5 Performances Not to Miss at Queer New York International Arts Festival

Looking to expand the meaning of what queer performance can be beyond identity pieces that focus solely on sexuality and gender, the third annual Queer New York International Arts Festival seeks to include social status, race, ethnicity, class, and background in its investigation of what it means to be queer.

Beginning this week in New York City, the festival curates artists' performances and works from across the world to give a truly inclusive representation of what it means to be queer and will be premiering works from both United States and international artists. Here are five shows we think you shouldn't miss:

Confusions by Branko Brezovec

Pictured: Branko Brezovec's "Confusions" | Photo by Darko Vaupotic

The U.S. premiere, Confusions is a radical theater experiment being spearheaded by Croation director Branko Brezovec. Based on Robert Musil's 1906 novel The Confusion of Young Torless, the work examines the mechanisms of desire, the incomprehensibility of the other, and the pathology of normality. Sept. 17-21, Abrons Arts Center

I CURE by Imo Dimchev

Bulgarian artist Imo Dimchev's I CURE seeks to leave behind the idea of being "cultural" in order to provide the audience with a more personal cathartic experience. Providing the audience with a collective therapeutic session, Dimchev claims that his performance will serve as a universal remedy for both the physical and psychological. September 19, Abrons Art Center

Someone Else by Abel Azcona

Spanish artist Abel Azcona's Someone Else reveals both sensual and sentimental relationships in which true love, feelings, and desire are all hidden. Using his body to illustrate his personal experiences of abandonment, pain, and lack of empathy, Azcona presents dreams that, while true in his mind, are never manifested in his body. Sept. 25, Leslie Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art.

Ode to Attempt and The Dog Days Are Over by Jan Martens

Join Netherlands dancer Jan Martens premieres his works Ode to Attempt and The Dog Days are Over in the United States this month. A humorous look at the creative process, Ode to Attempt seeks to share with the audience the aspects of creation that never make it to the stage, positing that they are just as important as the final work itself. The Dog Days Are Over, inspired by photographer Phillippe Halsman's quote, "Ask someone to jump and you'll see their true face," compares and contrasts art and deception, asking what the true face of dance is in the modern era. September 26, Abrons Art Center.

Dancing Girl by Sujata Goel

India-based dancer Sujata Goel documents her life through the figure of a doll who continually morphs and reveals more aspects of her person. To create this piece, Goel clinically mapped out her physical and psychological behaviors to experience herself as data, so that she could manipulate and reform her life as art. Sept. 27, Abrons Arts Center

Scheduling and more information can be found at Queerny.org.