Op-Ed: Black Dance as Activism, Resistance, and Healing

Black dance has always been more than movement—it is survival, resistance, and healing in motion. It is a defiant act of existence in a world that continually seeks to silence Black voices, erase Black histories, and dismantle the very initiatives designed to promote inclusion. In this moment—when Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs are under attack, when racial justice is dismissed as “woke,” when Black contributions to culture are systemically erased—the urgency of Black dance as activism and embodied resilience has never been greater.

Black Dance as Resistance

Rooted in the lived experiences of Black people, it has long been a tool of cultural preservation, political defiance, and communal healing. From the spirituals and ring shouts of enslaved Africans to the coded messages of stepping, from the revolutionary choreography of Katherine Dunham to the global impact of hip hop, Black movement traditions have defied erasure.

In his research, renowned scholar Thomas DeFrantz essentializes this as embodied activism—the way dance asserts presence and refuses dehumanization. Every flexed foot, every percussive step, every contraction carries the weight of history and the promise of a future where Black bodies are seen, valued, and free. Alvin Ailey’s Revelations is not just a performance—it is a reclamation of space. Rennie Harris’ work in hip hop is not just choreography—it is cultural documentation. Today’s Black dancers are not just artists—they are archivists, revolutionaries, and healers.

The Assault on DEI Is an Assault on Black Dance

As we honor Black dance, we must also confront the reality that the systems designed to protect it are being dismantled. Across the country, DEI programs are being gutted under the false guise of meritocracy. These attacks are not about fairness; they are about power. They send a clear message: Black artists, Indigenous artists, artists of color, queer and disabled artists—you do not belong.

But we know the truth: Diversity is not a threat to excellence—it is the foundation of it. Dance has always been a global, cross-cultural art form, shaped by exchange, adaptation, and resistance. The attempt to eliminate DEI is an attempt to strip away the very essence of what makes dance—and all art—relevant and transformative.

The Role of Community in Black Dance Resilience

For Black dancers, community is not optional—it is survival. Cultural historian Brenda Dixon-Gottschild, in Digging the Africanist Presence in American Performance, argues that the Africanist aesthetic in dance inherently carries a narrative of resilience and defiance. Activist and philosopher Angela Davis similarly reminds us that communal artistic practices are essential for surviving systemic inequities. Black dance has always been a space of collective healing—whether in the nightclub, the church, the street, or the studio.

In a world where Black dancers are often isolated within predominantly white institutions, this sense of community is revolutionary. When Black dancers gather, they create more than choreography; they create belonging, affirmation, and power.

Healing Through Movement

While Black dance is resistance, it is also a sanctuary. Author and activist bell hooks, in Art on My Mind: Visual Politics, speaks of art as transformation—how movement turns pain into possibility. Black dance is a space where joy is cultivated as an act of defiance. It is where Black bodies can move freely, unburdened by the weight of white gaze and expectation.

Rejecting Authoritarianism

The attack on DEI is part of a larger, more insidious movement—an effort to control the cultural narrative, to erase histories that challenge white supremacy, to dictate who gets to create and who gets to be seen. Authoritarianism thrives on suppression. It thrives on making conversations about race and power so toxic that even acknowledging racism becomes controversial.

But Black dance does not ask for permission. It has never needed an institution to validate its worth. It has survived outside of theaters, outside of funding cycles, outside of white approval. It lives in the cyphers of street dancers, in the footwork of a marching band, in the body rolls of a church congregation.

Dancing Toward Justice and Renewal

Black dance is far more than an aesthetic practice; it is willful confrontation, a method of healing, and a vehicle for cultural preservation. Its ability to tell stories, challenge inequities, and inspire transformation positions it as one of the most powerful forms of activism and cultural assertion. As scholars like DeFrantz and Dixon-Gottschild have noted, the Africanist aesthetic in Black dance is a testament to the resilience and ingenuity of Black communities.

Every step, every movement, and every performance carries with it the weight of history and the promise of a more just future. In this way, Black dance not only preserves the past but also shapes the narrative of what is possible.

As an artist, activist, and educator, I am reminded daily of the profound power of our art form to reclaim space, assert identity, and envision new possibilities. Through our bodies, we tell our stories, and through our stories, we transform the world. n

Gregory King is a culturally responsive educator, performance artist, activist, and movement maker. He is assistant provost for faculty development at California Institute of the Arts.