All The Queens Men

All The Queens Men is an independent arts organisation based in Melbourne and founded by award-winning performance artists Tristan Meacham and Bec Reid. For some time now, the duo has been creating work with community at the heart, believing simply in the power of art to bridge divides and to bring individuals together.

One such event is the Digital Dance Club which, once a month brings together our community in celebration of those that have come before us.

“We’ve been running the LGBTQI elder dance club for around six years now, it’s on every month come rain or shine,” Tristan Meacham told Star Observer. “Obviously with the COVID pandemic we wanted to make sure we continue to create an opportunity for LGBTQI elders to commune and come together and be celebrated through art and culture.

“We moved quickly to an online space and worked to make Zoom as much of a piece of an entertainment as possible, and Digital Dance Club is the result of that.

 “We lead wonderful dance mash ups with elders, and the broader rainbow and allied community. It’s turned into a wonderful intergenerational event celebrating elders and all generations of the community.”

However, as Tristan explains, the Digital Dance Club is more than just a chance to let one’s hair down, particularly now in the era of COVID-19.

“We used it as an opportunity to hear and talk to each other, to see how everyone is going. The thing with COVID is it’s not the first-time elders have faced social isolation before, it’s something that is ongoing and isn’t a new experience for people.”

The interview here turned to the subject of respect for elders, and the agism that is so prevalent within our community, a point that Tristan combats by saying,

 “We are only allowed to live true and free because of the hard work of others that have come before. A lot of our elders in their lifetime were not afforded those same privileges.

“The privilege of being connected is exactly that, some people aren’t able to ring up friends or be part of a social club or cultural events.

“A lot of people in the room have not left their house in months, this is their only social contact. The joy and the smiles, and the celebration on their faces are really significant.”

Tristan concluded the interview by saying, “We will continue to do Digital Dance Club even after these terrible times that we are in with this pandemic, because it such great value that people are able to connect.”

The next Digital Dance Club will be held on August 23 at 4pm, for more info head to: www.allthequeensmen.net