Brighton-based LGBTQ+ led 201 Dance Company, released their annual Brighton & Hove Pride dance video on Monday, July 31. Over the past few years, the company’s viral videos have captivated audiences with their creativity, flair, and unapologetic camp aesthetic. Each year, the videos have garnered increasing attention, reaching new heights of popularity for the company.
The journey began in 2018 when the video featured pop icon Britney Spears, who was the headliner for Brighton & Hove Pride, instantly capturing the imagination of viewers and amassing groundbreaking views on social media. The following year, the queen of camp herself, Kylie Minogue, made a cameo appearance, further solidifying the company’s reputation for high quality celebratory videos. Last year, the dance company paid homage to the 20th anniversary of Christina Aguilera‘s hit song Dirrty, wowing audiences once again in front of the backdrop of iconic Brighton locations.
The theme of this year’s video is PRIDE IS A PROTEST. On choosing the track this year, Vulgar by Sam Smith and Madonna, choreographer and artistic director of 201 Dance Company Andrea Walker said: “Our rights as LGBTQ+ individuals feel very under threat right now. Up to this point, our Pride videos have had a happy-go-lucky sense to them. But Pride is a protest, and this year we felt it was more important than ever to drive a message of protest and defiance.”
Described by Slant Magazine as a “glorious, no-fucks-given bitch track” the song embodies transgressive, unapologetic expression that defies mass consumption. Its camp and queer vibes perfectly align with the spirit of the video, presenting a unique opportunity for creative exploration, sensuality, and an encapsulation of queer artistic expression and Pride.
Andrea Walker added: “Vulgar is a very queer track. The lyrics that really stuck to me were “You know you’re beautiful when they call you vulgar”. Both Sam Smith and Madonna have a strong track record of being castigated for wanting to express their true selves. It’s a feeling that a lot of the community and I can relate to. I instantly also loved the lyrics “Say our fucking names!” (or “Say our, say our names” in the clean version). While strong, they instantly felt like a call to battle for queer people to stand up and say “We’re here, we’re queer and we’re not going anywhere!”. As well as love, I want this year’s video to shout “no matter how hard you try, you can’t erase us””.
Sponsored by esteemed organisations and brands, the production boasts the collaboration of Arts Council England, ICTheatre (Institute for Contemporary Theatre), local dance studio Marina Studios, and the effortlessly sexy brand Lounge, who provided some of the daring costumes for the video. Most notably, as meaningful sponsors the video will feature the participation of a group of NHS staff, who gave their free time outside of work to contribute to the celebrations, showcasing their support for this project.
The video will introduce Pearl Makayi (credits include dancing for Lizzo, Stormzy, Tinie Tempah, Miguel, AJ Tracey and Big Zuu), a talented black female lead making her debut with 201 Dance Company. Alongside her, co-lead queer dancer Nicholas Piscedda will deliver a captivating performance. Nicholas has been an integral part of 201 Dance Company for several years, demonstrating exceptional talent and dedication. Walker expressed his enthusiasm for their involvement, stating: “I couldn’t think of anyone better to capture my movement and the sense of defiance and protest we wanted to convey with this year’s Pride project. Both Pearl and Nicholas are powerful talents and a staple of the Brighton dance community.”
The video will also feature queer icons Dolly Rocket and Dave the Bear and drag artists Ex-Girlfriend, Alik, Ophelia Payne and King Sammy Silver. As well as the inclusion of a drag king, who are often unrepresented or overlooked by the media, the video will feature queen families, trans individuals proudly showing their scars from gender reassignment surgery, and numerous other proud members of the LGBTQ+ community. Their inclusion in the video speaks to the importance of being truly representative of the diversity in the queer community and in today’s society, and a celebration of how far we’ve come.
Capturing the essence of Brighton’s beauty, the video will be skilfully filmed and edited by videographer Josh Brady. The stunning locations chosen for the shoot will highlight the city’s vibrant atmosphere and scenic charm.
The video will be available on the company’s YouTube page at 6pm on Monday, July 31.
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