BLACK PEOPLE CAN’T DANCE is a film and immersive installation that interrogates exclusion within spaces originally created by and for Black communities. While contemporary Black futurism often reaches for distant utopias, this work turns toward the proximate future—asking what is required for Black Queer people to feel safe, celebrated, and connected in the now.

Using dance as its central language, the work draws an ancestral link between traditional Indigenous movement practices and the underground Ballroom scene, revealing their shared values of care, community, safety, and joy. Under a disarming title, the project explores how exclusion continues to operate within so-called inclusive spaces, and highlights the ongoing responsibility of non-Black people to contribute meaningfully to cultural safety.

Commissioned by Black Diasporas, a collective dedicated to regenerating visual and oral traditions through digital archiving and geolocation, Black People Can’t Dance forms part of a broader project mapping Bla(c)k unity and respectful engagement with Country, Community, and Indigenous knowledge. The work contributes to urgent cultural conversations in so-called Australia, particularly in the context of the Bla(c)k Power movement in Naarm.

The project has been exhibited in various formats across Melbourne, including immersive installations and exclusive screenings at MPavilion, No Vacancy Gallery, Testing Grounds, Jam Factory Cinema (Five Dots), and the National Archives of Australia. It was awarded the Community Innovation Award by the Victorian Multicultural Commission, recognising its contribution to public discourse and collective healing.

Black People Can’t Dance was directed by Lilah Benetti (@easylilah), starring Chantal Bala (@chantal.bala), with cinematography by Sam Biddle (@biddle.biddle), narration by Amaryllis, and stills and camera assistance by Abdul Yusef (@rounddrop). Commissioned by Black Diasporas www.blackdiasporas.com and Afro Urban Arts (@afrourban.art). Exhibition design by Culture as Creative and Sandra Githinji Studio (cultureascreative.com / sandragithinji.com), Exhibtion photography by Bonn Creative (bonncreative.com). The Black Diasporas Naarm project was brought to life by over 75 contributors of African heritage.