Dancing in the Street

In August 2015, Chloë Brown visited Detroit to make a short film collaborating with people from the city, filming them dancing along the route of her drawing 'From Alfred Street to Temple Street, Detroit', whilst listening to the song 'Dancing in the Street' on headphones. The title of the film refers to this song, which is by Martha and the Vandellas and was released by Motown Records, the famous record company that was founded in Detroit by Berry Gordy. Suzanne E. Smith, in her book also entitled 'Dancing in the Street', relates that the release of this song coincided with the 1967 riots in Detroit leading to it becoming, for some, the soundtrack to the unrest, with the lyrics even being misinterpreted as a call to riot. The act of dancing in the street in Brown’s film questions this idea, acting as a playful subversion where the dancing appears to be a form of liberation from conventional ways of being, a subtle nod towards the misreading of this most joyful song. Duration 02:40 Keywords : Dancing in the Street, Martha and the Vandellas, Chloe brown, Artist, Detroit