Our Dance of Revolution

“We are people of revolution. We’re here because others have rebelled. Because others have stood in solid resistance!”

Listening to Angela, a Black lesbian feminist who is rousing a crowd, we understand that, no, this particular revolution wasn’t televised. Rather, from out of the shadows, it was embraced, chanted, marched and danced into existence.

Our Dance of Revolution tells the story of how Black queer folks in Toronto faced every adversity, from invisibility to police brutality, and rose up to become a vibrant, triple-snap-fierce community. Capturing first-person accounts and invaluable archival photographs across a span of four decades, this feature-length documentary is more than a previously untold oral history, more than a reclamation of unsung people and events.

Through director Phillip Pike’s lens, we glimpse at the central role historically played by Black lesbians in Toronto’s queer community, the impact of the HIV epidemic and grassroots efforts for education and support, the distinction of Toronto’s Church Street drag queens, and the defiance of Blockorama to the whiteness of Pride. Our Dance of Revolution is ultimately a human-scale reckoning of how audacious individuals find themselves by connecting with others, and how they muster the courage, tenacity, and creativity to prevail against the forces of marginalization. (Cinema Politica)

from February 1st to 28 – $8