Ten years ago, Melba Ayco founded Northwest Tap Connection, a social justice oriented dance studio intentionally placed in the most dangerous part of Seattle so that it could serve as a hub and refuge for youth in the area. In the wake of the killings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, the directors came across a Facebook Live video of the students of Northwest Tap dancing in the streets in protest.

With the support of the YoungArts Transformations film project, they traveled across the country with the hope that they could place the voice of Northwest Tap on a cinematic platform. The taps of their toes are like the walks and talks of those chained and silenced – but at the very same time, an embodiment of revelry and resilience. It’s a cry to say their names, see their names and feel their names…and it’s a declaration that the list of lives lost to police brutality ends today.