Today we're joined by internationally renowned dancer, choreographer, teacher, director and scriptwriter, Gregory Maqoma.

Born in Soweto, South Africa in 1973, Gregory became interested in dance in the late 1980s as a means to escape the political tensions growing in his place of birth. He started his formal dance training in 1990 at Moving Into Dance where in 2002 he became the Associate Artistic Director.

In this conversation, we discuss Cion: Requiem of Ravel's Boléro which we saw at Royce Hall. Together we explore Gregory's inspiration for the piece, the variety of different traditions, forms and histories that inform his approach to dance, how collaboration played a key role in this piece, as well as how South African dance is stretching its influence across the world.

Resources

• Learn more about Gregory
• Learn more about Cion at UCLA
• Learn more about The Land We Carry