Recently, Chicago Dance Crash producer Mark Hackman sat down with company dancer Brian Hare over some biscuits and gravy and discussed his role in the Movement/Gentlemen promotional materials and why it took so long for Crash to finally put Brian on a poster.

MARK: So Brian, is there any significance to this poster for you personally?

BRIAN: Um, yes actually. After 4 years of complaining and submitting written complaints, formal written complaints on detailed Dance Crash stamped paper. Having never been on a poster I’m now finally sharing a poster, SHARING but on it nonetheless with Kyle Vincent Terry and Daniel Gibson. I’m also under the “Movement” not the “Gentlemen” which holds particular significance to me.

MARK: Do you have any idea why you’ve not been on a poster for so long?

BRIAN: I think it has something to do either with my face, personality, or prejudice within the infrastructure that is Chicago Dance Crash.

MARK: You mean towards white people or towards men?

BRIAN: Take your pick. I have a lot of “isms”. I’m just a walking swirl of contradiction.

MARK: How was the actual photo shoot?

BRIAN: I liked that it was Emmo (company photographer Emily Coughlin) who took the photo. I was comfortable being shirtless in front of her. I knew that she wasn’t judging me. She made me feel safe like I was one within the universe, although I was judging her. And note, Daniel Gibson is not actually in the front in that picture. That was photoshopped so his feet blocking my legs was not originally there cause I would not have stood for it.

MARK: We wanted to block the hottest part of you, your knees.

BRIAN: My knees, yeah. You know what, sexy knees. Not “sexy back” … sexy knees.

MARK: Now that you’re looking at the poster, is there anything in particular that strikes you?

BRIAN: Yeah, that I’m just not big enough. I feel that if we could get those other two out of the picture and then just enlarge me. Like, go in Microsoft word and just go up to the toolbar… cause there’s a drop down that you can increase people by percentages…

MARK: Uh huh

BRIAN: …and if we could just increase me by like 400%. Maybe so it’s just like the entire poster is my stomach.

MARK: Will that really sell tickets?

BRIAN: I really think it would.

MARK: Would you say that would “put butts in the seats”?

BRIAN: I don’t know. They might not be in the seats cause they might be standing the whole time.