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Move Ya Body: The Birth of House

Play trailer Move Ya Body: The Birth of House 2025 1h 32m Documentary Music Play Trailer Watchlist
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64% Tomatometer 11 Reviews Popcornmeter 0 Ratings
It was the summer of 1979 and Disco had taken over the world. For the first time, Black, gay and female artists were dominating the charts. But a backlash was brewing. On a July night in 1979, nearly 50,000 White teenagers descended on Chicago's Comiskey Park for "Disco Demolition Night," where they destroyed records made by mostly Black artists. Many say that the birth of house music comes from this fateful evening. Mixing cinematic recreation, archival materials, and revelatory interviews with the pioneers of house music, MOVE YA BODY: THE BIRTH OF HOUSE tells this story in a new way, offering a celebration of the power the dance floor has to liberate us all, and an appreciation of the artists that kept the beat going all night long.

Critics Reviews

View All (11) Critics Reviews
Dwight Brown DwightBrownInk.com Why is this doc so depressing? It shouldn’t be. It should be a celebration. Rated: 2.5/4 Feb 26, 2025 Full Review Lovia Gyarkye The Hollywood Reporter While relatively standard in execution, Move Ya Body distinguishes itself in a music doc landscape laden with artist hagiographies. The film finds its groove when Bratton introduces thornier elements of the genre’s history. Feb 8, 2025 Full Review Marya E. Gates RogerEbert.com Bratton’s 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. Feb 3, 2025 Full Review DarkSkyLady DarkSkyLady Reviews Move Ya Body: The Birth of House is a splendid documentary about house music while building up to be so much more than it. Feb 11, 2025 Full Review Cody Dericks Next Best Picture It may not provide a thorough investigation, as the title promises, but it’s an enjoyable watch that will make audiences want to find the nearest nightclub as soon as the credits roll. Rated: 7/10 Feb 7, 2025 Full Review Louisa Moore Screen Zealots There’s a lot of important history here and while it’s great that the film wants to honor all the facets of house music’s rise (including racism, homophobia, the death of disco), most of the material covered deals with everything but the actual music. Feb 4, 2025 Full Review Read all reviews
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Movie Info

Synopsis It was the summer of 1979 and Disco had taken over the world. For the first time, Black, gay and female artists were dominating the charts. But a backlash was brewing. On a July night in 1979, nearly 50,000 White teenagers descended on Chicago's Comiskey Park for "Disco Demolition Night," where they destroyed records made by mostly Black artists. Many say that the birth of house music comes from this fateful evening. Mixing cinematic recreation, archival materials, and revelatory interviews with the pioneers of house music, MOVE YA BODY: THE BIRTH OF HOUSE tells this story in a new way, offering a celebration of the power the dance floor has to liberate us all, and an appreciation of the artists that kept the beat going all night long.
Director
Elegance Bratton
Producer
Chester Algernal Gordon
Genre
Documentary, Music
Original Language
English
Runtime
1h 32m