Ignite Your Palm Springs Pride Weekend next month with Male Aesthetic at the Palm Springs Art Museum
BY PATRICK TSAKUDA | PHOTO BY TARA HOWARD PHOTOGRAPHY
Begin your Palm Springs Pride celebration with Male Aesthetic on November 4th at the Palm Springs Art Museum. Taking place from 7pm to 8:30pm, this $45 ticketed event offers an evening of dance and visual or media art exploring the power, athleticism, beauty, and vulnerability of the male form.
The evening begins with a bubbly social in the Elrod Sculpture Garden before transitioning into the Annenberg Theater to witness masculinity expressed across generations and dance traditions. Onstage this year, audiences will experience Nickerson-Rossi Dance with a premiere duet by Artistic Director Michael Nickerson-Rossi featuring principal dancer Chad Allen Ortiz and newest company member Blair Pope, who was commissioned through the 2026 Apprenticeship Program. They are joined by Desert Peeps, led by Academy hip-hop faculty member Timothy Long, bringing street dance to the theater stage, alongside young men from Idyllwild Arts Academy’s Dance Department showcasing classical dance and the next generation of artists, with more performers to be announced soon.
This performance opens doors, as all proceeds support BOYS DANCE!, Nickerson-Rossi Dance’s initiative providing scholarships for local boys to train at Palm Springs Dance Academy. Launched in fall 2023 by Executive Director Chad Allen Ortiz, the program has supported more than 50 boys from Kindergarten through 12th grade.
Reflecting on its impact, Chad Allen Ortiz shares, “Too many boys grow up believing dance isn’t for them. BOYS DANCE! changes that by giving them a place to move, create, and be seen without having to defend their interest. Sponsorship does more than cover tuition: it helps us put male mentors in front of young dancers and build a Coachella Valley community where boys feel proud to take the stage. That kind of support can change how a child sees himself.”
The 2026 Male Aesthetic is made possible by Robin Somes and Steve Tobin and Johnny Krupa of the Grace Helen Spearman Foundation.
For those unable to attend, you can still support BOYS DANCE! through the ticket link, where a $75 donation covers one month of classes for one boy.
Echoing the vision behind the event, Michael Nickerson-Rossi, Founder and Artistic Director of Nickerson-Rossi Dance, notes, “I created Male Aesthetic because the male body has so many stories to tell beyond strength. Through dance, we can reveal its tenderness, discipline, beauty, and freedom. I hope audiences leave seeing more possibilities for how men can express themselves—and that young boys watching feel free to find their own.”
Join them before Pride begins by securing your tickets or getting the latest updates from Nickerson-Rossi Dance at 611 South Palm Canyon Drive in Palm Springs, or by calling 760-992-6075.
