Although Trystan Merrick came to dance later in life (at age 18, which is considered “late” in the dance world), they’d found a freedom in the art form.

“From a young age, we were trained and pushed to speak to strangers about the Bible and the beliefs of the Watchtower organization. I didn’t realize until later the impact that had on me, socially, as an introvert,” they recalled of being raised a Jehovah’s Witness. “When I found dance and expression through movement, I felt I could finally express my truest self. There was something so natural and comforting to me to be able to genuinely express how I was feeling without words. It was an emotional release without the implications of really telling people what I was going through.”

The mentoring they received, along with their natural talent, led to dancing for City Ballet of San Diego, San Diego Dance Theater, Malashock Dance, California Ballet, and a number of dance companies outside of San Diego, performing in more than a dozen countries. They’ve also moved into teaching, directing, and choreographing throughout the country. Those experiences have led to the creation of the Queer Mvmnt Fest in 2022, a festival to empower and showcase LGBTQ-plus artists in performances, workshops, discussions, and classes, highlighting the work of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) artists within the LGBTQ-plus community. This year, the festival (presented by Disco Riot, an organization that produces and supports dance programming in San Diego) begins Monday and continues through June 18 at seven venues throughout San Diego, and all events are free.

Merrick, 37, is one of the lead artists for the festival, with Desiree Cuizon, and is also program director for BalletCenter Studios in Mission Hills. They live in Golden Hill with their dogs, Evangeline and Amelie, and took some time to talk about the festival and its focus on creating a necessary queer-centered art space in San Diego.

Q: Have your experiences in dancing spaces felt inclusive?

A: Early on in my ballet career, it was made clear to me that my femininity was looked down upon and was keeping me out of a lot of leading roles. I was often coached to make my movement more masculine and less flowing, less romantic. It wasn’t until I was with Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo that I really learned to understand people’s perception of masculine/feminine performance. In that company, I was free to go far into the range of both identities. Representing the polarity of gender in such an overt way allowed me to deepen my relationship with portraying a “leading man.”

Q: Can you talk about how dancing has served you, creatively, over the years? How has this particular creative outlet been beneficial to you, especially as someone who identifies as LGBTQ-plus?

A: Dance has saved my life. Being raised in a community and family with unwavering social bias due to religion does not leave much room for a child to cultivate love for themselves. Having dance as the vehicle that took me out of that life has been more beautiful than I could have ever expected. As one of the oldest forms of human expression and community organization, it keeps me rooted and hopeful that we can all connect on a basic human level.

Q: How did your experiences as a dancer lead you to co-founding this second annual Queer Mvmnt Fest?

A: I’m sure from what you’ve read so far you can understand how much queer representation in dance has meant to me. The roadblocks that our community faces in representation are amplified when intersecting with the BIPOC community. Concert dance is notoriously most often presented through the Eurocentric male lens. When my close friends and former contemporary dance partners, Zaquia Mahler Salinas and Desiree Cuizon, approached me with the idea of creating this festival together, I couldn’t say yes fast enough. The community’s need for this event was so obvious. I’m forever honored to be able to serve our community in this capacity.

What I love about Golden Hill…

I love living in Golden Hill! It’s right at the bottom of Balboa Park. My favorite breakfast spot is the Big Kitchen Cafe, and so many other neighborhood eats are walkable. I find the people really friendly, and the location is easy to navigate to other neighborhoods. Most importantly, it’s very dog friendly.

Q: What kinds of results and feedback did you all experience as organizers last year that surprised you?

A: An interesting comment was made to a staff member after the final production of the 2022 festival. An older, straight woman was invited to the show by a friend and came with a certain set of expectations about a “queer” dance festival. When it was over, she was overwhelmed with how relatable and touching the stories on stage were. She found herself questioning how she was conceptualizing queer art. The staff member shared with her that she has been watching queer art her entire life and just didn’t know it. If you can think about how many queer artists have been making art for and about cisgender, straight people for centuries, while our stories remain suppressed, it could make you question how much you could relate to our lives, too.

Other feedback we received came directly from the artists themselves, such as “I didn’t know how much I really needed that.” Many artists felt that they could finally be themselves, authentically and embraced. There was an outstanding amount of joy rippling through performances, discussions, and workshops. Some people who never fathomed taking a dance class before, found the value in participating in the movement, and in solidarity.

Q: What comes to mind for you when you think about your goal and purpose for this festival?

A: As a queer person, it’s very hard right now to feel embraced and immersed in community when so many groups and institutions are trying to eradicate queerness and gender non-conformity from public spaces. We want to create space where queer people can be in queer spaces and feel the divine human connection that is often denied to us. At the same time, we want to provide venues where our art can be witnessed by everyone who is ready to support, celebrate, and invest in us.

Q: What are your hopes for the experiences of the people who attend and participate in this year’s festival?

A: I hope that more young people and families will feel welcome to join us at our Youth and Family Day. In partnership with the Monarch School on Tuesday, we will be hosting fun performances, workshops, and facilitated conversations for kids and families. It’s so hard for young people to live authentically in a world that doesn’t seem to want them. It’s important for kids to have the support of their families, but also for the families to have the support of our community. Love of family and supportive queer elders are even more vital while a child is developing during hostile times.

Q: What has your work with the festival taught you about yourself?

A: I still have so much learning and unlearning to do. As a queer person, it can be difficult to swim against the stream, so to speak, but our only path forward is together. I’m learning that the more diverse our community is, the more I feel connected. I really hope our participants and audiences can feel the same. It’s easy to fall into the trap, as an artist and presenter, of “give the people what they want.” By prioritizing underrepresented and intersectional artists, I am learning to offer audiences what they need and encourage more marginalized artists to create more work. Hopefully, we can continue to break down barriers and grow our community together. Art can be life changing.

Q: What is the best advice you’ve ever received?

A: “If a door opens for you, walk through it.” My godmother told me this many times throughout my career. As an introvert, I’m averse to change, as we can all be. Learning to embrace change and take hold of opportunity has led me to a rewarding career.

Q: What is one thing people would be surprised to find out about you?

A: I have made most of the costumes that appeared in recent company performances of the California Ballet and BalletCenter Studios, as well as many San Diego Dance Theater shows over the years. My grandmother was a seamstress and taught me to sew in the afternoons after grammar school.

Q: Please describe your ideal San Diego weekend.

A: I love to have the house open to the patio and enjoy the beautiful weather, cooking dinner and hanging out with my pups and close friends. Though, when a friend has a pool I can utilize, I will definitely add that to the mix. Honestly, I feel like we’re all so busy trying to make a life in San Diego, my priority would be to just rest and enjoy the peace of it.