Quarantine Jukebox: Dance With Kia Labeija To Pillar Point’s “Dove”

Posted on May 03, 2020, 8:00 am
2 mins

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Kia Labeija takes us to church in Pillar Point’s “Dove” from 2016. Part of me feels that I’m being almost too consistent, following up yesterday’s “Gosh” by Jamie xx with “Dove.” Both videos are dance-laden trips al fresco from 2016, but really, that’s where the similarities end.

Kia Labeija is renowned both for her artistry and her HIV activism. For those unfamiliar with New York’s Ballroom Culture through the 80s and 90s, the House of Labeija is a legendary collective/family in that scene. Labeija’s veteran dance chops are on full display in “Dove.”

Director Jacob Krupnick beautifully captures Labeija’s joyful voguing through the streets and markets of La Candelaria in Bogota, in search of her lover. A lot of us are longing for a reunion in quarantine, making the ending of the video all the sweeter. And of course, it’s hard to resist dancing along, even if you can’t quite duck-walk as deftly as Kia can.

But it’s about more than a longing for a person. Filmed in just two days, “Dove” is a love letter to exploring a city, to movement, and being part of a bigger world. (In that sense, it is a less melancholic complement to yesterday’s “Gosh.”) It’s also a short, punchy follow up to Krupnick’s award-winning feature film Girl Walk // All Day (2011), inspired by B-Girl Dance culture.

In Quarantine With Pillar Point’s “Dove”

Equal parts longing and satisfaction. Check.

Inspiration to get off the couch and move your body. Check.

A reminder that we can all be practicing out duck walks in the comfort of our homes. Check.

Virtual vacation with an amazingly agile tour guide. Check AND Check.

We haven’t gotten another album from Seattle’s own Pillar Point since their 2016 release Marble Mouth, for which “Dove” was the banner single. Hopefully, we’ll hear more again in due time. (Methinks a lot of PNW artists are using this time to incubate new projects, because they certainly can’t be touring.)

In the meantime, check out Pillar Point’s full performance on KEXP in Summer of 2016 below.

T.s. Flock is a writer and arts critic based in Seattle and co-founder of Vanguard Seattle.