Sex Ed Disco Dance Party at Crucible

A cropped version of Sruti Mohan and Elliot Jewell’s very late ’70s-designed event flyer with a prominent disco ball and rainbow.

The first couple weeks of the new year after the holidays can often feel muted, introspective, and distinctively less cheery by comparison. But consider the colorful cure for those midwinter blues at the Crucible’s Sex Ed Disco Dance Party this Thursday night, which unites a number of Madison creatives in a fundraiser for a new, vital documentary by videographer and filmmaker Gracie K Wallner.

Since last year, Wallner (Winter Is Alive, Blood Runs Out) has been assembling a work that champions queer and inclusive sex education in our community. Not only have they gathered friends to help spread the word, including Docx, French Jessica, as well as DJs Sarah Akawa, Avalon, and Coop there it is, but also arranged for this event to offer safe sex supplies (courtesy of OutReach LGBTQ+ Community Center), paper resources, themed cookies (confections by Blue Bedroom Records founder Cam Davis), and even a runway costume contest.

While the doc is still in production, it features LGBTQ+ AODA Advocate Linda Lenzke and many other active members specific to the Madison community, including educators, therapists, and historians, who shed a light on the hidden history, changing landscape, and universal need for queer sex education.

Acknowledging the superlative character of Wallner’s past work, which has oscillated between narrative and documentary modes, their current project will undoubtedly carry a similarly sophisticated visual style and conscientious eye. Funds raised at this groovy 18+ danceathon will support all of Wallner’s efforts with interviews, clearing image copyrights, and commissioning original artwork.

—Grant Phipps