Dancers From Hamilton, MJ, Wicked Stage Protest Performance Outside of the Kennedy Center

On President’s Day, February 16, a team of Broadway and former Kennedy Center dancers staged a performance outside of the Kennedy Center. The choreographed dance dramatized the final moments of Renée Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, two civilians who were killed by ICE agents in Minneapolis—with dancers representing the car that Good was driving, as well as the ICE agents who shot her and Pretti. The group of 22 dancers got partway into their routine before 23 officers stopped them, saying they were not allowed on federal property.

Said Bryan Buckley, a two-time Academy Award-nominated filmmaker who directed the ResistDance, "It was another stunning moment of how this country is unraveling under Trump. Here you have arguably the country's most esteemed performance venue being occupied by more police officers than dancers. Those officers shut us down for expressing our First Amendment rights to memorialize the tragic murder of Renée and Alex through dance. After the shutdown, the White House Communications Director, Steven Cheung posted on Twitter about the memorial: 'Weak, corny, and lame. Total loser and simp behavior.' So now, let me get this right: memorials for two slain Americans are total loser and simp behavior? Seems very France 1799 to me." A director primarily of short films, Buckley is also director, writer, and producer of the upcoming Fyre Fest the Musical.

Though their performance in front of the Kennedy Center was truncated, prior, the group—made up of dancers who have performed in Hamilton, MJ: The Musical, Wicked, and at the Kennedy Center—had performed the dance in full in front of the Lincoln Center Memorial. See videos of the ResistDance above. It was choreographed by Matthew Steffens, whose Broadway credits include Once Upon a Mattress and Into the Woods. 

Said Buckley: "We wanted to re-create the last moments of both Renée Nicole Good and Alex Pretti's lives through powerful dance and movement—and to capture the spirit and beauty these two special people had brought to the world, and pay tribute to all those innocent people who have died, have been persecuted, imprisoned illegally under the racist and xenophobic leadership of Donald Trump. We wanted to bring hope with this piece. As one, we can prevail in these dark times." 

The ResistDance was the latest in a series of public demonstrations that have taken place in front of the Kennedy Center since President Trump took over the institution last year, fired its board, and instated himself and his supporters in leadership roles. In this newest protest performance, the First Amendment Troop (as the group calls itself) wanted to create a moment that could be captured by anyone who walked past and amplified through social media. They've succeeded, as social media posts about the dance have gone viral in the past few days. Said Buckley: "iPhone screens have become our nonstop conduit to the news of the outside world. We are always searching for more footage to explain the cascade of disturbing events such as ICE's unapologetic murders of Renée and Alex. But what art does is make you really pause. It slips into the brain through a back entrance. And leaves neverending imagery that can trigger emotions. Even provide hope that we can overcome this dark moment in world history."

Fittingly, the dance routine was set to "We Could Fly" and "Following the North Star," by Rhiannon Giddens, one of many artists who have cancelled their engagements at the Kennedy Center following Trump's takeover. Other artists who have cancelled performances include the Hamilton national tour and the Washington National Opera, who after decades in residence at the Kennedy Center are now going to perform their shows elsewhere. Ticket sales at the Kennedy Center have also fallen as a result of this negative publicity. Following his attempt to remake the center in his own image, including having the board rename the institution the Trump Kennedy Center, Trump recently announced that the center will shut down for two years beginning in July.