Institute History
Description
Out of the underground dance clubs on the South Side of Chicago, a group of friends turn a new sound into a global movement.
Vince Lawrence was an eccentric, nerdy Black child growing up in Mayor Daley’s segregated Chicago. One summer when his dad couldn’t afford to send him to summer camp, Lawrence embarked on a personal journey that would lead him to become the first person to record a house song. He catalyzed a force of radical togetherness that would break down his city’s invisible walls of segregation, and fundamentally transform the music world.
Director Elegance Bratton concocts a loving mix of interviews with the lively characters of house music blended together with an archive treasure, creating a definitive history of a cultural revolution rarely told. Move Ya Body: The Birth of House is a road map of how a rebellion against bodily repression can clutch joy and creative expression to sidestep empire.—Shari Frilot
Available in person. Also available online for credentialed press and industry (January 29–February 2).
This film contains strobe effects.
Screenings include closed and open captions.