NW Spotlight | A Reflection on the Collaboration Between Rainbow Refugee New Works by Kevin Jesuino
New Works Spotlight
A look inside our multifaceted, value-driven, community-responsive service organization
Beyond performances and programs, New Works is part of a living, evolving dance ecosystem. This monthly blog series highlight the unseen moments—the collaborations, reflections, and shifts that shape our community. It’s about the ripples of artist support, learning, and shared growth. Each story offers a glimpse into the evolving needs of the dance community and how we respond.
Together We Are Going To A Brand New World
A Reflection on the Collaboration Between Rainbow Refugee Society Members and New Works
By: Kevin Jesuino
THE CONTEXT
Being exiled from community is never easy.
In the LGBTQI+ community, we know this story rather well. It's one that plagues our lives and our life stories more than it should. I, myself, at the age of 27, came out to my family, and it ended up with me being abandoned by them, and not speaking to my mother or father for eight years.
I'm fortunate and happy to say that these stories come around and me and my parents are reconciling in our own way almost 17 years later. But that's based on the story of two immigrant parents who, in their conservative values, misunderstood their son, who was a first-generation Canadian.
But imagine this same agonizing story unfolding in a place far from here, in a country where the very laws that should shield its people offer no sanctuary, no protection at all for its LGBTQI+ citizens. In these desperate spaces, where fear is a constant companion, organizations like the Rainbow Refugee Society of Canada become beacons of hope. They step into the darkness, offering a lifeline, a chance to bring these souls to Canada, to a place where they can finally breathe, relocate, and find the safety, the simple human dignity, that every person deserves.
Movement plays such an important part of this story. The movement that comes from having to tell your parents that you are gay – this is a difficult step in this movement. And then there are larger risks when the nation you call home has societal and cultural mentalities that oppress LGBTQI+ individuals. In this case one might need to take larger steps or movements just to survive.
THE COLLABORATION
This past spring, I was invited by New Works to collaborate with dance artist and staff member Marco Esccer, in working with members of the Rainbow Refugee Society. The intention was to create a dance that signified their journey and to present this performance at the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) event, hosted annually by Rainbow Refugee. I felt incredibly honoured to be invited into this space. Knowing my own story, I welcomed each of them with open arms to Canada, and thanked them for welcoming me into their social-space-turned-rehearsal-studio.
Oh, how movement moved me! Supporting these incredible community members to express themselves through dance, curating a space for them to unearth stories from the very marrow of their bones, was such a transformative experience. Marco and I wanted to build a community oriented process for them to collectively craft a short piece that not only told their truth, but empowered them to celebrate the arduous, treacherous path that had led them here – to this precious moment of unbridled expression, where their bodies could finally speak without fear.
This is the sacred power of art, isn't it? It’s the language of the soul, the vessel for all the things we cannot articulate through mere logic or everyday words. It gives voice to those profound, swirling feelings that elude definition, the emotions so vast and overwhelming they must remain beautifully, achingly ambiguous.
THE PROCESS
Our journey together began with a single step in a rehearsal room – a step taken in faith, designed to weave threads of trust between us, to build a shared understanding, a sacred pact of how we would navigate this creation together. Rehearsal after rehearsal, words and gestures began to intertwine, slowly, carefully, stitching themselves into a larger tapestry of what would become our shared dance. And along this path, guest artists offered moments of light and inspiration: Starr Muranko, Ben Castro and Ralph Escamillan.
Starr came in and worked with the dancers, having them generate movement inspired by the body’s relationship to the places that we have been, where we are now, and where we are going. Ben brought in explorations through visual art that allowed us to create meaning from the stories of our journey. And finally, Ralph brought in a contemporary view on a very specific LGBTQI+ community dance called Voguing. He spoke to the history, politics and creativity that this dance has offered the LGBTQI+ community. The combined offerings these three artists gave to the group of dancers laid the groundwork for the dance we would share with the community.
We took these elements and stitched them all together through rehearsals. And then on May 17th, 2025, these Rainbow Refugee community members stepped, as dancers, onto the stage at The Junction in Vancouver, BC. The audience bared witness of these dancers who had made it through their journey to leave behind ‘home’ and find themselves in this new ‘home’.
As I've already stated, I'm incredibly honored that I was invited into their social space to help give them the artistic skills that could then lead them to this celebratory dance that they shared with their community.
My heart swells with gratitude for Marco. To finally dance alongside him, to collaborate so deeply and artistically. This project illuminated the beautiful, seamless support we offer each other, a partnership and friendship that I will forever cherish.
A profound thank-you to New Works, whose vision and dedication built the bridges for this project, forging the vital partnership with the Rainbow Refugee Society that allowed this dream to take flight.
And finally, to the dancers. Even now, as I write these words, tears well in my eyes – tears of profound gratitude, of overwhelming love for the incredible gift you have given me. You have reminded me of the unyielding strength of the human spirit, the quiet thunder of perseverance. You have shown me, with undeniable clarity, the life-affirming power of community, the solace found in feeling truly welcome, truly seen, truly accepted.
With actions and words, we make change in the world. Each of these dancers threw themselves into embodying transformation. This dance was a celebration of that journey. May all the traces of you in every place you have been on your journey, join you in celebrating this moment of expression. I am so honoured that I could meet you all, here, at this point in your journey.
I close this reflection with the poem we collectively generated as part of this process and performance. An arrangement of words that not only reflect on the journey of this process and each of the participants’ pathways in getting here, but most importantly, in how it was conceived, collective, with open hearts, and a desire to embody and share love with the LGBTQI+ community. A reminder that as we move between places, we find the ground beneath our feet and the ones around us that embrace all of us.
— Kevin Jesuino
Ben Castro brought in explorations of "Home" through visual art that allowed Rainbow Refugee members to create meaning from the stories of their journey
THE ART WE MADE TOGETHER
I move between two places.
My roots dig deep.
I stand tall.
Grass under my feet.
My chosen place.
Freedom.
Liberty.
Lower and higher,
Rain or sun,
I want to go back to the wooden forest.
There is power.
There is feeling.
There is dance.
There is joy.
Energy.
Flow.
Autonomy.
I feel a lot, but at least I’m feeling again.
Together we are going to the unknown.
To the place I’ve never been.
— Collective Poem by Rainbow Refugee Members
About Kevin Jesuino
Kevin Jesuino is an interdisciplinary artist of Portuguese heritage whose practice spans performance, temporary public art, participatory works, activist interventions, and innovative pedagogy. Since 2004, he has cultivated a dynamic portfolio rooted in community engagement and dialogue. As an arts facilitator and convenor, Kevin integrates Community Cultural Development methods and social innovation principles into his work, emphasizing collaboration, participatory processes, and the co-creation of knowledge and expression. His practice is dedicated to unearthing and mobilizing shared wisdom, centering marginalized voices, and advancing human rights through art, education, and community building.
About Rainbow Refugee
Rainbow Refugee supports individuals seeking refugee protection in Canada due to persecution based on sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or HIV status. Their work fosters safe, supportive communities for LGBTQI+ newcomers.
Learn more about Rainbow Refugee>>
Why New Works Spotlights?
New Works delivers many unique programs, in many different ways, in support of many communities of artists. If you’ve ever asked a New Works staff member, “so, what does New Works do exactly?”, you’ve likely been met with a rambling run on sentence and a laundry list of exciting programs and projects that we have on the go. Up close it may look a little messy, but take a step back and you will see the container: all of our work exists in response to current gaps in the needs of the dance community. This looks like performance opportunities, partnership and collaboration, professional development, teaching engagements, mentorship, skills training, and many more. And we are just one small piece of this vitally diverse dance milieu.
We envision a healthy artist-centred arts ecosystem where connection, collaboration, and opportunity is celebrated beyond the container of our own organization. Through this ongoing blog series, we invite you to join us in witnessing artist experience through and beyond New Works programs, and in celebration of our living, breathing, shared communities.
Photos by Rainbow Refugee. Photos are blurred to protect participants identity.