Dancer Fi Corey Finds Freedom and Celebrates LGBTQ+ Pride Through Dance

A Life Marked by War and Resilience

• 👶 Fi Corey was born and raised in Iraq during the wartorn 90s, experiencing childhood amidst conflict.
• 💥 His early life in Baghdad was punctuated by the Gulf War, followed by escaping to Lebanon and surviving the 2006 Lebanon war.
• 💭 Dance served as an essential outlet for him, providing a means to escape, dream, and cope with the surrounding violence.

Seeking Refuge and Freedom in the US

• ✈️ The violence eventually compelled Fi to seek refuge in New York City.
• 🗽 Here, he found the freedom to dance and live openly as a gay man.
• 🚀 His drive and ambition have been soaring since arriving in the United States.

Dance as a Message of Hope and Humanity

• 🏳️‍🌈 In response to rising anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and policies, Fi is taking to the stage unafraid.
• 🌟 He believes it's crucial to celebrate pride and send a unifying message of humanity: that we are human, beautiful, kind, and diverse.
• 🎭 Fi states, "I dance for me. I escaped but I found my freedom on stage," hoping his dancing can inspire others to set themselves free.

Incorporating Personal Identity into Art

• 🧣 Fi has also faced harassment for the scarf he wears daily, which has inspired him to incorporate it into his art and performances on stage.
• 📺 A special presentation, "Pride 2025, Rise Up, Pride in Protest," will feature more of his story on Saturday at 7 PM, followed by coverage of NYC Pride on Sunday at noon.