High flying and low down, Leave it on the Floor is a one of a kind celebration – a gay African-American musical about finding your true family.
In the spirit of Paris Is Burning, Sheldon Larry’s audacious, raunchy and big-hearted musical – with songs by Beyonce’s music director Kim Burse and choreography by Beyonce’s dance master Frank Gatson Jr. – takes us into the fabulously funky world of voguing. Here the setting is contemporary downtown L.A.
Our hunky, homeless hero Brad, discarded by his homophobic mother, falls in with the members of the ‘House of Eminence’, a troupe of wild and unforgiving dancers and artists ruled by the stern diva Queef Latina, who keeps a careful, loving watch over her makeshift family of runaways and throwaways. When two of her crew fall for Brad, the Queef is royally unamused, and with a dance-off showdown fast approaching, things are going to get seriously heated!
Screening will begin with an Introduction by Rainbow Noir followed by the screening of to short films, Gully Queen and Afrofuturism, ahead of the main feature.
Post Show Discussion will be with:
Tolu Ajayi (he/him) is a performance artist and community organiser, versed in music, spoken word, film and theatre. He’s frontman of six-piece soundscape and soul collective, Pieces of a Man (Tru Thought Records), with on-screen and on-stage credits including critically acclaimed short film Sweet Mother (BFI Flare official selection), and UK touring theatre production Rent Party. Tolu is also Operational Lead for Rainbow Noir (a Manchester-based social, peer support and community action group centring LGBTQI people of colour) and founding member of House of Noir (a fashion-centric collective of queer & trans creatives of colour, his artistry and activism is geared towards the celebration, advocation and elevation of queer, trans and intersex people of colour.
Socials: @toluajayimusic
Web: www.tolumusic.com
Darren Hamilton (he/him) is a stylist, designer and performer whose showcased work on TV including E4’s Made Over By and Channel 4’s Shameless, and often curating looks for House of Ghetto, most recently their Gully Queens video screening tonight. As well as styling the House, Darren is often walking runway/fantasy, ?winner of ‘Bizarre’ category at Benjamin Millan’s 2019 Met Gala Ball, and regularly performs as part of Rebecca Never Becky – DJ & Creative Collective platforming & showcasing talent from Manchester with a spotlight on QTIPOC & LGBT+ creativity.
Instagram: @sebastianseventyfour
Cheryl Martin (she/her) is Co-Artistic Director of Manchester’s black-led literature NPO Commonword and Black Gold Arts Festival, has worked as a poet, playwright and director, and was a former Associate Director, New Writing/New Work at Contact Theatre. Her first solo poetry collection, Alaska, was longlisted for The Polari Prize, and her film One Woman, an Unlimited Welcome Partnership commission, is currently touring, including the Unlimited Southbank Festival, the L’Altre Festival in Barcelona, and Summerhall’s 2021 Digital Edinburgh Fringe.
Twitter: @cherylalaska
Web: www.cherylmartin.com