In the final episode of our series focused on creating socially engaged art, Pawlet Brookes talks to Jonzi D–MC, dancer, spoken word artist, and Artistic Director of Breakin’ Convention. Jonzi explores and discusses UK hip hop culture, creating spaces and his interpretation of ownership, terminology, and legacy. He shares the inspiration behind Breakin’ Convention and previews his new undertaking, the Hip Hop Theatre Academy.

In the second episode of our series focused on creating socially engaged art, Pawlet Brookes speaks with Eduardo Vilaro: dancer, choreographer, educator, and Artistic Director, and CEO of Ballet Hispánico. Eduardo talks about his start in professional dance in the 70s, the people who paved the way for him and Ballet Hispánico and the company’s ongoing work, his approach towards diversity and inclusion, and his interpretation of collaboration, community, and recognition. 

In the first episode of our series focused on creating socially engaged art, Pawlet Brookes talks with Dancer, Choreographer, and Director of Just Us Dance Theatre, Joseph Toonga. Joseph’s work explores themes around Blackness, tenderness, and vulnerability in masculinity. He and Pawlet discuss his latest works “Born to Manifest” and “Born to Protest,” his own journey with layered identity, and his thoughts on visibility, platform-creation, mentorship, empowerment, and cultural identity. 

Stephen Small is a Professor of African American Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. Stephen was born and raised in Liverpool and is a child of the Windrush generation, and in this conversation with Pawlet Brookes, he discusses growing up with a Black father and white mother in Liverpool, institutional racism, the long long history of people of Black people in Britain, the Windrush scandal, and more.

Transcript avalaible at: https://www.serendipity-uk.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Serendipity-0106-Windrush-Episode-Transcript-2.docx

Alice Sheppard was recently disabled and about to get tenure as a professor of medieval studies when she saw a dance performance by a disabled artist that changed her life. The dancer dared her to take a dance class, and she never looked back. In this episode, Alice talks more about her story, her philosophy of artistic creation, and her work. Transcript: https://bit.ly/DialoguePod

Are we in the age of the multi-disciplinary artist? Ivan Blackstock thinks so. Ivan Blackstock is a multifaceted artist with a passion for choreography and street culture. He is the artistic director of CRXSS PLATFXRM, an arts organisation focused on multi-disciplinary collaboration and community. In this wide-ranging conversation, Ivan delves into his creation process, his mental health journey, and his belief in the importance of cross-pollination. Transcript: https://bit.ly/DialoguePod

Akeim Toussaint Buck is an interdisciplinary performer and maker who works across dance, song, and spoken word. Akeim’s work looks at identities and diversities in Britain and how an individual can navigate questions of layered identity. In this episode, Akeim discusses the motivation and thinking behind his latest work, Windows of Displacement, a piece that draws on contexts of imperialism, colonialism and displacement to create a story of the past, present, and future of humanity. Transcript: https://bit.ly/LDIFpodcast

Yinka Esi Graves is a Black-British Flamenco dancer living and working in Seville. In one sense, Yinka brings the influences of the African diaspora to Spain and Flamenco, but in another, she is accessing an influence and connection that already exists. In this episode, we discuss the hidden African history in Flamenco and Yinka’s new work, The Disappearing Act,  which investigates questions of visibility and presence. Transcript: https://bit.ly/LDIFpodcast

Thomas Prestø is a choreographer, the founder and artistic director of Tabanka Dance Ensemble in Oslo, Norway, and the creator of Talawa Technique. Talawa Technique is a method of codifying African Caribbean dance styles. In this episode, Pawlet Brookes speaks to Thomas about his groundbreaking work in notation around Black dance and the challenges and successes of Tabanka Dance Ensemble. Transcript: https://bit.ly/SerendipityPodcast