BLACK PEOPLE CAN’T DANCE 2022 | WATCH
Commissioned by the Black Diasporas

BLACK PEOPLE CAN’T DANCE interrogates exclusion within spaces originally created by and for Black communities. While contemporary Black futurism often reaches toward distant utopias, this work turns to the proximate future, asking what is required for Black Queer people to feel safe, celebrated and connected now. Using dance as its central language, the work draws an ancestral link between traditional Indigenous movement practices and the underground Ballroom scene, revealing shared values of care, community and joy.

Commissioned by Black Diasporas and Afro Urban Arts, the project contributes to urgent cultural conversations in so-called Australia, particularly in the context of Black Power histories locally and globally. It has been presented at MPavilion, No Vacancy Gallery, Testing Grounds, Jam Factory Cinema and the National Archives of Australia. The Black Diasporas Naarm project was made possible by over 75 contributors of African heritage and received the Community Innovation Award from the Victorian Multicultural Commission.

Created on Wurundjeri country and edited on residency at MQBMBQ (My Queer Blackness, My Black Queerness) in Tuscany, Italy. Directed by Lilah Benetti, starring Chantal Bala, with cinematography by Sam Biddle, narration by Amaryllis, stills by Abdul Yusef, exhibition design by Culture as Creative and Sandra Githinji Studio, and exhibition photography by Bonn Creative.