana khwaja sira, embrace and iden- in particular, and Kami Sid, Feeling their way tify with aspects of hijra-ness. Kami Sid discusses the mul- through the clap, wraps sex work into tiple meanings of the clap, and points at the double stan- her discussion, a dards of heteropatriarchy; while Neeli Rana, redresses police brutality after khwaja sira guru, - her own experiences entertaining at a wed although the clap In this context, ding party. may have changed hands in #ChangeTheClap, Kami Sid and Neeli Rana exemplify the work negotiating the neolib- of local trans activists, without eral narrative of self-empowerment, Efforts for abandoning community structures. more inclusive community building are made the who tells us that initially explicit by Sid, project was conceived to only feature her until she pushed for more diverse representation, bringing in other khwaja siras and trans peo- ple (2018). #ChangeTheClap are illustrative of strategies final in the that trouble the neoliberal scripts, World’s The Meeno Ji: part of the campaign, 2018), Bot (@TheMeenoJi Transgender First and the voices that speak through the clap, This online are entirely erased. Meeno Ji, genuine show of appreciation, sum- of appreciation, genuine show “don’t trust warning moning the (in Giridharan 2013). the clap” Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/dram_a_00821 by guest on 28 September 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/dram_a_00821 by guest on28 September 2021 148 Critical Acts Mobilized aMovement” (BBDOPakistan “#ChangeTheClap: HowaSimpleChange the achievementsofcampaign: released byBBDOPakistan, heralds activisms intotransnationaldefinitions. and morphstheirparticularembodiments activism —erases of avatars bots —disembodied transition ofNeeliandKamitotransgender were notconsultedoveritsparticulars. The were partofthisaspectthecampaignand not, andbothwereentirelyunawarethatthey while Kamiknewofitsexistence, Neelidid Neeli andKami to optfortheseprovisions. When Ispoketo those whodonothaveaccessorchoose transgender paradigm, furthermarginalizing the assertionofthis Western medico-legal understandings ofgenderarevulnerablein text ofUShealthandlegalsystems. Indigenous information onmedicaltransitioninthecon- in Newton, Massachusetts” thatlargelyoffer certain “Adam...a (trans)teenager[who]live[s] a websitenamed TransWhat? developedbya Transgender Equality’stransequality.org and of BBDO Pakistan) Figure 5.BBDOprojectsachievementsfromtheirMarch2018#ChangeTheClap’s campaign.(Courtesy A Facebookposton19March 2018, — in person — about thebot, this earlierbilloffered tion committee. As Mehlab Jameelarticulates, gatekeeping rightsthroughagender recogni- erate interventionintoanearlier propositionof and SarahSuhail, wasabill thatmadeadelib- Ali, MehlabJameel, BubbliMalik, Aashi Jaan, activists andfeministallies, includingJannat independent groupofkhwajasiraandtrans in thiswork. The resultofactivistlaboran struggles andself-sacrificesthattheyinvested no directinvolvement, anditunderminesthe by BBDOPakistan, statingthattheagencyhad have expressedoutrageinthecreditclaimed through theNational Assembly (8May2018), the Senate(7March2018), andsubsequently Persons (ProtectionofRights)Bill” through ists involvedinpushing “The Transgender Pakistan’s Senate.” Two ofthetransactiv- “The Transgender PersonProtectionBillby tising agencytakescreditfortheapprovalof transgender rightsinPakistan.” The adver “accomplish equalitybylawandfightfor set,” nowitsintentionshaveexpandedto the campaignaimedfora “change ofmind- 2018). While previouspublicationsstatedthat - Critical Acts 149 Sexual and Gender Diversity Sexual and Gender Diversity 1, Studies Quarterly Transgender TSQ: , 5 November. Accessed 5 January 5 November. Dawn, Trap Door: Trans Cultural Production and Cultural Trans Door: Trap 2018. http://archives.dawn.com/archives/132702. 2018. in India: Some Transgender “Decolonizing Reflections.” 3:320–37. Accessed 9 March 2018. 18 June. , Science Mag www.sciencemag.org/news/2013/06/dont-trust -applause. 4 March. author, 2017. The MA: Cambridge, . Visibility of the Politics MIT Press. Vernacular Law and History, World: in the Muslim Tauris. London: I.B. . Knowledge www.facebook.com Accessed 1 March 2018. /TheMeenoJi/. Anthropological Reflections on Need Saving? American Cultural Relativism and Its Others.” 3:783–90. Anthropologist 104, Accessed 5 January 28 January. Dawn, mood.” www.dawn.com/news/340707. 2018. www.facebook.com Accessed 20 March 2018. /BBDOPAKISTAN/photos/a.215998228552236 /1003763339775717/?type=3&theater. 15 March. Pakistan, Rawalpindi, rights.” social action, education, and community- education, social action, that we It is in these settings making. [...] the activist labor might evidence the lim- critiques and learn and also find industrial complex. its of the NGO –95) (2016:1594 The embodied hijra clap, with its lineages of clap, The embodied hijra calls for a networks, activism and community feeling — and backwards forwards — to locate and inequalities the conditions of exclusion movement and its neo- inscribed in the rights recognition of which might liberal paradigms, futures. enable more inclusive Dutta, Aniruddha, and Raina Roy. 2014. 2014. and Raina Roy. Aniruddha, Dutta, the Applause.” Trust “Don’t 2013. Nisha. Giridharan, interview with Telephone 2018. Naghma. Gogi, Burton. and Johanna Stanley, A. Eric Reina, Gossett, 2016. Vanja. Hamzic;, Abu-Lughod, Lila. 2002. “Do Muslim Women Really Women “Do Muslim 2002. Lila. Abu-Lughod, “Merrymakers in dark 2009. Mohammad. Asghar, 19 March. Facebook post, 2018. BBDO Pakistan. Interview with author. 2014. Almas. Bobby, “Govt proposals sought on transvestites’ 2009. Dawn. 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a very reductionist genitalia-focused defi- genitalia-focused a very reductionist only which could nition of “transgender,” board. through a medical be certified objec- and most contentious Our first as ambig- make this definition tive was to Other as possible. uous and generalized power to the problematic clauses gave community (basi- police to intervene in same suspicion of cally reinforcing the was seen in the alternate kinships that (2018a) of 2009). Supreme Court ruling [T]o understand activism in South Asia, Asia, [T]o understand activism in South we must also attend to informal sites of ent in the Supreme Court Petition of 2009, and ent in the Supreme Court Petition of 2009, Ji and the medical regimes advocated by Meeno activist, As one trans Adam from Massachusetts. notes in her who wishes to remain anonymous, it exem- overall critique of #ChangeTheClap, “structural system[s] of injustice that plifies: ‘others,’ the other ‘others,’ continue to exclude ‘others’ (and so on) while it exploits the bad one and, them to satiate savior complexes,” to accumulate donor capital. might add, As Jameel notes this was “enabling further state was As Jameel notes this control over the com- regulation and police those who are economi- particularly munity, living on the fringes” cally marginalized and with for over a year, In the making (2018b). which as I have shown legacies in a movement, the activists who reaches even further back, - have created the bill did so in careful negoti ation with a myriad of stakeholders including trans activ- rigorous outreach with khwaja siras, parlia- the Council of Islamic Ideology, ists, The and State juridical authorities. mentarians, act grants legal rights to transgender people - and importantly allows them to define them pushing back on the selves on their own terms, moral and medical/psychiatric policing inher Clapping for Inclusive Futures Clapping for Inclusive of with its apparent agenda #ChangeTheClap, combatting stigma towards Pakistan’s margin- - offers mixed mes alized trans communities, sages mired in classism and respectability politics that mirror the uneven developments and neoliberal moorings of the trans rights of LGBT Writing movement in Pakistan. Kareem Khubchandani Asia, rights in South reminds us: Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/dram_a_00821 by guest on 28 September 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/dram_a_00821 by guest on28 September 2021 150 Critical Acts Rana, Bindiya, andNeeliRana. 2018. Telephone Raja Saad. 2017. “Pakistani Celebritiesshowing Pamment, Claire. 2017. ComicPerformance inPakistan: Pamment, Claire. 2010. “Hijraism: Jostlingfora National Centerfor Transgender Equality. 2016. McLuhan, Marshall.Media: The 1964. Understanding Love, Heather. 2007. Feeling Backward: Lossandthe Lewis, Vek, andDanIrving. 2017. “Strange Kum Kum. 2014. Personalinterviewwithauthor. Khubchandani, Kareem. 2016. “LGBT Activism in Khan, Shahnaz. 2016. “What IsinaName?Khwaja Khan,Faris A.2016. “Khwaja Sira Activism:The Khaki, Mohammad Alam. 2009. “Application by Jameel, Mehlab. 2018b. Personalemail Jameel, Mehlab. 2018a. Facebookpost, 7March. Hinchy, Jessica. 2014. “Obscenity, MoralContagion interview withauthor, 5March. =XM3DBZM7o2I. December 2017. www.youtube.com/watch?v YouTube, 14December. Accessed 14 their supportfortransgenders#changetheclap.” The (T206):29–50. Third SpaceinPakistaniPolitics.” TDR54, 2 -asked-questions-about-transgender-people. .transequality.org/issues/resources/frequently People.” 9 July. Accessed 20February2018. www about TransgenderQuestions “Frequently Asked Extensions ofMan. London:Routledge. University Press. Politics. ofQueerHistory Cambridge, MA:Harvard Quarterly 4, 1:4 Political Economy.” TSQ:TransgenderStudies Alchemies: The Trans MutationsofPowerand Lahore,11 April. 1590–95. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell. Gender andSexualityStudies, ed. Nancy A. Naples, South Asia.”In 42. 2:218– Journal ofGenderStudies 23, Sara, HijraandEunuchsinPakistan.” Indian Transgender StudiesQuarterly 3, 1–2:158–64. Politics ofGender Ambiguity inPakistan.” TSQ: 18 March. 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Telephone interviewwithauthor, Shabab Khan. 2015. “almas bobijaloos2008.” Sengupta, DurgaM. 2016. “I Am Not A Hijra: A Sandford, J.G. 1866. “From OfficiatingRegister Saeed, Mehek. 2017. “Clap fortolerance.” Instep Roy, Jeff. 2016. “Translating Hijrainto Transgender: Roy, Jeff. 2015. “The ‘Dancing Queens’:Negotiating Reddy, Gayatri. 2005. With RespecttoSex:Negotiating with author, 4January. William & Mary, 14September. History classlecturedemonstration, Collegeof transwhat.org/transition/. Durham, NC:DukeUniversity Press. Performing Cultural inthe Memory Americas. author, 4January. archive ofauthor. Petition No. 43of2009, 6February. Personal Durham, NC:DukeUniversity Press. Violence, Critical Trans Politics andtheLimitsofLaw. 5 March. www.youtube.com/watch?v=yS5N5zhitxc. YouTube, 20November. 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— Dated Agra, the12thMay, Critical Acts 151 -

- Queer Dance comes in multiple formats: www.youtube.com January 2018. Accessed 10 /watch?v=GyA0M0gsmZM. Accessed 10 January 2018. 8 January. YouTube. www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIdmnlN3XI0. In Language ‘Third Sex.’” Embodiment and the Carmen Llamas and Dominic ed. and Identities, Edinburgh Edinburgh: 166–78. Watt, University Press. Hosted by LaWhore Vagistan, the Explode! Vagistan, Hosted by LaWhore ued with a performance festival in Ann Arbor, Arbor, Ann ued with a performance festival in perfor The 2017 2). in 2015 (vii, Michigan, crit- mances are best approached in relation to ical perspectives from the Queer Dance book. “is what emerges as Croft insists, ‘queer,’” “The (3). and between” across, among, comprised 12 performances queer dance festival Alterio and Anthony by 9 artists or groups: Anna Michael Martine Whitehead, Parmelee, Post Natyam Gu Jiani, Peter Carpenter, defrantz, thomas f. Nic Gareiss, Collective, mance festival took place at JACK perform- mance festival took place at JACK 22–24 June NY, ing arts space in Brooklyn, perfectly timed to coincide with NYC’s 2017, As Croft states in Weekend. LGBTQ+ Pride this “representing the book’s introduction, range of ways of being and knowing requires that [...] No one and performed. filmed, written, In the spirit of this queer (3). thing is the thing” the festival’s perfor multipronged project, We Are APTN. 2018. “Mani | #ChangeTheClap.” “Mani | 2018. Are APTN. #ChangeTheClap.” We “Language, 2009. and Kira Hall. Lal, Zimman, 2019. Spring (T241) 63:1 Review Drama TDR: The Institute Massachusetts the and University York New ©2019 Technology of -

Provinces, in the Judicial (Criminal) Department (Criminal) Department in the Judicial Provinces, British IOR/P/196. of July 1874.” for the Month Library. Ann Arbor: University . of Pleasure and the Politics of Michigan Press. www 11 December 2017. Accessed 11 December. .youtube.com/watch?v=vGsNPHj_ZdA. Accessed 10 January 16 December. YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5p 2018. Gawnwd-k. 28 December. YouTube. #ChangeTheClap.” The book is only one part of the larger is a PhD Candidate at the CUNY Graduate Center and teaches at Purchase College. is a PhD Candidate at the CUNY Graduate Center and teaches at Purchase College. Janet Werther with Their dissertation focuses on queer performance and longings for home. They performed and Ballez from 2013 to 2016, and their previous writing is published in Studies in Musical Theatre A Journal of Performance and Art. PAJ: Tyrwhitt, E. 1874. “Proceedings of the N-W of the N-W “Proceedings 1874. E. Tyrwhitt, LGBT Performance Acts of Gaiety: 2012. Sara. Warner, YouTube, “#ChangeTheClap.” 2017. Are APTN. We “Kami Sid 2017. Are APTN. #ChangeTheClap.” We “Neeli Rana 2017. Are APTN. | We formers? The content it engages and evokes? formers? does Eroticized use of touch and gesture? How intro- its queerness? In her “do” queer dance duction to the edited volume Queer Dance: Clare Croft suggests Meanings and Makings, “no single entity marks something as queer that but it is rather how [various] textures dance, that press on the world and against one another opens the possibility for dance to be queer” at Queer dance is embodied action, (2017:1). and deeply imbricated evocative, once opaque, in the social. - which also includes a com Queer Dance project, panion website and the Explode! queer dance fes- curated by Croft and featuring the work , tival This larger proj- of many of the book’s writers. ect began with a 2012 special topics conference of the Congress on Research in Dance (now - Association) and contin the Dance Studies Janet Werther it the dance? Is “queer” What is queer about per subject positions claimed by its makers and Queer As a Verb Critical Reflections on the Explode! queer dance festival Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/dram_a_00821 by guest on 28 September 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/dram_a_00821 by guest on28 September 2021 152 queer dancefestival,JACK,Brooklyn,NY, 2017. Figure 1.AnthonyAlterioandMichaelParmeleeinboido(et). Critical Acts mance’s embodied critiquesandqueerfrictions. draws theaudience’sattention to eachperfor contextualizes thevariousperformances, she performance. As Vagistan introducesandalso tion inthetraditionof“mixed bill” eveningsof hallmark, and Aunty’s emceeing isaninterven- and postcolonialqueercritiqueis Vagistan’s “birthed.” This mélangeofhumor, eroticism, that themanynationsof Vagistan have inextricably interwovenculturesandtraditions ognition andcelebrationofthevariousbut onized, divided, andwar-torn regionin rec- “Vagistan” couldhelpunifyandhealthecol- Middle EastandtheIndiansubcontinentasa dance. Shesuggeststhatavulvicimageofthe the Sindhidiasporawhotaughtherhowto as pronounsinrecognitionofthe Aunties in duces herself, askingustouse “she” or “Aunty” drag alteregoofKareemKhubchandani)intro- capaciously queerexplosionofperformance. encrusted spacewastheidealvenueforthis equity andsocialjustice, JACK’s gaudy, tinfoil- nings. As anexperimentaltheatrecommittedto frantz, andMonsonDorvillieronbotheve- lowed bythesamethreedancesGareiss, de and prayin byJenniferHargeonSaturday, fol- by PostNatyam CollectiveonFridayandcussin with adifferentperformance:rapture/rupture nings. On23and24June, however, eachbegan dances wererepeatedonanysubsequenteve- first eveningwasuniqueinthatnoneofthe and JenniferMonsonDDDorvillier. The LaWhore Vagistan (thebrilliantlycrafted (Photo byAlEvangelist) - Explode! mond shape. Then, glaringatthe audience, she head toframeherfaceinastereotypical dia- head slide, herpressedhands liftedaboveher performs aseductive, belly dancing–inspired dance directlycritiquesorientalism; Aunty government’s Muslimtravelban. Vagistan’s The numberbeginswithnewsclipsontheUS “A Whole New World” fromDisney’sAladdin. for acritically “multicultural” draglipsynchof Martine Whitehead’s and Anna do(et) implication thatwomenaredisposable. overall curatorialprofile, however, disavowsany ers remainsremarkablygendersegregated. The this question, asthediversecastofperform- alize them?Noonedancewilldirectlytakeup include femaledancersonlytovisiblymargin- women arepropsforfemininegaymen? Why remains: doesboido(et)suggestthatcisgender able performance, adisconcertingquestion cheeky effeminacyintoanexuberantandenjoy- After synthesizingpowerfulathleticismand women returntotheirrolesaspropmasters. engage inabriefspinningquartetbeforethe into matchingaccoutrements, theperformers ets andlongbrunettewigs. Helpingthemen the femaleassistantsreturninfauxfurjack- identification. out,and AsAdele’s“Hello” rings forming aqueerinterplayofsame-sexdesire arabesques andelongated, distalgestures, per tle sandbox. Alterio mimicsParmelee’ssmooth lamps onstage, framingthecouchandatur Two femaleassistantscarrystanding Vagistan returnstothestagebetweenboi sofa dance. “disaster play” originsinboido(et)’s dancers (2017:199). Iseechildren’s dancers, andespeciallytoqueer ries matter” toqueerpeople, to Khubchandani writes, “origin sto- long intofeatsofsharedweight. As another, thrustingtheirtorsoshead- two menboundoverandunderone weight. Athletically intimate, the ceived riskofbeingtoppledbyits it, andexpertlyavoidtheper couch, spinitaround, spinaround “hello,” theyjumpontoandoffa ebullience. Shoutingvariationson These queermeninvokechild-like Alterio andMichaelParmelee. by Anthony 22 Juneisboi(do)et The firstselectionon Thursday, selections - - - Critical Acts 153 (Photo by Al Evangelist) Ensconcing herself in a corner, Whitehead’s Ensconcing herself in a corner, Bobo’s sustained and deliberate movements is Bobo’s sustained and deliberate movements skin The light is dim against the dark jarring. I think but I certainly see her. of Bobo’s body, to imag- Maybe it is presumptuous I see her. I consider my ine that I can ever truly see her. Is my view- role as a white queer spectator. Am I a witness? Or do ing in support of her? her I consume her? I focus on the nuances of perpetually reaching upward spiraling joints, will Vagistan As after each controlled descent. queer dance cannot live without remind us, and women, antiracist politics, queer politics, our the historical and contemporary leaders of movements: queer and trans women of color. Whitehead and Bobo for the I am grateful to kinetic evocation of these truths. of bird-like movements evoke the lightness flight and the explosive potential of contained but Bobo slithers close violence in krumping. the dancers remain in two separate worlds of other one frantically paced and the experience, Whitehead begins breath- slow and deliberate. as though hyperventi- ing deeply and rapidly, asking Bobo responds by circling her, lating. What can you not say? “What do you need? Why do we think that our silence will pro- Whitehead begins a slow warrior- tect us?” like dance across the front of the performing

1 - Explode! queer dance festival Explode! queer dance, JACK, Figure 2. LaWhore Vagistan. 2017. Brooklyn, NY,

Here and elsewhere, quotations of performance text are taken from my fieldnotes on the performances. In her contribution to Queer In her contribution to Whitehead’s collaborator and coperformer, 1.

Dance: Meanings and Makings, “In think- Whitehead writes, I struggle with ing about practice, survival, the distinctions between resistance, in selec- Her performance (2017:283). and art” collapsing the tions embodies these overlaps, rep- thinned boundaries between abstract and I prone. Whitehead lies resentational dance. am reminded that stillness in the living body as I keenly observe the micro “still” is never The persistent movements of her breathing. queer, Whitehead’s biracial black, liveness of female body in this space remains open and - vulnerable to the gazes and imaginative projec tions of the audience. Bobo sits near the audience. Bobo, Trinity Whitehead’s movements undulates lightly as open- reaching, Twisting, enlarge and expand. and Whitehead reveals her strong body ing, a its chosen markings: tattoos adorn a calf, extreme The an inner thigh. her rib cage, wrist, vir Whitehead’s joints is at once mobility of The dancers tuosic and achingly awkward. her foot- Whitehead finds find one another as spi- reaching, Now Bobo is center stage, ing. “Do head. shaking her collapsing gently, raling, “Look at her.” Whitehead asks. you see her?” shakes her head “no.” Slipping into Slipping into “no.” head shakes her Aunty embodies cross- Spanish, immigrant queer, cultural brown, as Suggesting anal play solidarity. grat- of sexual world” “a whole new dons a latex Vagistan ification, penetra- between Toggling glove. she reaches first tor and penetrated, eventually all and then two, one, at the audience, five fingers directly The full fist. eventually forming a performance of audience cheers her sexual climax fisting: simultaneously power. and a symbol of political three evenings, Repeated across the this piece remains a highlight. I look. “Do you really see her? Like I see her?” “Do you really see her? Like I see her?” I look. “because I don’t see her.” Whitehead insists, “How Whitehead’s words, The juxtaposition of with can you see her? I’m trying to see her,” Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/dram_a_00821 by guest on 28 September 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/dram_a_00821 by guest on28 September 2021 154 festival, JACK,Brooklyn,NY, 2017. Figure 3.GuJianiandWang XuanqiinRight&Left. Critical Acts any simplisticnotionoffuturity astheper lete gaycowboy, however, Carpenterrefuses ing theimage/embodimentofnowobso- still wanttobelievein” (2017:211). Byutiliz- “a potentialfor American democracythatI suggests thathiscowboyiconographyevokes round, and dynamicleap. Hehaschosen this. choreography, itistheculmination ofalarge, eschewing theverticalinsistence ofhisearlier When Carpenterfinallydescends tothefloor, petual replenishmentoftheyouthful andnew. thighs Carpenter toucheshisglands “family values” visionofChristian America, Juxtaposed againstanaudioscoreofReagan’s ture, yetheisstillbalanced, stable, standing. leg gestures movements limp. The long-limbeddancer’sexpansive boy strutbecominganextremeliltor only onecowboyboot, hisswaggeringcow- work excerpted fromhisevening-length2009 forms “Last CowboyStanding,” asolo your words?” Blackout. Whitehead’s silence: “What andwhereare stage. Meanwhile, Bobocontinuestochallenge head, shereachestowardanadversaryjustoff- crouched stance. Liftingonearmaboveher space, herproudlyheldtorsojuxtaposinga In hiswritingforQueerDance, Carpenter After intermission, PeterCarpenterper My FellowMy Americans. Carpenterwears — in searchofillness. — — outstretched armsandsweeping begin tobreakdownandfrac- (Photo byAlEvangelist) — neck, armpits, Explode! queerdance - - all directions. Still, theseateddancerdoes not her seatedpartner’sarms, torso, andheadin The manipulator’sactionsintensify, flinging ing herwaybacktoaverticalseated position. The seateddancerdoesnotresist, alwaysfind- a stoolwhiletheothermanipulates herlimbs. striking scene, oneperformer sitsdownstageon they touch, itiswithcareandfamiliarity. Ina long, supplelimbsandcroppedhaircuts. When Gu and Wang mirroroneanotherwiththeir body, yetthereisalsoacasualintimacyhere. movement” beliesitsviolentimpactsonthe Right &Lefthighlightsthewaythat “abstract at times, traumatic. Like Whitehead’s selections, and representation, agencyandviolence. onstage, blurredtheboundariesofabstraction selections, anotherworkthat, usingtwowomen from thatevening, particularly Whitehead’s read itinthecontextofotherperformances self-positioning asaqueerviewer. Moreover, I on itsinclusioninthisfestivalandmyown observed it. Iinterpretthedancequeerly, based ily limitedtotheNew York contextinwhichI performed with Wang Xuanqi, isnecessar and contemporarydance. Chinese heteronormativity, nationalculture, to situateGu’sworkinitslocalcontextof the People’sRepublicofChinaenablesher Wilcox’s decadeofethnographicfieldwork in culturally specificand “universal” valences. Right &Leftisvirtuosic, mesmerizing, and, My ownanalysisofGuJiani’sRight&Left, two feet. stumbles offstageonhisown even Reaganhimself, thedancer on thefloor;havingoutlasted Yet Carpenterdoesnotremain frames thisentireprojecthas (2017:79). The questionthat asked, ‘What isqueerdance?’” duet asqueer, “but thenshe ographer doesnotidentifythe ume bynotingthatthechore- work intheQueerDancevol- tualizes heranalysisofGu’s Scholar Emily Wilcox contex- representational performance. bility establishedbyCarpenter’s exists beyondthescopeoflegi- Jiani’s excerptedRight&Left Chinese choreographerGu The abstractviolenceof - Critical Acts 155 - Queer They refuse to be contained by 2 by Detroit-based African by Detroit-based cussin and prayin Drinking whiskey and water, alternately Drinking whiskey and water, On Saturday the evening begins less gently the evening begins On Saturday universe, the productive frictions they initiate universe, continue to to destabilize — queer — the Harge’s performance refuses Dance initiative. Listed as a solo for closure and demands action. The uncred- the performance is a duet. Harge, ited labor of the additional black female per the performers and dancing, running, writing, productively signify on the trope of the angry black woman. former mirrors violent social norms. She is former mirrors violent social norms. simultaneously invisible and hypervisible in her resil- care, mourning, performances of anger, and remembrance. resistance, ience, with Harge’s work Harge. American artist Jennifer with no direct repre- is one of only two dances Dance edited volume. sentation in the Queer “capa- Queer Dance is a This reminds me that As new artists are 2017:7). (Croft cious archive” Queer Dance initiated into the ever-expanding of lack as proliferation. The stage is ultimately The of lack as proliferation. abandoned the detritus of Lee’s littered with as a drag show,” “very much like accoutrements, reminds us. Vagistan rapture/rupture. Figure 4. Cynthia Ling Lee in Post Natyam Collective’s (Photo by Al Evangelist) is - - —

“You were my “You —

Signifyin(g) was theorized by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. as a black vernacular mode of communication that utilizes a Signifyin(g) was theorized by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. 1988 essay “The Signifying “trickster” modality to often humorously shift meaning. See, for example, Gates’s of Monkey and the Language of Signifyin(g): Rhetorical Difference and the Orders of Meaning.” The concept productions, signifyin(g) has since been signified on by many scholars of black vernacular discourses and cultural including thomas f. defrantz. Collective’s Natyam Friday begins with Post “Beloved, our love was not enough,” a key our love was not enough,” “Beloved, 2.

. In the companion essay to this In the companion . rapture/rupture and Cynthia Ling Sandra Chatterjee work, Lee “reimagine South Asian dance queer, through feminist-of-color, lenses” and diasporic postcolonial, man- This reimagining (2017:46). of ifests through a proliferation images performed by dancer/­ choreographer Cynthia Ling Lee and the juxtaposition of Lee’s dancing with director Shymala speaking the Moorty’s seated body, Lee’s exper dance’s poetic text. tise with kathak rhythms and ges- tures is complemented by her feminine accoutrements: a color a jewel-toned silk ful head scarf, smiles She tilts her head, dress. Language coyly. resist. The exchange conjures images of domi- exchange conjures The resist. intently at the Looking submission. nance and you How much will I wonder: seated dancer, “Dance isn’t just is your safe word? What take? us after the reminds Vagistan representation,” everyday lives; Pain is part of our dance ends. The from our art? why should it be evacuated with a celebratory appropriately, evening closes, Survive.” Will “I to multilingual lip synch mirror...me, an imperfect copy...I an imperfect copy...I mirror...me, was a foreigner in your world” embodied through Lee’s change of masculine jeans and a fedora dress into loose, Postmodern loping runs and casual leaps hat. deconstruct the classical kathak vocabulary. suggests lack as a pertinent analyti- refrain, Asian heritage figured as lack cal frame: East gen- of Hindu Indian cultural background, der nonconformity as lack of appropriate fem- the guru/student relationship as lack of ininity, tran- desire as lack of power to romantic love, the doubling Yet scend difference and distance. with Lee and Moorty in this dance, “I” of the simultaneously embodying a singular sub- ironic figuring suggests a queer, ject position, Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/dram_a_00821 by guest on 28 September 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/dram_a_00821 by guest on28 September 2021 156 Critical Acts Rather, GareissandSchreyevokeanerot- guish whoistheleaderand isthefollower. rhythmically, itbecomesimpossible todistin- ging sound. Pushingand pullingoneanother sand helpssustainandlightlyamplify thedrag- further awayfromhiscenteras asprinklingof the strings, Gareiss’stoeslidingfurtherand ing, squeakingquiverofSchrey’sbowagainst inclusion ofnontraditionalsounds:theflutter and itsattendanthomosexualpanic(2017:188). mated queernessofmaleperformativedisplay another, ity, withdancerandfiddlerperformingforone in theaudience. Byreconfiguringthisspatial- their bodiesonstagebyflirtingwithwomen formances, displacingtheocularspectacleof expected tolookdirectlyforwardduringper exemplars ofnationalhetero-masculinity, are autoethnographic essay, maleIrishdancers, as ers’ sexualproclivities. As Gareissnotesinhis the particularitiesofindividualperform- musician, creatingaqueerworldthatexceeds rate anintimatedialoguebetweendancerand Nic GareissandfiddlerCleekSchreyelabo- Whitehead’s andHarge’s. links criticalworksfromacrossthefestival, like tics asaconditionofpossibilityforqueerdance ness survive? Aunty’s insistenceonqueerpoli- queerness “elsewhere.” Where elsecanqueer queerness andart-making. We alllearnedour decentering New York Cityastheepicenterof to imaginemorecapaciousqueergeographies, synchs Rhianna’s “Diamonds.” Sheinvitesus and loss. not bow, highlightingtheirexitasabsence oils, andgatheringtheirbelongings. They do the space:sweeping, anointingitscornerswith ing. After afewmoredrinks, thedancersclear not beunproblematic...buttherewilldanc- tips intogun-likeshapes. The revolutionwill exuberantly, occasionallycockingtheirfinger lish. Joyandpainoverlapasthedancerstwerk touch herpartner. Intimacyisdifficulttoestab- stretches and #SayHerNamehashtags. The otherdancer the policewellbefore#BlackLivesMatter calls outthenamesofblackfolksmurderedby respectability politics. Runninginplace, one There isqueerjoyinGareissandSchrey’s The subtlenuancesofLafferty’s bydancer Vagistan, inacavalcadeofsparkles, lip Lafferty’s highlightsthebarelysubli - — circling, creeping, reachingoutto - - - - in audience) repeatingourselves? mances. Isthischoreographed, orarewe(the each other” attheendof bothevenings’perfor ous behaviors. Hetellstwoviewersto “touch generated notecardstoinstructusinvari- “penis envy.” Inclosing, defrantzusesaudience- stage, manipulatingwordslike “queerlove” and ous, suit-claddanceonalarger, moreempty ory ofhis(recent)formerselfperformsaseri- inclusion. The video-projectedqueermem- and micro-agressioninthefaceofso-called storytelling tracksexperiencesofalienation video ofapreviousperformance, defrantz’s formal. Nowsittingatalaptopthatprojects Three Movements.” Hisdemeanorbecomes demonstration formfor “Global Blacknessin gles. Abruptly, defrantzturnstothelecture limbs, addingafewhipswivelsandbootywig- work tobroadextensionsofhislong, gangly movements rangefromfocused, skilledfoot- dancing insneakers, defrantziscasual. His possibility ofmarriage, homonormativity). Tap music (FrankOcean)topartnership(trust, the He takesusonahigh-speedjourneyfrompop trolled variables. secret: we, theaudience, aretheonlyuncon- Saturday’s performanceIhaveadirtylittle as acarefullycraftedaestheticchoice. During exacting repetitionthismessinessisrevealed dance asimprovisational, evenmessy. Through professor tostudent(170). OnFridayIseethe from onetoanother:performeraudienceor ness thatcanbetransferredtoandtransmitted craft andtotheproductionofaqueerthing- (2017:169). “Queer making,” rather, attendsto an inevitabilityforsome, includinghimself Makings, whereherefersto “queer being” as contribution toQueerDance:Meaningsand here to “being” and “making” fromdefrantz’s fully craftedqueermaking. Iamreferring queer beingisrevealedonSaturdayasacare- appeared onFridaynightasanalmostad-hoc twice isauniquelyqueerexperience. What ble intimacysharedbythetwopuckishmen. opaque queeredgeoftheundefinedyetpalpa- form, theedgebetweensoloandduet, andthe ics oftheedge RMW(A) &RMWlongtimedowntown In contrastwithdefrantz’sperformance, The danceis, asdefrantztellsus, apastiche. Seeing thomasf. defrantz’simadeamess — the edgeofIrishclassical - Critical Acts 157 Explode! queer dance (Photo by Al Evangelist) The final performance of the final eve- ing that awkwardness interrupt luxuriant ing that awkwardness interrupt luxuriant While Dorvillier’s long limbs simulta- repose. neously fulfill and make a mockery of classical, Monson’s powerful legs propel balletic lines, feet her highly arched her headlong into space, Sweaty and breathing caressing the ground. the dancers conclude by lying on their deeply, and indulg- pulling down their pants, backs, ing in the absurdity of the fart-like sounds that their sweaty bottoms make as they slap against the floor. like is, ning of the Explode! queer dance festival , JACK, Brooklyn, NY, 2017. festival, JACK, Brooklyn, NY, . Figure 5. thomas f. defrantz in i made a mess - in which the — is “a queer object is —

The dancers enter in ostenta- When the dancers join together NY improvisers DD Dorvillier DD Dorvillier NY improvisers Monson use a simple and Jennifer score to construct improvisational on performances two very different Monson’s evenings. two subsequent - writing in the anthol performative the second , ogy states that RMW half of and older (made in 1993) their performance dancers perform simultaneously dancers perform simultaneously violent alternately in an athletic, and erotic duet it feels like because to me [Monson] look at it and you can pick it up and of a par identify certain signifiers (2017:225). ticular queer history” I find the In a queerly ironic twist, structure of RMW(A) much easier to identify and objectify. tious wigs and extreme makeup. The gaudy display of femme drag as physical praxis is a surprisingly Using a erotic parody of beauty. timer to structure their otherwise Monson unbounded improvisations, and Dorvillier take turns trying Like the audience, one another on. whoever is not dancing watches hypercon- The dancer, the dancer. watches scious of being watched, Sometimes she seems to sense back. our projections onto her moving consis- as when Dorvillier, form, tent with my musing that her wig begins evokes 17th-century France, a fencing-inspired improvisation. into structure devolves in wild simultaneity, This second section qual- unadulterated desire. itatively fluctuates across the two evenings; Saturday’s performance seems sexier and less of I am keenly aware restrained than Friday’s. col- Having the dancers’ age and experience. they display an intimacy laborated for decades, arrived at through nearly 30 years of living and dancing together as they fling one another across the room or passionately smear their lip- RMW(A) & Not romantic, stick in a messy kiss. RMW queers notions of intimacy by enabling violence to sidle up to camaraderie and insist- Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/dram_a_00821 by guest on 28 September 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/dram_a_00821 by guest on28 September 2021 158 Critical Acts over; thisexplosionisjustabeginning. one another. FormeQueerDanceisfarfrom room withotherqueerstomoveforand tion onit, isalsoeverytimeweshowupina ever reallyover?Queerdanceisalsothisreflec- one lastdanceparty, thefestivalends. Butisit some resiliencetosurviveneoliberalism.” With liberal gayprideparade, andwecanalluse today thedykemarch. “Tomorrow istheneo- Yesterday, shepointsout, wasthetransmarch, that “queer danceisallabouttransformation.” in anothernewoutfit, Vagistan remindsus lip synchfinaleto “I Will Survive.” Entering both previousnights, acollectivelyimprovised defrantz, thomasf. 2017. “Queer Dancein Three Croft, Clare. 2017. “Introduction.” InQueerDance: Chatterjee, Sandra, andCynthiaLingLee. 2017. Carpenter, Peter. 2017. “Last CowboyStanding:Testing References University Press. ed. ClareCroft, 169–80. New York: Oxford Acts.” InQueerDance:MeaningsandMakings, New York: OxfordUniversityPress. Meanings andMakings, ed. ClareCroft, 1–33. University Press. ed. ClareCroft, 45–66. New York: Oxford Abhinaya.” InQueerDance:MeaningsandMakings, Cultural Belonging, andDesireinContemporary Love Was“‘Our NotEnough’:QueeringGender, 205–14. New York: OxfordUniversityPress. Dance: MeaningsandMakings, ed. ClareCroft, a CriticalChoreographicInquiry.” InQueer of Technology ©2019 New York University and the Massachusetts Institute TDR: The Drama Review 63:1 (T241) Spring 2019. Wilcox, EmilyE. 2017. “Women DancingOtherwise: Whitehead, Anna Martine. 2017. “Expressing Life Monson, Jennifer. 2017. “RMW(a) &RMWfrom Khubchandani, Kareem. 2017. “Aunty Fever: A Gates, HenryLouis, Jr. 1988. “The Signifying Gareiss, Nicholas. 2017. “An Buachaillín Bán: Croft, 67–82. New York: OxfordUniversityPress. In The QueerFeminismofGuJiani’sRight&Left.” Oxford UniversityPress. Makings, ed. ClareCroft, 281–90. New York: Freak Technique.”In through Loss:OnQueens That Fallwitha Oxford UniversityPress. Makings, ed. ClareCroft, 215–26. New York: the InsideOut.” InQueerDance:Meaningsand Oxford UniversityPress. Makings, ed. ClareCroft, 199–204. New York: Queer Impression.” InQueerDance:Meaningsand York: OxfordUniversityPress. African-American Literary Criticism, 64 Meaning.” InTheSignifyingMonkey: A of Theory Rhetorical DifferenceandtheOrdersof Monkey andtheLanguageofSignifyin(g): 185–98. New York: OxfordUniversityPress. Dance: MeaningsandMakings, ed. ClareCroft, Traditional IrishMusicandDance.” InQueer Reflections onOneQueer’sPerformancewithin Queer Dance:MeaningsandMakings, ed. Clare Queer Dance:Meaningsand –106. New