Dance Can't Nice: Exploring London's Black Music Spaces

Dance Can't Nice saw Music Curator Adem Holness highlight the relationship between Black British music and physical space

Adem Holness - Showcase (2021) by Nick TaghaviHorniman Museum and Gardens

696 Form

Although the 696 risk assessment form made it harder for London venues to put on Black music events, many genres continued to flourish in private spaces.

Dance Cant' Nice Information (2021) by Nick TaghaviHorniman Museum and Gardens

Artists Naeem Dxvis and SignKid explored the language and spaces that have influenced the production and advancement of British bashment, garage, lovers rock, grime, gospel, jazz and soul.

Dance Can't Nice - Exhibition Build 3 (2021) by Nick TaghaviHorniman Museum and Gardens

Naeem Dxvis reimagined the bedrooms, barbershops, churches and living rooms that are home to Black music genres and the people who contribute to them.

Dance Can't Nice - Bedroom (2021) by Nick TaghaviHorniman Museum and Gardens

Bedroom

A teenage bedroom, late 90s - early 00s. A place that encapsulates the bedroom DJ culture that birthed grime, garage and drum 'n' bass. Essential to development of bedroom producers and pirate radio DJs. It has served as a recording studio, a rehearsal  room, and even the club. 

Dance Cant' Nice - Church, Close Up (2021) by Nick TaghaviHorniman Museum and Gardens

Church

Timeless. The original Black music space that birthed countless Black British musicians and genres. The church houses music that creates connected communities. This space continues to provide an environment for people to gather, mourn and rejoice through music.

Dance Can't Nice - Exhibition 2 (2021) by Nick TaghaviHorniman Museum and Gardens

Living Room

A West-Indian living room, 1970s onwards. The original dance floor. A place of pride. Spaces like this often contain carefully curated collections of records charting the migration of basslines like lovers rock. Sound systems give a place to party and to practise.

Dance Can't Nice - Exhibition 4 (2021) by Nick TaghaviHorniman Museum and Gardens

Barbershop

A barbershop, current day. An arena for Black music debate, discussion and broadcast. A listening space. Somewhere sacred to hear and discover music. One of the few public spaces to play pirate radio out loud. A space for musicians producers, music lovers, critics and fans. 

SignKid

SignKid showcases the British Sign Language (BSL) versions of key slang words and phrases from Black British music culture through an interactive video.

Dance Can't Nice - Living Room, Very Close Up (2021) by Nick TaghaviHorniman Museum and Gardens

Celebrating, Showcasing and Supporting London's Music Scene

Dance Can't Nice was a Black-led exhibition, an interrogation of the power and responsibility public spaces and organisations have in supporting local music.

By opening up the Horniman’s spaces to celebrate south London’s music scene, they hope others will do the same. 

Dance Can't Nice - Living Room (2021) by Nick TaghaviHorniman Museum and Gardens

Why was the exhibition named ‘Dance Can’t Nice’?

An adaptation of the Jamaican Patois “Dance cyaan nice”. In both Jamaican Patois and Jamaican English, this means we’re not going to have a good time at the music event.

Taking its name from the Frankie Paul & Sugar Minott song, Dance Can’t Nice invites you to consider the things Black live music needs to be great.

"Dance Can't Nice without we...". 

Dance Can't Nice - Exhibition 2a (2021) by Nick TaghaviHorniman Museum and Gardens

Adem Holness talks to us about 696 - Dance Can't Nice

"It’s really easy to think about Black culture, and Black art, in relationship to trauma. And obviously form 696 is something that is traumatic and has been damaging, so I wanted to acknowledge that, but I also wanted it not to feel heavy. I wanted it to feel celebratory."

Dance Cant' Nice Credits (2021) by Nick TaghaviHorniman Museum and Gardens

Shortlisted

The Dance Can't Nice Exhibition was Shortlisted for Temporary or Touring Exhibition of the Year at the Museums and Heritage Awards 2022.

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