Page 7 - Demo

7 Produced by ST Content Studio |The band is inclusive in every sense of the word. %u201cWe have all kinds of people, every letter of [the LGBTQ+] acronym,%u201d Hall says, including allies. There is no audition or limit to the number of members.%u201cA marching band can be as big as it wants to be,%u201d Hall says. %u201cWe are excited to keep it in a position where it can accept anyone of any instrument and identity over the age of 18, including folks in wheelchairs.%u201d A no-cost membership option keeps participation accessible to all income levels.The marching band currently has about 70 members, though the Pride parade contingent is often 100 or more with volunteers. It deliberately focuses on music that represents and empowers the LGBTQ+ community, and music by women, queer people and people of color.%u201cWe play music that other people aren%u2019t playing and let our members represent themselves to the public,%u201d says Hall. %u201cAnd we try to play stuff that%u2019s current and meaningful to our community.%u201dRight now, that means Lady Gaga%u2019s %u201cAbracadabra,%u201d Shakira%u2019s %u201cHips Don%u2019t Lie,%u201d Dua Lipa%u2019s %u201cDance the Night%u201d and the enduring favorite %u201cFunkytown%u201d by Lipps Inc., all of which are in this year%u2019s Pride lineup. %u201cShut Up and Dance%u201d by Walk the Moon is another favorite %u201cbecause it gets the crowd pepped up and features all the parts,%u201d Hall says.Music brings solidarity. %u201cIt allows us to express our personality as a community,%u201d Hall says. %u201cThe joy of playing or singing or dancing or spinning a flag to the music that means so much to us and brings us joy %u2026 Especially at times like this, amid difficult politics and attacks on individuals in our community, music is a way that all of us can come together. It%u2019s a way to push that all aside and remember that the future is ours and we%u2019re not going anywhere. We will have the joy of music no matter what anyone thinks.%u201dHall found that joy in Rainbow City back in 2009. He%u2019d moved to Seattle from the Midwest, looking for a place to belong, and was excited to find a gay band online. Playing percussion and sax clarinet in the concert band, he says, %u201cI felt family. I felt comfort.%u201d The opportunity to make music and %u201cjust be ourselves%u201d was powerful, he says. He joined the board four years later.With eight programs, Hall%u2019s current role as executive director is a constant stream of activity. Last year, during restructuring, he led more than 60 volunteers from marketing to operations. He%u2019s proud of the home Rainbow City provides.%u201cSpeaking as someone who%u2019s been in this community for 15 years, [Rainbow City has] been a little ahead of the curve in terms of our acceptance of trans, enby and two-spirit people in our membership %u2026 I have watched trans folks come into their own over 10 years, scared, alone, starting transition, changing their pronouns and now being fully themselves,%u201d Hall says. Rainbow City provides a place of solace during attacks and denigrations of trans people, he says.%u201cBeing part of this community allows me to rise above the current political moment. I just know what the future has to hold, because there%u2019s no denying humanity,%u201d he says.Each year, as Rainbow City Marching Band lines up on Fourth Avenue, preparing to strut its stuff, Hall is reminded of its impact. %u201cPride is the moment I%u2019m able to see the full breadth of who we are and the power we have.%u201dTo learn more, visit rainbowcity.org.Rainbow City Drumline, the official drumline for Rainbow City Marching Band, marches in the Seattle Pride Parade in 2024. (Courtesy of Rainbow City Performing Arts)Rainbow City Marching Band marches loud and proud in the Seattle Pride Parade in 2024, as it has every year since 1998. Rainbow City isn%u2019t a typical marching band. In addition to woodwind, brass and percussion, it also welcomes string players. (Courtesy of Rainbow City Performing Arts)