A Very British Rhythm

Vilmore James is a breakdancer, dance teacher, educator, television artist formed the Phoenix Dance Theatre (formerly Phoenix Dance Company) in 1981. He choreographed Midnight Movers, Harlequins, Leave Him Be, Anniversary. He has been associated as a performance maker with Dundee Rep dance company, Tammara Mc’lord, Vivian Freaky on the Black Initiative, Royston Moldoon, London Middlesex University, Breton Wakefield and has developed dance Education curriculum within the west Yorkshire Region.

Urja Desai Thakore is a Kathak practitioner and choreographer, and the artistic director of Pagrav Dance Company. Her thought-provoking choreographies have charted new terrains and is highly regarded by both traditionalists and modernists alike. She studied Kathak with Guru Kumudini Lakhia at Kadamb in India for over two decades and she received her BA in Kathak from Akhil Bharatiya Gandharva Maha Vidyalaya. She completed an MA in South Asian Dance with choreography from University of Roehampton. She co-choreographed Bells for Akademi in the Trafalgar Square Festival, was an assistant choreographer to Kumudini Lakhia for the Swapnagata Festival at Sadler’s Wells (2009), and a guest choreographer for the south Asian soloist at the BBC Young Dancer competition (2015, 2022). She was appointed artistic director of the first dance festival in Milton Keynes (2012) and was selected for One Dance UK’s mentoring programme (2015). A passionate dance educator, she has been involved with the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD) for over two decades. Led by her, the Milton-Keynes based Pagrav Dance Company has toured the full-scale works Baharan, Hats, Anant-Endless, I, Within, Detox and Kattam Katti, nationally.

Dr. Debanjali Biswas is a researcher of anthropology and theatre, performance and dance studies and an accomplished Manipuri dancer. As lead researcher for A Very British Rhythm, she has been unearthing the stories of the performers that shaped the dance culture we know today.

Born Norman Murray, Namron moved to the UK from Jamaica, and upon discovering dance, he joined the Willesden Jazz Ballet Group, a community dance group in London. After completing his training at the Rambert Ballet School on a scholarship, and then at the London School of Contemporary Dance at The Place, he danced with the new London Contemporary Dance Theatre (LCDT) and was one of the first black professionals to be employed by a British dance company. Namron was choreographed by stalwarts of contemporary dance - Sir Robert Cohan, Alvin Ailey, Talley Beatty, Anna Sokolow, Richard Alston, Siobhan Davies amongst others. He staged Robert North's Troy Game, for Dance Theatre of Harlem in 1977, his critically acclaimed work The Bronze became part of the LCDT repertoire. A founder member of London Contemporary Dance Theatre and of the Northern School of Contemporary Dance, he was appointed as Associate Artist for Adzido. He has been an impassioned teacher, and continues to teach, tour and inspire.

Shobana Jeyasingh is accomplished in Bharatanatyam, an Indian classical dance, in which she had honed her skills while living in India under Guru Vazhuvoor Samraj Pillai, and later in Sri Lanka and Malaysia. As a dance-maker and internationally recognised choreographer, she combines movements across genres for stage, screen, and unconventional performance sites. Known for intellectual rigour, her choreographies such as Faultline (a response to the London tube bombings), TooMortal (for historic churches), Material Men redux (of 19th century indentured labour) place the body centre stage in the dialogue of ideas. Notable commissions include work for Rambert, Ballet Black, Company Wayne McGregor, the Venice Biennale, Beijing Modern Dance Academy, Contemporary City Dance Company of Hong Kong and Opéra National du Rhin in France amongst others. Jeyasingh’s works have toured worldwide including Europe, the USA, India, and is now part of the national curriculum in the UK. As well as being a judge for BBC Young Dancer in both 2017 and 2019, she has also received honorary doctorates from the universities of Surrey, Leicester, and Chichester.

David Hamilton is the founder and first artistic director of Phoenix Dance Theatre (formerly Phoenix Dance Company) in 1981. His choreographies fused vernacular reggae dance, martial arts and contemporary dance technique with Black British cultural experiences and rose to national prominence. He established RJC Dance and is Chair of the Black History Month Sub-Hub in Leeds. He also encouraged aspiring dancers and artists in the city and beyond to explore their own artistic interests and to share their skills in educational and community settings.

Dance producer Farooq Chaudhry is joined by Geni Lou and Steph Be for a conversation about the future of Dance. Originally from Montreal, Canada, Geni Lou has forged a career as a dancer and choreographer in the UK. She’s presented her work at The Place, The V&A, The Yard, Sadler’s Wells and many other prestigious venues. Steph Be is a producer working mainly in Contemporary & Hip Hop Dance theater. Her main focus is on elevating the next generation of UK Black artists, by providing support with partnership building, fundraising and strategic planning. 

Jonzi D is a skilled dancer, theatre performer, rap artist, poet and emcee. After graduating from the London Contemporary Dance School, Jonzi D. founded Breakin’ Convention - an annual festival of hip-hop dance theatre. He was an Associate Artist at The Place. His critically acclaimed performances include Lyrikal Fearta, Aeroplane Man, TAG… Just Writing My Name, Markus the Sadist, and he directed films like Our Bodies Back and its sequel, AUTOCORRECT – a running theme in all his works has been contemporary experiences of racism and displacement in Britain. In 2011 Jonzi turned down an offer of MBE for services to British dance because of the link between empire and colonialism, and later used it as inspiration for his solo performance The Letter: To Be or To MBE? In 2023, he was awarded a citation from Al Taylor of the 71st District - New York State Assembly in recognition of his efforts for advancing and advocating hip hop culture in the UK and abroad, and the De Valois Award for Lifetime Achievement by the Dancing Times Critic’s Circle.