Protest in motion: Dancers call out Epstein secrecy

On Thursday, April 9, a group of young dancers with The First Amendment Troop performed ResistDance vs Redaction – a performance demanding answers about the Epstein files and the President’s alleged connection.

Building on the response to ResistDance, which expressed the horror of the murders of Renée Good and Alex Pretti, and generated 70 million+ views within days, this film was again created by production company Hungry Man and directed by Bryan Buckley with choreographer Matt Steffens.

Featuring twelve dancers, anchored by 15-year-old solo performer Devyn Scherff, ResistDance vs Redaction draws from recent reporting by NPR that the Justice Department withheld and removed certain Epstein-related files tied to allegations about President Donald Trump’s relationship with a minor, known as Jane Doe 4. 

Focusing on Jane Doe 4's testimony, the dance reinterprets those allegations through choreography and movement and was set to Madonna’s Live to Tell, performed by a children’s choir.

This is about kids who were sexually abused and one billionaire friend hiding behind another. Our children deserve to see these people for who they really are.

The performance at the Kennedy Center was abruptly shut down after the first run-through, when a large police presence quickly moved in and escorted the young performers off the premises.

The dancers performed blindfolded, their identities symbolically redacted and obscured – a reflection of the objuscation of the truth. They were outfitted in leotards featuring excerpts from Jane Doe 4’s testimony describing her alleged sexual assault by President Trump, drawn from the FBI document that mysteriously went missing from the Epstein files.

President Trump has told Americans that they should simply move on from the Epstein files. But young Americans are not ready to: “I want people to know that kids my age shouldn’t have to go through something like this,” said  lead dancer Scherff. “It’s not ok. Knowing that other kids had to go through this makes me really sad and mad.”

Choreographer Matt Steffens commented: “These brave women have come forward with their stories, and the country has done nothing. If we continue to accept these assaults, it will just continue.”

“This isn’t political,” said Buckley, the director. “This is about kids who were sexually abused and one billionaire friend hiding behind another. Our children deserve to see these people for who they really are.”