The FOLD

Esie Mensah is an Artivist that embodies many professional titles; Dancer, Choreographer, Educator, Speaker and Founder of Afrofusion, Black Stars Collective. We discuss her new project @thebentway, her powerful acclaimed dance theatre production #Shades, allyship over appropriation in the arts and dance communities, support systems, ancestral guidance and more.

Melissa Haughton is a writer, content creator and podcast producer I truly look up to (I urge you to listen to her array of series and docs, all exceptionally well produced and full of insight) but those three titles barely sum up the greatness. In addition to Melissa's latest series, So What Are You?, highlighting our complicated and evolving relationships to cultural identities, we discussed her past and present projects and various endeavours, and how they have always, and continue to be, action methods to inspire change.

A CommUNITY Catchup with Los Angeles-based Creative Consultant Nora Rahimian about her current work, how she has pivoted her services over the last few months, methods for artists to use their platform to continue conversations and shift cultural/ political paradigms and why it's more than cool to create your own lane, and cultivate a values-based CommUNITY.

On June 10, I met two incredible pals - Lee Skovsgaard of @elisoriginal and Tanisha Blake (@iamtanishablake) of @tbxstudio for a #CommUNITYCatchup to discuss supporting independent businesses, cultivating creative communities, active allyship, wellness and more.

I caught up with my dear friend and colleague , Marie Alcober - Founder + Producer of Dual Citizen Series and friend of #TheFold (Episode 4!), to discuss how Dual Citizen (a doc series highlighting the eureka moments of the Filipinx Diaspora) has evolved and adapted during this time and since their move to the UK, recent episodes and collabs, how we can establish and strengthen allyship in our own communities, places that help us unfold + connect and more.

Friend of #TheFold (Episode 18!), Joe G, aka DJ Spin So Nice and Founder of Records With My Daughters, connected for a Friday edition of CommUNITY Catchup to send us into the weekend through song. We discussed his new mix, A Song For #GeorgeFloyd, and the powerful array of tracks selected, keeping your spirits elevated through family and community, in addition to other resources and ways we can engage. Visit Sonic Fold's Anti-Racism Resources page here. Listen to A Song For George Floyd here.

Sarah Jane Riegler discussed the power of curation, and what opportunities for healing can occur through artistic connection, events and collaboration, how this work is done via her inclusive series and spaces @afrohausto + @hausorpheus, Sarah's vast experience as a percussionist and work in ethnomusicology (S/O @johnorpheus), learning about other cultures and identity through collaborative projects, new mixes and what's in the works.

On June 1, we began a new month, new week and movement through a potent conversation with my dear friend; artist, event host + producer, and essential, frontline worker, SUPERDRAMAGO! An invitation to listen, to take action, to connect. SUPERDRAMAGO! shares perspective, resources and insight after the JUSTICE FOR REGIS RALLY, as well as supportive tools, including his latest track, When You Smile. SUPERDRAMAGO! waxes poetic on the power of community, his collaborations with local artists and collectives, his experience as an essential frontline worker and how that has impacted him at this time, and how he is carrying a torch powered by resilience, mastery and triumph, passed through family lineage, shaping the incredible person he is today.

Please follow SUPERDRAMAGO's journey on Instagram (@superdramago) and at soundcloud.com/superdramago to listen and share his music. For a growing archive of Anti-Racism Action Methods, including Resources, Fundraisers, Petitions, Platforms, Bail Funds, Legal Info, and Black-owned businesses, I am engaging with, please visit this page. This list is actively being updated, so do feel free to reach out to me at [email protected] BLACK LIVES MATTER. JUSTICE FOR REGIS KORCHINKSI-PAQUET. JUSTICE FOR GEORGE FLOYD.

Syzygy Toronto Co-Founder, Marijke Large (shoutout Kailah Bharath!) hopped on the line from California to discuss where Syzygy is at today and how they've evolved from a thoughtful pause, what diversity, equity and inclusion means in online spaces + workplaces and it's importance (especially now).