The Heart of Kinetic Activism: Dance, Dialogue and Social Impact with Cue Arnold

“Movement is a language. And if I can open up vulnerability and empathy in both of us, then I can help shift us toward uplifting the historically oppressed.” - Cue Arnold

What does it mean to embody activism through art? How can dance not only express but shift the cultural narrative toward justice, healing, and empowerment? This deeply engaging conversation with Quilan “Cue” Arnold—choreographer, educator, and founder of OnCue Chronicles—explores the powerful intersections of dance, dialogue, and social impact. Cue invites us into his growing philosophy of “searching, sharing, and shifting”—a framework that integrates biblical, Pan-African, and hip hop traditions with contemporary movement practices. From his early inspirations on the battle floor to the development of his kinematic universe, Lowlyfe, Cue demonstrates how choreography can become a vessel for storytelling, liberation, and restoring ancestral memory. His work inspires us to face cultural erasure, to feel empathy, and to answer the call Martin Luther King made to creative minorities who shift the unmoved majority. This episode is both practical and profound, reminding us that movement—whether in the studio, classroom, or community space—is not just a physical act but a spiritual and social one.

A Few Key Takeaways

• Dance as a Language of Empathy and Justice

Cue sees movement as a tool to open both performer and audience to vulnerability, compassion, and cultural truth. By doing so, he seeks to shift collective consciousness toward equity and justice.

• The “Creative Minority” as Change Agents

Inspired by Martin Luther King Jr., Cue embraces the role of the artist as someone who bridges the gap between apathy and action, reminding us that creativity itself is an act of resistance against indifference.

• Teaching Movement Beyond Technique

Whether in hip hop drop-in classes or academic settings, Cue integrates journaling, embodiment, and critical dialogue to show students that dance is not only fun—it’s a pathway to identity, history, and social awareness.

• Reimagining Narrative Through Lowlyfe 

Cue’s latest project fuses cinema, character development, and kinetic storytelling to create an Afro-American mythology that blends the aesthetic impact of WWE with the soul of hip hop culture.

• Collaboration as Spiritual and Creative Practice

Working alongside artists in film, music, and costume design, Cue emphasizes the transformative magic of collaboration—where multiple disciplines converge into something greater than the sum of their parts.

• From Competition to Community

Though Cue values the fire of the battle scene, his current focus is on creating spaces of unity and healing, encouraging dancers to expand beyond win/lose frameworks into collective empowerment.

Links/Credits Mentioned in this Episode

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