Tales of a Blerd Ballerina at The VORTEX

Written/performed by Valoneecia Tolbert and directed by Florinda Bryant, Tales of a Blerd Ballerina is a choreopoem told with humor, dance, and music, Tales of a Blerd Ballerina centers the Blerd (Black Nerd) superhero delving into cultural pride and yearning in a world that often limits Black identity. This dynamic new theatrical work weaves concepts from the Afro-Diaspora and style of Jazz Aesthetics into stories of growing up as a Blerd child of the 90s. Join together in Six Square Austin’s Black Cultural District on The Eloise Stage at The VORTEX July 8-23, 2022. Tales of a Blerd Ballerina was developed in 2020 with Performance Platform Austin and also received support from ScriptWorks Revision Resource funding. Find more information about ScriptWorks at www.scriptworks.org. The National New Play Network awarded this piece with a Bridge Grant, not only funding the live and virtual development of this new play at The VORTEX in April 2021, but also providing a national cohort for Valoneecia Tolbert and The VORTEX. Nnpn.org.