Robert J. Priore (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Its a big weekend for Robert J. Priore, a dancer/choreographer whos possessed, its beensaid, of an easily identifiable and magnetic style.

This weekend, his piece Ascendance, a work featuring CityDance Conservatory students,CityDance alumni and dancers from several other companies, will be performed at theCityDance Studio Theater at the Strathmore (5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, Md.)Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 1 and 6 p.m. Tickets are $25. Visit citydance.net for moreinformation.

Priore, a 28-year-old Buffalo, N.Y., native, came to Washington four-and-a-half years agoafter stints in New York City; Dayton, Ohio; and Pittsburgh. He credits his arrival with aneed for a change and a great job!

Priore is single and lives in the Chinatown/Metro Center area. He enjoys cooking, baking,hiking, yoga and biking in his free time.

How long have you been out and who was the hardest person to tell?

Ive been out since college. I think every time youre willing to expose your individuality itsdifficult, but I was lucky to have a very supportive group of familyand very fortunate that itwas an easy process for me.

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Whos your LGBT hero?

RuPaul is really opening the door for the people of the LGBT community and he is such inan inspiration. He proves that it doesnt matter what lifestyle you live, the most importantthing is that you have to love yourself.

Whats Washingtons best nightspot, past or present?

Nellies will always be the best spot in D.C. I go there with my friends all the time.

Describe your dream wedding.

Marrying the one person I love surrounded by the people who love and support me. Itwould be amazing to have the wedding on a tropical beach, but what matters is beingsurrounded by the people I love.

What non-LGBT issue are you most passionate about?

I am passionate about art education and art funding. I think art education is importantbecause dance and the arts get youth excited about going to school.

What historical outcome would you change?

I would go back and make sure that President Abraham Lincoln wasnt assassinatedbecause he was a visionary for his time and I feel like he really thought outside the box.

Whats been the most memorable pop culture moment of your lifetime?

The day that Michael Jackson died because he was such an inspiration to dancers andmyself. He was a legend at such a young age and I remember thinking, Who I am going tolook up to now?

On what do you insist?

To always be surrounded by the people I love. My friends and family mean everything to meand without them I would not be where I am today.

What was your last Facebook post or Tweet?

Wow thank you everyone for the birthdaylove! 28 is going to be my year. It starts nextweekend with my Onstage Ignite artist showfor CityDance at the CityDance StudioTheater at Strathmore.

If your life were a book, what would the

title be?

We all know Eat, Pray, Love what aboutDance, Gay, Love?

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If science discovered a way to change sexual orientation, what would you do?

Nothing

What do you believe in beyond the physical world?

The sense of reincarnation and connection. I feel like thats why you find people you are so

drawn to without explanation.

Whats your advice for LGBT movement leaders?

We need to find more unity. A lot of times there is separation against each other, but we are

all fighting for the same cause.

What would you walk across hot coals for?

For a lot of things. Hot coals really dont scare me and there are a lot of things in my life I

wouldnt mind getting a little burned for.

What LGBT stereotype annoys you most?

Masc4masc. Some men really define their preference by how masculine someone is and

define masculinity by what you do for a living or how you look on the exterior. Just because

you are an artist or if you look a certain way does not mean that you are not masculine.

Whats your favorite LGBT movie?

Im not sure it actually qualifies, but Mean Girls will always be my No. 1 guilty pleasure.

There was a gay character in the film, and lets face it sometimes gay men can be mean

girls, but that movie was very relevant to me when I was growing up.

Whats the most overrated social custom?

Twitter. We already have Facebook. I dont think its necessary to share your emotions every

five minutes online. We are losing the art of face-to-face communication.

What trophy or prize do you most covet?

Up to this point its winning the Viewers Choice Award for the Dance Gallery Festival at the

Ailey Citigroup Theater in New York. Next year I am commissioned to come back and

present a larger work for a more select concert.

What do you wish youd known at 18?

I wish I had known that sometimes its more gratifying doing the work you want to do rather

than what other people tell you that you should be doing.

Why Washington?

Im able to really stand on my own here and try to make the big splash in local and

ART ASCENDANCE CITYDANCE DANCE GAY LGBT MARYLAND ROBERT J. PRIORE

STRATHMORE

international dance. Washington is a smaller city, so its easier to make connections and

network at a faster rate. I enjoy working with the youth and professionals and when I tour

internationally, I love bringing back what Ive learned to D.C. Im an OnStage Ignite Artist at

CityDance in D.C. and I feel lucky to receive rehearsal space and support in presenting my

work around D.C. I also dance for local dance troupe Company E. I feel very connected to

the D.C. dance scene.

Robert J. Priore (Photo by Paul Gordon Emerson)

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Joey DiGuglielmoJoey DiGuglielmo is the Features Editor for the Washington Blade.

Mary Ann Priore January 8, 2015 at 4:40 am

Wow, great article. So proud of you!!

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Mary Ann Priore Top Commenter

Wow, great article. So proud of you!!

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