Brighton’s 201 Dance Company do it again with Sam Smith/Madonna Pride tribute

Remember the Britney tribute video from 201 Dance Company that went viral? And the Kylie one? And the Xtina one after that? Well, the troupe are back for 2023. This year, the theme is Pride is a Protest and the hit track is Sam Smith and Madonna’s ‘Vulgar’ with the video showing dancers performing around key Brighton landmarks from the beach to The Lanes.

“Up to this point, our Pride videos have had a happy-go-lucky sense to them. But Pride is a protest, and this year, we felt it was more important than ever to drive home a message of protest and defiance,” said 201 Dance Company director and internationally renowned choreographer Andrea Walker (the brains behind all the other viral video tributes).

Andrea has gathered some of Brighton’s best dance talent, including co-lead dancers Pearl Makayi and Nicholas Piscedda, to put together this terpsichorean protest ahead of this year’s Brighton Pride.

“‘Vulgar’ is a very queer track. The lyrics that really stuck with me were ‘You know you’re beautiful when they call you vulgar’,” Andrea said.

“Both Sam Smith and Madonna have a strong track record of being castigated for wanting to express their true selves. It’s a feeling that a lot of the community and I can relate to… As well as love, I want this year’s video to shout ‘no matter how hard you try, you can’t erase us’,” he added.

Check it out!