OUT THERE
a west coast experimental dance festival
And that’s on…code switching [working title] by Sadie Szabelski
OCT 3 | 6:30 PM
12th Ave Arts Lobby
FREE
This is a performance mediation on code-switching through the lens of a Black American-born, European-mixed race street dancer.
“Black speech patterns were acceptable for entertainment but not for serious conversation.” – Kahlil Greene
Black speech, AAVE, Ebonics or is it just Gen Z speak? If we see language can be extracted from a people, can the same thing happen to cultural dances? And if dance is a language, and the globalized entertainment industry demands you to be multilingual to follow the trends, how does code-switching impact your movement and honest expression? What limitations or imitations does it create? With the risk of diluting one’s own voice while adopting a new dialect, why do we do it? What new doors become available to you if you can code switch? Which doors close on you if you cannot or refuse to? Is it a choice? Who holds the power?
This piece will explore these questions by experimenting with contemporary movement and historically oppressed—and now globally sensationalized—voguing and street dance.
ARTIST BIOS
SADIE SZABELSKI
WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON DURING OUT THERE?
CHAMPION | $55
OUT THERE Festival Pass: $110
This tier represents the true cost of a ticket to our performances. This tier is for if you are secure in your finances, own your home and car, and can generally purchase your “wants” while regularly meeting all of your basic needs. By selecting this price, you are investing in our community, and affirming the value of live performance and dance.
General | $35
OUT THERE Festival Pass: $60
That is $30/show!
This tier is our general ticket price, and it is partially subsidized to increase access to our performances. Choose this level if you have access to steady income and generally have some expendable income after meeting your basic needs. This price sustains our work
LOW INCOME | $20
OUT THERE Festival Pass: $30
That is $15/show!
This tier is our most accessible ticket price, especially when purchased as a subscription. Choose this level if you often struggle to meet your basic needs, are under or unemployed, and have low- to no savings. For people for whom this price is even too high, we do have a volunteer program to see performances at no cost in exchange for your help.
West Coast Performance Festival Partners
West Coast Performance Festival Partners is a list of like minded festivals across the West Coast of the US who are interested in promoting the sharing of performance work in their regions. This goal of the partnership is to provide a scaffolding for West Coast, experimental performance artists to broaden the scope of their work, build more sustainable careers in the arts, and make long lasting, regional connections. Interested in becoming a partner? Email shane@velocitydancecenter.org
Risk/Reward
All Over the Map
Fact/SF
PROGRAM SUPPORT
Velocity’s 2026 season is supported by 4 Culture, the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture, Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, ArtsFund, and Creative West. It is underwritten by John C. Robinson, the Glenn Kawasaki Foundation, in addition to generous support from our community donors. If you would like to join this community of sponsors, please reach out to Erin O’Reilly at erin@velocitydancecenter.org.
John C. Robinson
Glenn H. Kawasaki Foundation
ACCESSIBILITY INFORMATION
12th Ave Arts is fully accessible for wheelchairs and walkers. The lobby and bathrooms are at street level, and seating is available without the need for an elevator or stairs. The venue is also equipped with an Assistive Listening Device.
Sadie (they) is a disabled, queer, Black-mixed movement artist based in Seattle, WA. Sadie has made a slow integration into the local scene, and since moving here, has been fascinated with Seattle’s thriving nightlife culture. From living the lifestyle and through independent study, they have developed a diverse movement vocabulary across many dance disciplines, primarily grounded in authentic freestyle. Self-funded and community-guided, Sadie bases their research in connection to the sources of club and street dance forms, particularly house and hip hop.
They have co-choreographer credits for Traces of the Moment (2025) at the Seattle Asian Arts Museum with their all-femme dance crew, EMRLDs. Sadie has also performed with Dani Tirrell and the Congregation in Elysium: Leviticus or Love and to walk amongst HUMANS ~ Book II (2025), and in supporting cast for Amy O’Neal’s Again There is No Other (The Remix) (2026). Sadie is now in a period of reflection from the immense exposure to culture, and competition they have experienced from training in numerous cities across the US and Europe. Their current work is a reflection of lived experience, and deep-internal reflection. It’s raw, honest, intersectional, and they are just getting started.