"Tyrant" Dance Performance by Cate Laurier

Описание: Tyrant ... the sound of walls tumbling and voices rising; a poetic take down of authoritarian power and a reclamation of people’s power.

Performed by Cate Laurier at the Tranzac Club in Toronto on October 29, 2025. Dance, poem and spoken word vocals by Cate. Music production, arrangement, and mix by GG and the Mix. Videography by Brenda Clews. Video editing by Cate

Read the Tyrant poem here:

Dear Tyrant,
You insist that life is black and white.
You spit in spite and insist you’re right.
Your citadel of certainty
gives an illusion of security,
barricading your beliefs
behind narrow minded bars.
To protect from the threat of complexity,
you draw rigid lines to divide and malign.

Dear Tyrant,
You pray and preach that God is great,
yet in His name, hurl arrows of hate.
You howl against heretics
and burn them in flames
as you revel in your religion of rage.
Fundamentalism is your false foundation
and righteousness your rigid religion.

Dear Tyrant,
You cling to your political throne
by crushing all voices that dare to differ.
You shake your fists in a tantrum of fury
at those who shake your faith’s foundations.
But your harsh demeanour
is just a brittle shell
hiding your fragile interior.

Dear Tyrant,
The truth is clear.
Fear’s the force behind your façade,
playing big to avoid seeming small.
But you’re just a tiny tinpot tyrant
trembling inside
your temple of terror.

Dear Tyrant,
Can you feel what’s stirring?
Can you see what’s swirling?
All around life pulses in passion.
Wild nymphs sing with sacred abandon
and the dissidents dance in daring delight.

Dear Tyrant,
Can you hear what’s thundering?
Can you feel what’s rumbling?
Your kingdom is now crumbling.
Your castle walls are tumbling.
Your flags and banners lie ripped and scattered
as the winds of change tear them to
tatters.

Dear Tyrant,
Can you feel what’s coming?
You will topple from your tower
as we rise up and reclaim our power.
Tyrant, Your time is done!