<<Back
Dance Poison (2006-2009/2009-2013/2014): 71 minutes film
Dance Poison is a raw and lyrical inquiry into the confluence of cultures resulting from the subjugation of the Americas by European forces as described in a fictitious book written in the sixteenth century and banned by the Inquisition. The film blurs the boundaries between history and fiction and explores dance as a powerful instrument of both liberation and oppression. It includes references to historical figures such as Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo and Spanish dictator Francisco Franco, as well as pop culture icons such as Josephine Baker and Michael Jackson.
Commissioned and Funded by: CGAC, Santiago de Compostela, Spain (Dance Poison, 20014 funded by MUSAC)
Collaborators: AECI (Government of Spain), Centro Cultural de España, Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic), Dominican Republic Air Force.
Filmed mostly in the Dominican Republic, Dance Poison combines new footage with rare materials from the United States USA (National Archives/Library of Congress, Washington D.C.); Dominican Republic (Archivo General de la Nación: Santo Domingo); Spain (Filmoteca Nacional, Madrid); and France (Bilioteque Nationale de France/Lobster, Paris).
Images from both films Dance Poison (2009) and Dance Poison, 2014 (2014)
Paco Cao, Dance Poison, The Film, 2009