Vertical Expressions
The Way You Make Me Feel
Gay Pride 2009 Vertical Expressions guest choreographer Emily Dunkin, with Iona Chapman, Elizabeth Henderson, Joe Gallegos, Thax von Reither and Ernie Zambrano.
Vertical Expressions was founded in the spring of 2007 by Jason Deuter. Jason is a graduate of the Denver School of arts and has been teaching ballroom dance since 1998. His vision was to have a dance school which lent itself to performances by its students.
In February of 2009 we had our first full dance show. This show was a benefit for New Mexico AIDS Services (NMAS) and raised over $800. The show was comprised primarily of amateurs who learned to dance so they could perform along with seasoned dancers from the Albuquerque dance community. With the inspiration of this performance; the vision of Vertical Expressions expanded to support more local service charities and improve the lives of the people.
Through our productions, we have helped all walks of life; including drug addicts, mentally ill, victim of domestic abuse and most importantly those who utilize the New Mexico AIDS services. Our next show, May 21, 22 and 23 at the historic Kimo Theater in downtown Albuquerque, is a musical play in two acts. It was written by our founder, Jason Deuter, with the help of Olivia Moore, Erin Roady and Wes Grey Wolf. We have taken Vertical Expressions to a new level of professionalism with the hiring of local film casting director, Darlene Hansen. With this new element, we are now able to help the people who participate in making these shows happen the opportunity to work with someone who can take them even more places in the world of performing arts.
A production of this magnitude takes money to put together. We at Vertical Expressions would like to see our $7500 goal go to NMAS. To do this we, need the support of generous people like you. It costs a company an average of $24 - $160 to test one person for HIV. Just think of what every $20 dollars you donate could be doing for someone in need. If you add to that the other services that NMAS provides like; food bank access, assisted living, housing and more; you can see why we chose to support this wonderful organization. Please contact Olivia Moore at or Jason Deuter at for more information on how you can support our theatrical endeavors.
In addition to all the performances and charitable contributions, Vertical Expressions is preparing to embark on even more community outreach. Our first step is in making ballroom dance available to all people in Albuquerque, regardless of your income level. As of January 1, 2010, Vertical Expressions began a "donation only" policy on dance lessons. This means that anyone may come to a group dance class (see our Lessons pages) and pay only what they can afford to pay, even if that amount is $0. For to long, dance lessons have been available only to those who earned a large amount of money. Vertical Expressions believes dance should be available to everyone. We will never turn anyone away from a group class because they have no funds available to pay for it. For those who wish to participate in Private Lessons, we have a simple form to fill out so that we can charge only what you can afford (although because of studio rental fees the minimum is $15).
Soon we will be starting outreach to recovering drug addicts through NM recovery centers. This is still something that is in the works, but we hope to be making dance a means of recovery as early as April of 2010.
Thank you again for taking the time to learn about Vertical Expressions and the work we are doing. If you have any questions please feel free to contact Jason Deuter directly.
Sponsorship in Vertical Expressions provides free advertising, free tickets to shows and the knowledge that you have helped contribute to Albuquerque arts community organizations that support local service charities.
"So She Dances"
Choreographed by Kristen Raynor, performed by Kristen and Jason Deuter during the Horizontal Desires show in February 2009 at Sidewinders.
