The Dyke HERstory Dance Tour
The Dyke HERstory Dance Tour is a research-based, site-specific dance project that brings choreography into conversation with Bay Area queer herstory.
Rooted in archival research, community storytelling, and place-based practice, the project traces the lives, labor, and cultural impact of dyke ancestors across San Francisco and Oakland. Performances will take place at sites of historical significance—inviting audiences to encounter movement, memory, and landscape together.
The project will pilot in September 2026 with a dance theater work set on a softball field, inspired by nine dyke ancestors from Oakland. This initial phase will serve as a foundation for a larger, multi-weekend site-specific dance tour premiering in 2027.
Across all phases of the work, Sarah Bush Dance Project is engaging questions of:
- how herstories are remembered and transmitted
- how place holds cultural memory
- how performance can honor and extend queer lineage
This project is developed in conversation with community partners and ongoing research, including work with the Bay Area Lesbian Archives.
Come be part of telling this herstory!
The Dyke HERstory Dance Tour is shaped through time, research, and collaboration. We are seeking support to fund the research process and production elements that make this work possible.
Your contribution directly supports the development of this project.
Support the work → fundraising.fracturedatlas.org/sarah-bush-dance-project/campaigns
Current Events
DYKON Story Hour
DYKON Story Hour is a sapphic storytelling series featuring local Dyke Icons (DYKONs). It is an intergenerational space for listening, storytelling, and dialogue. The series is part of the research and community engagement process for the Dyke HERstory Dance Tour. Each gathering centers lived experience as a form of history—making space for stories that may not exist in traditional archives.
Our goal is to honor the many people and communities who have shaped dyke culture and queer life in the Bay Area, while staying attentive to how language, identity, and community continue to shift.
Upcoming Events
DYKON Story Hour featuring Linda Tillery and Vicki Randle
Join us for an evening of storytelling with local Dyke icons Linda Tillery and Vicki Randle!
Date: April 22, 2026
Time: 6:00–7:00 PM
Location: City College of San Francisco
1125 Valencia St, San Francisco
This event is free, but registration is requested.
Sponsored by The Curve Foundation and the LGBTQ+ Studies and Women’s and Gender Studies departments at City College of San Francisco.
About the Series
DYKON = Dyke Icon
The word “dyke” has a complex history. Once used as a slur against lesbians, it has been reclaimed by many as a political and chosen identity across queer communities. People who identify with the term include lesbians, trans dykes, nonbinary people, masc and femme identities, and others who feel connected to its history and cultural significance.
We recognize that the word carries different meanings and experiences for different people.
DYKON Story Hour is intended as an inclusive, intergenerational space. It centers care, curiosity, and openness—while honoring the people and communities who have shaped dyke culture in the Bay Area.
Other Community Programs
Dyke Softball Pickup Series
A monthly, informal softball gathering open to community members of all skill levels.
This series draws from the deep history of queer and dyke softball leagues in the Bay Area, and serves as both research and community-building for the Dyke HERstory Dance Tour.
If you’d like to receive more information or get involved, email KJ Dahlaw at kjdahlaw@sarahbushdance.com.
Dyke Research Zoom Hour
A weekly virtual research space led by Production Manager KJ Dahlaw.
Participants gather to research dyke ancestors, archives, and Bay Area sites of herstorical significance. This space supports the development of the Dyke HERstory Dance Tour while inviting broader community participation in the research process.
If you’d like to receive more information or get involved, email KJ Dahlaw at kjdahlaw@sarahbushdance.com.
SBDP on social media
Sarah Bush Dance Project 