Diverse dance lineup planned for PrideFest; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 6/11/16

Jane Vranish, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Diverse dance lineup planned for PrideFest:

"Liberty Avenue’s two stages will feature no less than seven dance presentations. Dance curator Richard Parsakian asserts that no other American city’s LGBT pride event can equal Pittsburgh’s powerful dance lineup.

The owner of Eons Fashion Antique on Ellsworth Avenue in Shadyside uses his vintage clothing and accessories to dress performing arts groups such as Attack Theatre and Quantum Theatre and to bring a stylishly fun factor to other events. When Mr. Parsakian is involved, movement will follow. “I feel everyone should have an exposure to dance,” he says...

He arrived in Pittsburgh in 1971 as a Vista volunteer and immediately fell in love with the dance community. His passion was driven by “the physicality of dance, the impossibility of it. ... I like to be taken on these journeys … to be shocked,” he says.

As a longtime member of Pittsburgh’s LGBTQ community, Mr. Parsakian goes out of his way to be inclusive. Twenty-two years ago, he designed the 30-by-30-foot rainbow flag that will once again open the parade down Liberty Avenue. He has assembled an array of local talent to underscore the city’s commitment to dance.

“It brings a Pittsburgh voice to PrideFest, where the bands will be regional and national,” he notes, and “elevates the cultural aspect.”"