It’s About Time: Dancing Black in Canada 1900-1970
It’s About Time is a groundbreaking exhibition that highlights the unrecorded dance histories of Canada’s Black population from 1900-1970. Curated by scholar, artist, and educator Dr. Seika Boye, this exhibition offers insight into representations of Blackness and media reception of Black people dancing — from the dance floor to dance lessons, from the stage to public protests and activism. Explore the exhibition to learn about the various artists, choreographers, dance forms, venues, geographic locations, cultural backgrounds and heritage, artistic visions, and community initiatives that make up the history of Black dancing in Canada.
Researcher in Residence: Black Dance on the Prairie
May 2024, Dunlop Art Gallery, Regina Libraries
Upcoming
It’s About Time: Dancing Black in Canada 1900-1970 and Now.
Original archival exhibition with new contemporary artistic commissions. Commissioned by Dalhousie University Art Gallery. Gallery Director: Pamela Edmonds. Public Programming Partnership with Fountain School of Performing Arts, Dalhousie. Forthcoming Winter 2026.
Media Coverage
Reconsidering the Black Archive: It’s About Time and Black Dance in Canada February 16, 2024 • Canadian Theatre Review
Black History Month 2025: Racial Discrimination at Toronto’s Nightclubs February 12, 2025 • Spacing
Metro Morning with Ismaila Alfa: ‘It’s About Time’ project documents 70 years of Black dance in Canada December 9, 2022 • CBC Listen
Archival exhibition shares 70 years of Black performance history in Canada November 16, 2022 • University of Toronto Black Research Network
Dr. Seika Boye’s “It’s About Time” wins inaugural Dance Studies Association Award with a little help from her friends December 2021 • York University Amplified Newsletter
Radio Interview with Michele Moss (artist featured in It’s About Time) October 3, 2020 • Radio Canada French
Featured in Your 2019 guide to Black History Month arts and culture February 8, 2019 • CBC Arts
It’s About Time: Dancing Black in Canada 1900 to 1970 June 18, 2018 • Canadian Art