Dance Protest List June-July 2020_Park
Last update: October 21, 2022 10:34pm PST at the end of this doc
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October 1, 2020
Welcome to anyone viewing this doc for the first time and welcome to anyone returning. You will notice that the last entry is at the end of July. This is not to say that more dance at protest did not continue. At that moment, I redirected my organizing to two different activations:
“Embodied meditation & movement sessions led by Black, Indigenous, People of Color + Queer guides from multiple wisdom traditions and healing practices.
All bodies welcome. We ask everyone to take part in the universal shift that only comes with true Black liberation. This offering is intergenerational and embracing all abilities.
Black liberation is your liberation and your liberation is Black liberation.
By reading these words you are already vibrating with us.
The journey has begun.”
In the struggle,
MiRi
June 9, 2020
Thanks to Siobhan Burke at the NY Times for the shout-out!
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June 5, 2020
This doc is collating instances of protest that have occurred in response to the current moment, to be more specific, within the last 10-11 days since the first protest began in MN on 5/26/20. These instances of protest can be on the street AT the protests, or things like people flooding police apps to upload footage of violence with Kpop videos/fancams, or choreographed pieces in direct response to the moment like Jakevis Thomason’s piece.
The only section on here that is not specifically about this moment is “Background Reading.” This section includes essays, articles, and books by or about critical dance scholars who research protests and movement, for those who are curious about how to think and write about this.
I hope this helps to clarify what this doc seeks to do.
If you plan on using this information in any kind of way or has been of any assistance, and you would like to recognize the labor I’ve put into this, please consider donating to one of the following organizations. (I’m not financially able to give at the moment, so this would mean a lot!)
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June 4, 2020
Hi fellow dancers, dance enthusiasts, dance scholars, and dance lovers who are protesting or bearing witness~
I’m compiling this list of dance and protest during the moment of current uprisings in response to the recent police murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, and the #BlackLivesMatter anti-racism movement. This is a crowd-sourced list that is open and available to any and all who would like to reference it for scholarship, or for examples of how other organizers are protesting with dance.
I will also add information for protests that plan on including dance as the center of their activism.
Please submit links to footage or articles here: https://forms.gle/SYU2NGdmVGf7e4sTA
In solidarity,
MiRi Park
Lecturer, Cal State Channel Islands | Performing Arts Program
PhD student, UCLA | World Arts and Cultures/Dance
Associate Choreographer | 20th Anniversary Tour, RENT
IG: @seoulsonyk | Twitter: @themiripark
July 23, 2020
Queens, NY: Street Riders Protest (IG)
July 22, 2020
Portland, OR: Jam (Twitter)
July 9, 2020
Beltsville, MD: Making Moves Dance Company (FB)
July 7, 2020
They Still Don’t Care | Choreography by: Rachel Lockhart
July 6, 2020
Toronto, ON: Jam (FB)
July 4, 2020
Seattle, WA: Cupid Shuffle (Twitter)
Memphis, TN: Tutorial (Twitter)
Salt Lake City, UT: Dance for Change Protest
July 3, 2020
Keystone, SD: Lakota Coup Dance (Twitter)
Aurora, CO: Jam (Twitter)
Seattle, WA: Solo set (Twitter)
July 1, 2020
Love Fights Back (FB) | choreographed and performed by Ronnie Bradley
June 30, 2020
New York, NY: Electric Slide to “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now,” by McFadden & Whitehead (Twitter)
Des Moines, IA: Cupid Shuffle (FB)
June 28, 2020
New York, NY: Dancing in a physically-distancing bubble (Twitter)
June 27, 2020
Chicago, IL: Protest in Motion (IG) (FB) (IG) | choreographed and organized by @isiahdemarcus & @morgan_clune
Portland, OR: prayer dance (Twitter)
Camarillo, CA: Cha Cha Slide (Twitter)
June 26, 2020
Riverside, CA: ceremonial dance (Twitter)
New York, NY: Vogue 4 #BLM | Choreography by Kemar Jewel (YouTube), dancers: Daphne Wynter Midnyght, Harun “Hayden” Jones, Otis Pena, O’Shae Sibley, Antontio Mugler
June 25, 2020
Video compilation of dance protests (IG) | @nataliamroberts
Tampa, FL: group
June 22, 2020
June 21, 2020
Jacksonville, FL: Duval Dance Rally
Wilmington, DE: March (TikTok) (TikTok)
Los Angeles, CA: Danza Azteca (YouTube)
June 20, 2020
Oklahoma City, OK: “Dance Your Stance” Protest (FB) (IG)
Tulsa, OK: Kpop Stans and TikTok Teens Derail Trump Rally
San Francisco, CA: Dribble protest (Twitter)
Oakland, CA: Groove (IG)
Lansing, MI: BLM Lansing performance (Twitter)
San Diego, CA: Skate protest (Twitter) (Twitter) (TikTok)
June 19, 2020 - JUNETEENTH: #GETDISWARDANCE Organizing Toolkit (IG)
IG Event: Movement of the People Dance Company Celebrates Juneteeth
Harlem, NY: Juneteenth Jubilee (FB)
Boston, MA: List of Juneteenth Celebrations/Protests
Dallas-Fort Worth, TX: Texas Strong Dance Protest (IG) (IG)
Taos, NM: Stay Black and Live Juneteenth Block Party
Albany, NY: Juneteeth Protest Routine, Beyonce’s “Before I Let Go (Homecoming Bonus Track)” (IG) Wobble Dance (IG)
Philadelphia, PA: popping/bonebreakin/afrobeat/house throwdown (IG)
Oakland, CA: Group (Twitter)
Portland, OR: Festival at Revolution Hall (Twitter)
Washington, DC: Throw-down (YouTube)
June 16, 2020
Brooklyn, NY (I think): March and Dance (Twitter) - original source not clear
Santa Fe, NM: Than Tsídéh (Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo) dances on the empty platform where a statue of Juan de Oñate was removed (Photographer Gabriela Campos Website)
June 15, 2020
Tampa, FL: Performance (Twitter) (Twitter) - Dancers’ IG: @iLove.Lou, @Aiye_Tora, @_Markq, @Kyadancer, @AnnieCaroline
June 14, 2020
Santa Cruz, CA: “Dancing in Solidarity” Protest; 5pm meet, 6pm speaking/performances (FB)
Internet (Zoom): Organizing Juneteenth Black War Dance Action; 4-6pm EST (FB)
Los Angeles, CA: Vogue (FB) (FB) | Zerrick Payne
West Hollywood, CA: Jam (Twitter) | Hand Performance/Vogue (FB) | Enyce Smith @enyceson
Providence, RI: Party Dance (Twitter)
Tampa, FL: Soul Train Line (Twitter) (Twitter): Jam (Twitter)
Chicago, IL: Protest
June 13, 2020
Alameda, CA: “Dancing While Black” Protest; 12pm (Twitter) (IG) (IG)
Tampa Bay, FL: Jam (Twitter)
June 12, 2020
“Masquerave” Solidarity Dance Party on Twitch (Twitter)
Torrance, CA: Workout Protest of Racist Karen (Twitter)
Washington, DC: The Skate Kid (IG)
St. Petersburg, FL: Wobble Dance (Twitter)
London, UK: Electric Slide to “Candy,” by Cameo (Twitter)
New York, NY: Jam (Twitter)
June 11, 2020
Tampa Bay, FL: Cha Cha Slide (Twitter)
New York, NY: Drumming and Dancing (IG) Alpha kick (IG)
Brooklyn, NY: Jam (Twitter)
June 10, 2020
Minneapolis, MN: Circle dance led by American Indian Movement (AIM) around felled Columbus statue (Twitter)
Los Angeles, CA: Danza Azteca (YouTube)
June 9, 2020
Detroit, MI: Vogue (Twitter)
Ann Arbor, MI: Party Dance (Twitter)
San Francisco, CA: Jam, “Candy,” by Cameo (Twitter)
London, UK (?): Party Dance Cypher (Twitter) (Twitter)
Cologne, Germany: Jam (Twitter)
Oakland, CA: Aztec Dance
June 8, 2020
London, UK: Electric Slide to “Candy,” by Cameo (Twitter)
Brooklyn, NY: Throwdown (IG) (IG), Jam to “Buy U a Drank,” by T-Pain (IG)
Detroit, MI: Jam (YouTube)
June 7, 2020
Harlem, NY: Dance for George (IG)
Chula Vista, CA: Cupid Shuffle (YouTube - aerial view, no sound)
Spokane, WA: Yoga
Boyle Heights, CA: Danzantes Azteca
Minneapolis, MN: Electric Slide “Before I Let Go,” by Beyonce (IG)
Washington DC: Go-Go (IG) (IG)
Oakland, CA: Jam - Aerial view, no sound (Twitter)
Alameda, CA: Jam (Twitter)
London, UK: Electric Slide to “Candy,” by Cameo (Twitter) (YouTube), Madonna edition (Twitter)
Nashville, TN: Performance (Twitter)
Philadelphia, PA: Breakin’ cypher (YouTube)
Dallas-Fort Worth, TX: Vogue (Twitter), Performance (IG), b-boy set (Twitter)
San Diego, CA: Krump (IG)
June 6, 2020
Richmond, VA: Ballerinas in front of Confederate monument (IG) (Twitter) (Twitter): Kennedy George, Ava Holloway; photographer: Julia Rendleman
San Diego, CA: (no footage)
Location unknown: (TikTok) Hannah Stater | Venmo @Hannah-Stater
Philadelphia, PA: Party Dance Cypher (YouTube); Cha Cha Slide (Twitter); Breakin’ Cypher (YouTube); Electric Slide to BLM chant (Twitter)
Wilmington, DE: Yoga
Honolulu, HI: (YouTube)
Washington D.C.: Electric Slide to “Candy,” by Cameo; Dance Party (Twitter) (Twitter)
Taking a knee (Twitter)
Seattle, WA: die-in protest (Twitter)
London, UK: Electric Slide (I think?) (IG)
New York, NY: Jon Batiste leading group (YouTube)
Sheffield, UK (?): b-boy (Twitter)
Jackson, MS: Electric Slide to “Candy,” by Cameo (Twitter)
Philadelphia, PA: Jam (Twitter) (Twitter)
Berkeley, CA: You about lose your job (Twitter)
Lyon, France: Cypher (Twitter)
Chicago, IL: Jam to “This is America,” by Childish Gambino (Twitter)
San Francisco, CA: Vogue (IG)
Culver City, CA: Electric Slide to live band (IG)
June 5, 2020
Sacramento, CA: die-in protest (YouTube)
York, PA: (FB): Kat Choreography (?)
Elgin, IL: Breakin’ Protesters dance battle with Police Officer (FB): protesters unknown, Officer Hector Gutierrez
Atlanta, GA: Macarena (YouTube) (FB - aerial view, no sound)
Internet: Kpop stans jam QAnon
Madison, WI: Cha Cha Slide (Twitter) Party (Twitter)
Milwaukee, WI: Cupid Shuffle (YouTube)
Des Moines, IA: Electric Slide to Happy Birthday - Stevie Wonder version (Twitter)
Philadelphia, PA: Take Your Knee Off Our Necks - The Lady Hoofer Tap Ensemble's #HoofersAtHome series
Detroit, MI: House Music Float (Twitter) Hip Hop Music Float (Twitter)
New Orleans, LA: street performance (Twitter)
San Jose, CA: Jam (Twitter)
Mobile, AL: Praise Dance for removal of confederate statue (Twitter)
Cincinnati, OH: Electric Slide, to the actual Electric Slide (Twitter) (Twitter)
Dallas, TX: Krump Performance (IG)
Los Angeles, CA: danceCREATE performance (IG), Cupid Shuffle (YouTube)
Rochester, NY: “They Don’t Really Care About Us,” by Michael Jackson (IG)
Denver, CO: Jam (Twitter)
June 4, 2020
Union Sq., NYC: Bomba (FB): BombaYo
NYC: A Black Man’s Heart - @jrpro (IG)
Philadelphia, PA: die-in protest (YouTube)
Atlanta, GA: Cha Cha Slide (YouTube)
Dallas, TX: (IG)
Washington DC: no direct link to footage
Omaha, NE: Cha Cha Slide (YouTube)
June 3, 2020
Harlem, NY: House, Hip hop party dance cypher (FB) (IG): Nathan “Realm” Bunce, Fabricio Seraphin, Areis Evans
Chicago, IL: Vogue (IG): KARMA MUNEZ | Email: Karmamunez@gmail.com | CashApp: $KarmaRaye
Internet (Twitter): Kpop Stans jam #whitelivesmatter
Oakland, CA: Electric Slide to “Before I Let Go,” by Frankie Beverly (Twitter) (Twitter) (YouTube), Group (IG)
London, UK: Electric Slide to “No Justice, No Peace” chant (Twitter)
Syracuse, NY: Hip hop party dance cypher (Twitter)(Twitter)
Carrollton, GA: Cupid Shuffle
Newark, NJ
Lafayette, LA: sitting meditation
Baltimore, MD: Folkorico (YouTube)
Norfolk, VA: Marching Band Party (Twitter)
Detroit, MI: Jam (Twitter)
Palmdale, CA: b-boy (Twitter) waving/popping/krump (Twitter)
Minneapolis, MN: Cupid Shuffle (Twitter)
San Francisco, CA: Freestyle improv (IG)
Salt Lake City, UT: Cupid Shuffle (Twitter)
June 2, 2020
Aotearoa (Christchurch, NZ): Haka (Twitter) (YouTube)
Chicago, IL: Chicago Footwork (YouTube)
Chicago, IL: Vogue (Facebook): Dhee Lacy, Karma Munez, Amya Mugler
Chicago, IL: Cupid Shuffle (FB)
Philadelphia, PA: Kpop stans jam police app with fancams
Loiza, PR: Bomba (Twitter) (YouTube)
Lincoln, NE: Cupid Shuffle (Twitter)
Boston, MA: die-in protest (YouTube - aerial view, no sound)
Newark, NJ: (Twitter)
DTLA, CA: Cupid Shuffle (FB)
Los Angeles, CA: Yoga (Twitter)
New York, NY: walking jam with band (Twitter)
Olympia, WA: Cupid Shuffle (Twitter)
June 1, 2020
Minneapolis, MN: Jingle Dress Dance (YouTube) (YouTube) (IG)
Raleigh, NC: die-in protest (YouTube)
Aotearoa (Auckland, NZ): Haka (Twitter); “We Gon’ Be Alright” Kendrick Lamar (IG)
West Hollywood, CA: Samba, Sabar (IG)
Madison, WI:
Duluth, MN: sitting meditation
Grand Rapids, MI: Kpop stans jam police apps and cams
Springfield, IL: die-in protest (YouTube)
Portland, OR: Peace Train
Stockton, CA: Cupid Shuffle Groove solo (IG)
May 31, 2020
Newark, NJ: Cupid Shuffle (YouTube)
Minneapolis, MN: (IG)
Santa Monica, CA: Krump (YouTube): Big Mijo (Jo'Artis Ratti), Samantha Donohue
Brooklyn, NY: Party Dances (YouTube)
Dallas, TX: Kpop stans jam police iWatch app with fancams
Niagara Falls, NY: Jam (Twitter)
Seattle, WA: Jam (Twitter)
Los Angeles, CA: Danza Azteca (YouTube)
May 30, 2020
Minneapolis, MN: Mexican Nahua Dance: Kalpulli Yaocenoxtli (IG)
Newark, NJ: Cupid Shuffle (Twitter)
Morristown, NJ: Electric Slide to “Before I Let Go,” Frankie Beverly (Twitter)
Los Angeles, CA: Moshing (IG); The band (IG)
Temecula, CA: Jam (Twitter)
Oakland, CA: Cha Cha Slide (IG)
May 29, 2020
Seattle, WA: Northwest Tap Connection
May 28, 2020
Union Sq., NY: Cypher (YouTube)
Louisville, NY: White Shield (FB)
Articles reporting on music and dance at protests
Legal Precedents re: Dance as Protest
Critical Dance Studies readings about dance and protest/choreography of protest:
These readings are organized by DATE (most recent to least)
Related Readings from the fields of Performance Studies, social movement studies, intersectional feminism (alpha-order):
October 21, 2022 update:
Posting an update because in the Dance in History and Culture course I teach at CSU Channel Islands, we incorporate the topic of Dance and Protest. Each week, we ask students to source articles, both journalistic and scholarly, to share on a virtual discussion board. It thrills me to see when there are recent articles that mention this list like this one:
Hendricks, Ashley Domingo. “What is Dance Activism?” Daily JSTOR. 7 July 2022. https://daily.jstor.org/what-is-dance-activism/#:~:text=An%20aesthetic%20of%20resistance%20and,5%2C%202020%20in%20Minneapolis%2C%20Minnesota
Other articles that my students have posted:
Dixon Gottschild, Brenda. “The Power of Dance as Political Protest.” Dance Magazine, 28 October 2020, https://www.dancemagazine.com/protest-dance/.
I’m also just returning home from the annual Dance Studies Association conference that took place on the lands of the Squamish, Musquem Tsleil-Waututh people, otherwise known as Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The theme of the conference was “Dancing Resilience: Dance Studies and Activism in a Global Age.” As a newly elected Graduate Student Representative to the Board of Directors, I had the honor and privilege to be in the room with other brilliant dance scholars to think about how we put our scholarship into action. Accordingly, fellow Board Member Meiver De La Cruz dreamt up an action to #citelesbiandancetheorists to which she recruited me, among many others, as co-conspirators to pull it off during the conference. She recounts the whole thing here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CjyzXq8JzfU/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Finally, I wanted to note that I’ve also gotten direct feedback from dance professor colleagues that they use this list with their students. I sincerely hope that this list continues to be a resource for anyone who accesses it.
If you would like to be in contact, please email miri.park@csuci.edu.
In solidarity,
MiRi Park