That’s a wrap on Season 1 of Groovin' Griot! For this last episode, OreOluwa and Azsaneé give highlights and connect the dots between the stories from this season. They also share what they’re groovin’ to these days and take you on a sonic journey through New Orleans, Rio de Janeiro, NYC, and Philly. 

Check out the Episode Resources (also https://tinyurl.com/GroovinResources)  for more on Ore and Azs’ work, and make sure to listen all the way to the end of the episodes for glimpses at some behind-the-scenes antics!

See Episode Transcript

Produced & Edited by OreOluwa Badaki and Azsaneé Truss with support from the Digital Futures Institute at Teachers College, Columbia University. 

Theme music: Unrest by ELPHNT on Directory.Audio 

Licensed under a creative commons attribution 3.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ 

Email us at [email protected] and follow us on Instagram @groovingriot

What does West African dance have to do with fractal codes, hormetic healing, and technological innovation? Dr. S Ama Wray  unpacks these connections and more on this episode of Groovin' Griot. 

Dr. Wray shares how her early experiences with modern, jazz, and Afro-Cuban dance peaked her interest in  improvisational forms, and how her work on the Ewe concept of Seselelame in Ghana helped her develop a practice of "Embodiology" that utilizes  improvisational movement  to support collective wellbeing and dexterity. 

And for our movement break, Ore and Azs take you along for a Rhythm and Improvisation Dance class!

See Episode Resources (also https://tinyurl.com/GroovinResources)  for more on Dr. Wray's work and for the article about the Kopeyia School visit mentioned in the episode.

See Episode Transcript

Produced & Edited by OreOluwa Badaki and Azsaneé Truss with support from the Digital Futures Institute at Teachers College, Columbia University. 

Theme music: Unrest by ELPHNT on Directory.Audio 

Licensed under a creative commons attribution 3.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ 

Email us at [email protected] and follow us on Instagram @groovingriot

Dr. Lela Aisha Jones takes us on a journey through African Diasporas, sharing dance stories from across the US, Brazil, Cuba, Ghana, and Senegal. She talks about archiving social dances that build community, honoring collectivity and individuality through freestyle, and merging technique with àṣẹ. Plus, for this episode's movement break, Ore brings you along for a House dance class!

See Episode Resources (also https://tinyurl.com/GroovinResources) for a glimpse at some of the performances mentioned in the episode.

See Episode Transcript

Produced & Edited by OreOluwa Badaki and Azsaneé Truss with support from the Digital Futures Institute at Teachers College, Columbia University. 

Theme music: Unrest by ELPHNT on Directory.Audio 

Licensed under a creative commons attribution 3.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ 

Email us at [email protected] and follow us on Instagram @groovingriot!

OreOluwa and Azsaneé talk with Dr. Ofosuwa Abiola about her experiences founding Suwabi African Ballet, bringing together dance histories and cultural histories, and understanding African diasporic movement practices as "dance systems."

See Episode resources (also https://tinyurl.com/GroovinResources) for more on Dr. Abiola's writing and research.

Produced & Edited by OreOluwa Badaki and Azsaneé Truss with support from the Digital Futures Institute at Teachers College, Columbia University. 

Theme music: Unrest by ELPHNT on Directory.Audio 

Licensed under a creative commons attribution 3.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ 

Email us at [email protected] and follow us on Instagram @groovingriot!

OreOluwa and Azsaneé talk with Dr. Deborah Thomas about her experiences dancing with Urban Bush Women,  transitioning into a career as an anthropologist, and drawing from African Diasporic movement practices to build collective spaces for "unbounding" bodies.

See Episode resources (also https://tinyurl.com/GroovinResources) for more on Dr. Thomas' work and for more on Tambufest
 See Episode transcript

Produced & Edited by OreOluwa Badaki and Azsaneé Truss with support from the Digital Futures Institute at Teachers College, Columbia University. 

Theme music: Unrest by ELPHNT on Directory.Audio 

Licensed under a creative commons attribution 3.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ 

Email us at [email protected] and follow us on Instagram @groovingriot!

OreOluwa and Azsaneé talk with Dr. Jasmine L. Blanks Jones about her work on “reparative arts” and how dance can help us unpack the complex histories and experiences of African Diasporic communities.

See Episode Resources (also https://tinyurl.com/GroovinResources) for more on Dr. Blanks Jones' community mobilizing 

Produced & Edited by OreOluwa Badaki and Azsaneé Truss with support from the Digital Futures Institute at Teachers College, Columbia University. 

Theme music: Unrest by ELPHNT on Directory.Audio 

Licensed under a creative commons attribution 3.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ 

Email us at [email protected] and follow us on Instagram @groovingriot!

Groovin’ Griot is a podcast about how we use dance to tell stories throughout the African Diaspora. Episodes released bi-weekly. Come groove with us!

Produced & Edited by Azsaneé Truss and OreOluwa Badaki with support from the Digital Futures Institute at Teachers College, Columbia University. 

Theme music: Unrest by ELPHNT on Directory.Audio 

Licensed under a creative commons attribution 3.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ 

Email us at [email protected] and follow us on Instagram @groovingriot!