Y'All Don't Wanna Hear Me (You Just Wanna Dance)

Join a unique artistic performance by Jeremy Toussaint-Baptiste, combining sound, Black experience, and collective joy.

Presented by: University of Toronto Mississauga
Black History Month
Social & fun
Other Event Programming
Alumni Networks
A contemporary dancer striking an artistic pose with their arm extended.

The Blackwood and Black at UTM will present Jeremy Toussaint-Baptiste’s performance Y’all Don’t Wanna Hear Me (You Just Wanna Dance) at the UTM campus, followed by a discussion with the artist and an invited contributor.

In Y’all Don’t Wanna Hear Me (You Just Wanna Dance), Toussaint-Baptiste uses a Long-Range Acoustic Device (LRAD) against its intended purpose of crowd dispersal, alternatively presenting it as a technology that might unite and even guide a crowd through sound. Over the course of the device’s battery life, the artist plays music through the device, using its built-in microphone to speak about his artistic practice, recite facts about the device’s history, and otherwise uses the technology to bring public joy. The performance culminates with participants dancing the “Cha Cha Slide” together, with the dance’s instructions (“slide to the left / slide to the right…”) guided by the directional sound of the speaker.

Y’all Don’t Wanna Hear Me […] continues Toussaint-Baptiste’s interest in the embodied effects of sound, particularly as they relate to Black experience. By reappropriating the LRAD speaker through performance, Toussaint-Baptiste creates an opportunity to gather through Black music, conversation, and dance.

This event is presented in the context of The Art Gallery Problem (January 8 – March 5, 2025), a group exhibition at The Blackwood taking place in both galleries and public sites on campus, where Toussaint-Baptiste will present a related artwork.


Have questions about this event?

Contact UTM Alumni Relations at alumni.utm@utoronto.ca

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This event is part of

Black History Month 

Join us in celebrating the change makers of African descent who shaped the fabric of Canadian society and beyond this Black History Month.

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Social & fun 

Reap the benefits of U of T’s incredible network as you play, learn, and build your career with your fellow alumni.

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Other Event Programming 

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Alumni Networks 

U of T alumni form an incredible network across more than 190 countries. We can help you stay in touch, enjoy great social experiences, meet interesting, like-minded people, and feed your love of learning. 

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