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A powerful new short dance film, soundtracked by Gil Scott-Heron’s “Alien (Hold On To Your Dreams),” featuring Jo’Artis “Big Mijo” Ratti protesting via Krumping within feet of the LAPD at a recent Black Lives Matter protest.
Says Big Mijo, one of the founders of the South Central-born Krumping movement and a professional dancer for +10 years, “Krump I present to so many as a way to show my Physical and emotional trauma, a way for liberation, my therapy, my confession to this circumstance.”
LA-based filmmaker and photographer Pip Cowley sought to spotlight eight professional dancers in different locations around Los Angeles. The film’s mission was to present dance as a form of protest, an act of cathartic release, and a method of peaceful assembly.
The scene of Big Mijo protesting at a Black Lives Matter demonstration took on a life of its own, garnering 10 Million views on Twitter (from footage filmed by nearby bystanders) and was eventually covered by The Washington Post, Buzzfeed, and more. Scenes were also used in Michelle Obama’s “When We All Vote” campaign.
Today, the short dance film comes to life incorporating footage of Big Mijo from the BLM protest as well as beautiful and powerful dancing from Aahkilah, Greg “6adnewz” Aldana, Hitmakerchinx, Hob Dot, Rameer Colon, Sam Donohue, and Sasha Mallory (who have toured with the likes of Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Madonna, Taylor Swift, among others).
Directed by Pip Cowley (USA)