CLOUD Talks: Decolonization & Dance #2

The short documentary series by Aqueene Wilson “WHERE ARE THE BLACK BODIES DANCING?” was launched in 2021 as part of a fellowship at Kunstinstituut Melly. Since then this profound documentary unfortunately received very little attention in the Netherlands, especially the dance world remained silent. In the second edition of CLOUD Talks we will reflect on the creation process of this documentary series for the maker, talk more about the spaces where black bodies dance and look more into the decolonial movements (not) happening in the arts. You can read more about the documentary and the maker below.

Date: 6 March 2022
Time: 20:00
Facebook live event

WHERE ARE THE BLACK BODIES DANCING is a two-part online series that should be seen as a research come to life. Through a visual collection of conversations, performances, and art we question the current racial landscape in contemporary dance, while actively creating space for black bodies. As we live in a time where activism is primal, oppressive structures in dance need to be highlighted. Therefore, we start the series by revealing complex truths like institutional norms, tokenism, and othering. This entire body of work can be seen as a form of counter storytelling, as extremely praised concepts like diversity and equality are contradicted by Christian Yav, Junadry Leocaria, Dalton Jansen, and Chanel Vyent. Through moments of vulnerability, we ask them what it means to be a black body in a white institute. More so, what are the issues behind contemporary diversity? And how do they actively create space for others or themselves?

Aqueene Wilson (Curacao, 1995) is curator, multidiscpilinair artist, autodidacte fotograaf en Caribisch kind. Met het menselijk lichaam als haar meest voorkomende onderwerp en haar achtergrond in dans,  staat ze voornamelijk bekend om het documenteren van het (gekleurde) lichaam door een kwetsbare lens.

About CLOUD TALKS: Decolonization & Dance
Damani Leidsman and Fazle Shairmahomed have conversations with different people from the dance world from a decolonial perspective. They will talk about taboos, hybrid dance, transgressive behavior, the value of categorizing dance in boxes such as ‘amateur and professional’, ‘contemporary and urban’, from underground dance to dance in theaters, museums and beyond… How does dance move now, then, and very soon?The language in which they will speak and move will be a surprise each time, but it will be hybrid in particular! Let’s discover together how we can keep having dialogues!
Read more about CLOUD Talks