Synopsis
Director: Elegance Bratton
Producers: Chester Algernal Gordon, Elegance Bratton
U.S., 92 min
The defining story of Chicago’s house music scene is finally here. Summer 1979: In the chaos of Comiskey Park’s “Disco Demolition Night,” teenage usher Vince Lawrence witnesses a fiery scene: Thousands of people are throwing records, mostly by Black artists, into a bonfire. Undeterred by the display of racist and homophobic hostility, Vince saves his money to buy a synthesizer, setting in motion a life’s journey that would forever impact the sound of music. Mixing interviews with house music pioneers and compelling cinematic recreations, Move Ya Body offers a revelatory chronicle of house’s humble roots, explosive influence, and inevitable exploitation, all the while celebrating its unique power to liberate listeners and bring people together. A “compelling” (USA Today), “clear-eyed, crowd-pleasing, and loving tribute” (Screen), the film “blends civic and music history effortlessly while also having a truly banging soundtrack. You will learn a lot, get angry several times, and then get lost in the sick beats and dance yourself clean” (RogerEbert.com).
