DanceXchange and Punch are delighted to announce that Hip Hop artists Joseph Toonga, Emma Houston and Bellatrix have been commissioned to deliver two projects for ‘Roaming Dance’, one of six large-scale commissions through Gallery37 North

‘Roaming Dance’ is planned to culminate in summer 2021 with a performance in an outdoor place or unusual space in North-West Birmingham, as part of Birmingham International Dance Festival  (BIDF). Emma Houston, Bellatrix and Joseph Toonga will be joined by early career artist Omar Spence who will take up an artist-development opportunity offered as part of the project.

Lucie Mirkova, Head of Artistic Programmes at DanceXchange said: “We are thrilled to be co-commissioning these three inspirational Hip Hop artists to work in North West Birmingham for BIDF 2021 and the Gallery37 North initiative. This partnership with Punch Records supports our curatorial priorities for the festival, taking inspirational dance out into communities to make meaningful connections with local people. We're excited to see where these collaborations lead us!”

Commissioned artist Joseph Toonga originates from Cameroon and was raised in East London. Rooted in the Hip Hop culture and form, he has established himself as a forefronting change-maker for the scene. Through this commission, Joseph will develop a new Hip Hop outdoor work, Born to Protest, bringing real life stories from black British men, challenging unconscious bias of black culture by countering stereotypical images of danger and intimidation with references to sensitivity and vulnerability.

‘Roaming Dance’ will enable Joseph to curate a crucial engagement strand as part of Born to Protest that provides the opportunity for young ethnic minorities to tell their stories and share their experiences as well as becoming part of the professional performance that will travel to a range of locations across Birmingham as part of BIDF 2021.

Joseph Toonga said: “I’m very excited to be able to work with artists from Birmingham and look forward to sharing experiences together and seeing how we can express that through dance. Hopefully through this commission I can give not only myself but the dance community in Birmingham a chance to showcase our talent and build a network together for future work.”

Dancer Emma Houston has joined forces with musician Bellatrix for a new interdisciplinary collaboration project. Both artists are prolific in their fields, with the shared lived experience of being queer womxn operating in heavily male dominated spaces, and through challenging societal norms at large within their work. 

Emma and Bellatrix will be working in collaboration with local communities in Birmingham to devise the narrative of an interdisciplinary performance using music, speech and dance. The artists will facilitate workshops that explore themes of identity and personal relationships, to conformity and pleasure, through a movement and sound journey. The stories and conversations that arise will be woven into a live soundtrack and inspire the movement process. 

Emma Houston commented: “We are beyond excited to have been offered this opportunity. We’re looking forward to working together, connecting and collaborating with new people in Birmingham, and getting to know the city better. It’s super affirming to be given the chance to bring this project to life, and it’s also a big opportunity for us as professional artists.”

Birmingham-based Omar Spence takes up the artist development opportunity working alongside Joseph. Also known as ‘Kidd Ronin’, Omar was inspired, at aged 18, by his father and godfathers who were part of the first generation of breakers in the UK.

Talking about the artist development role Omar Spence said: “I feel ecstatic to have been given this opportunity, even more so considering who I’ve been paired up to work with. I look forward to learning more about producing, organising, performing and choreographing at such a high level and hope to bring all the knowledge I can back to my peers, crew and students.”

This commission was stimulated by an extensive recent public consultation by Punch, which surveyed the opinions, aspirations and life choices of over 1,000 residents of North West Birmingham. The consultation revealed that 63% of residents rated arts activities locally as “not good/poor” and Hip Hop dance was the most requested activity by the local community. In response, Punch teamed up with DanceXchange, producers of BIDF, to create ‘Roaming Dance’. 

BIDF is a major biennial festival, which began in 2008, and is celebrated for taking over the city’s theatres, streets and squares with show-stopping performances and engaging choreography. The festival’s ambition is to connect people with great dance, creating vital space for artistic dialogue and exchange, and promoting Birmingham as a global dance city. ‘Roaming Dance’ will be a highlight of the 2021 festival next Summer, which has been re-scheduled from its original date in 2020, due to Covid-19.

‘Roaming Dance’ is one of a series of six commissions to be delivered in North West Birmingham, that will collectively launch the three-year GALLERY37 NORTH (G37n) arts residency programme for young people led by Punch Records and Saathi House.

Keep up to date on ‘Roaming Dance’ at https://www.bidf.co.uk/ and on all Gallery37n commissions at https://www.wearepunch.co.uk/gallery37 https://www.saathihouse.org

Twitter: @dancexchange @punchrecords @BhamDanceFest @Saathihouse

Instagram: @dancexchange_ @punchrecords @bhamdancefest @Saathihouse

Facebook: @DanceXchange @punchrecordsbrum @BhamDanceFest @Saathihouse

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