Last dance at the Sundance Stompede
Doors open 8pm screening 8.30pm then country tunes in the bar until 10pm
We are screening this lovely documentary to celebrate our line dance classes with the cactus club.
In November 2023, over 800 people from around the globe gathered in San Francisco for the final Sundance Stompede, an LGBTQ+ country-western dance weekend that had been a cornerstone of queer culture for 27 years. What began in the early 1990s as a small grassroots fundraiser for AIDS blossomed into a cherished annual community gathering. Over the years, the Sundance Stompede became a haven where queer individuals from diverse backgrounds united through their shared love of country-western dance and challenged the dance style’s traditional gender norms.
The final Sundance Stompede marked the end of a remarkable era. Last Dance at the Sundance Stompede captures its historic weekend, chronicling the reflections of founder Ingu Yun and 15 participants as they celebrate the event’s enduring legacy and bid farewell with one last dance. More than a swan song of a beloved event, this tender and intimate documentary is a tribute to a community that used dance as a powerful vehicle for survival, celebration, and change for nearly three decades.
“I first encountered the Sundance Stompede in 2017, when I was in San Francisco to screen my work at the San Francisco Dance Film Festival. One night, while watching a baseball game in a sports bar, two locals told me about this unique event. Intrigued, I had to see it for myself.
Walking into the Regency Ballroom, I was awestruck. Coming from the UK, where social dance—especially country-western dancing—isn’t as common, I had never seen anything like it. The dance floor was alive with people two-stepping, spinning, and swapping partners, each person bringing their own style and rhythm. It wasn’t just dancing; the air was electric with joy and connection. I knew I had stumbled upon something extraordinary.”
— Director Graham Clayton-Chance