News Archive - Page 11 of 13 - Jukebox Collective

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JO-EL

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“Academy has helped me progress creatively and develop my leadership skills, this year I’m focusing on Hip Hop, Litefeet and strengthening my power moves. Seeing the growth of the younger students as they develop into young artists also really inspires me.”

Jo-el is 18 and has been a part of the Jukebox family for ten years. He’s attended Jukebox Academy since it began in 2015, and now teaches the weekly open community class, developing his skills as a tutor. Alongside attending college, Jo-el also takes part in the Jukebox ‘Duets’ project with Ballet Cymru. Jo-el is a talented content creator and has recently started his own YouTube channel dedicated to his photography and videography content.

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TRULI

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“My main passions are dance and fashion, I love being part of the Academy because we are mentored and encouraged to develop our individual style and strengths. In the future, I’d love to dance professionally, style for performances and artists and design my own clothing line.”

Truli is 17, and teaches the Jukebox open community class as well as being an Academy student. She’s currently focused on developing her freestyle technique and working with other students to create collaborative work. Truli also studies different aspects of the fashion industry at college, whilst working on print ideas for her growing clothing company, Lab Creatives.

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GUI

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“I’ve loved dancing since I can remember. I used to film Youtube videos and I even made my own dance series on Facebook with my friend! One day I heard about an event near the city centre, which turned out to be Social Saturday – that’s when my Jukebox Journey started.”

Gui is 15 and in his 4th year of Academy. He loves Afrodance and contemporary styles, which allow him to express himself through different art forms and develop creatively. Gui’s interested in fashion, so he recently assisted with a photoshoot for Al-Naaem Magazine, a local editorial magazine which explores Black & Muslim fashion culture. He loved getting a feel for what it’s like to be behind the scenes of production.

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RENAE

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“I love dancing because I feel really free and comfortable. It puts a positive impact on the day and you just forget about the bad things. Jukebox helps open up my confidence, and I love being around the whole team!”

Renae is 15 and in her 4th year of Academy. Recently re-enacted Maddie Ziegler in Sia’s ‘Big Girls Cry’, in a beautiful, emotive performance which is featured on our Instagram.

Renae is also interested in creativity through beauty, she has a makeup Instagram where she showcases her talent as a makeup artist.

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Ffion Campbell-Davies, highlighted in our lists of Black Welsh Creatives, is a multidisciplinary artist. As a performer, movement designer, director and instrumentalist, Ffion fuses artistic mediums to create immersive results.

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A graduate of London School of Contemporary Dance, Ffion has traveled to Brazil, Cuba and Los Angeles studying various forms of Afro-dance, as well as being a figure in London’s Underground Hip Hop scene. We’re constantly inspired by her artistic vision and creativity.

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In an interview with Welsh Youth media company Get The Chance, Ffion said ‘Hip-Hop is a mode of resistance, a political instrument for reconstruction. It is one of the most influential cultures on the planet, because of its wealth of knowledge and teachings through trans-generational art, it is legacy.’

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Watch Fffion in But Where Are you From? Directed by Tina Pasotra for Channel 4’s Random Acts.

Follow Fffion on Instagram.

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Highlighted in our list of Black Welsh Music Artists, Mace The Great is a Cardiff-based rapper making waves in the UK music scene. With two releases this year — Brave & Getting Love (MmmHmm) — and a new release on the way, Mace’s career is just gearing up. Showcasing Cardiff and its creatives on the team and scenes of his music videos, Mace is doing Cardiff proud.

Video by Redbrck

Mace’s track, Brave, centres around the Black Lives Matter movement of 2020. Mace holds up his fist surrounded by newspaper clippings, proclaiming he’s ‘Coming from the land of the Brave’ in a nod to Cardiff.

In a write up for Brave, Viper Magazine wrote ‘Mace The Great carries Cardiff on his shoulders with pride, and this evident love he holds for his city is reciprocated tenfold by his local community.’

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Images by Marcus Georges

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From our Black Welsh Creatives: Change Makers list, British-Ghanaian curator, critic and art historian Osei Bonsu, originally from Wales, has made his mark in the world of visual arts. Currently Curator of International Art for Tate London, Osei has developed projects focused on transnational histories of art, collaborating with museums, galleries and private collections internationally.

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Osei started his journey into the arts as a tour guide at the National Museum Cardiff, and has since developed numerous projects with a focus on African art, being an advocate for the representation of African art in museums and galleries.

Follow Osei on Instagram

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In 2011, a group of Somali poets from Butetown walked into the National Theatre Wales office and said they wanted to make a show. Their story became De Gabay, an award-winning play which was performed in February 2013 as part of a National Theatre Wales residency in Butetown. Jukebox Collective dancers were cast to perform and take part in this wonderful production.

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In Somali culture, de gabay (poetry, song) is not only about expression, it is about art. It is about parlaying ideas between contesting groups; about conflict resolution; about philosophy. It is a ritual, and one that plays a lively role in shaping a community.

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TIPINI is a Welsh language show on S4C. It’s a colorful series for nursery children that welcomes everyone to sing and dance. Agency talent Jodelle Douglas was cast to entertain and engage through his animated use of movement.

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Artists’ Playground was a brand new and unique artist residency taking place in South Korea and held in partnership by National Theatre Wales and Performance Group TUIDA (South Korea). Artistic Director, Liara Barussi was selected after over 150 artists from Wales, South Korea, India and Japan applied to be a part.

Youtube Video

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The focus of the residency was to support the creation of innovative ideas, artistic experiments and cross-cultural collaborations. The residency explored various artistic practices including theatre, choreography, writing, live art, and installation.It was an opportunity for these artists to develop their practice alongside others – collaborating across artform on new ideas and sharing the results. The group also spent time reflecting on their current practice, as well as discussing and investigating the different approaches other artists take to making new work, ranging from the personal to the cultural.

Youtube Video

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Our Academy students Lukas Gabco, Shakira Ifill and Gui Pinto featured in their first short film in 2018 ‘Edgar’s Hair’ which was written by Liam Kelly, and directed by Gavin Porter.

Lukas starred as the lead, Edgar Bootle who is fed up with being unpopular at school. Mocked by bullies for everything from his shoes to his phone, and most notably his hair. Edgar makes the decision that it is time for a change of image.

But will his new image change him for the better?

Watch here

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To celebrate 10 years of Sub-Sahara Advisory Panel (SSAP) Jukebox Collective were commissioned to develop a bespoke performance for the Gala. The event celebrated the vibrancy of the continent and the African community in Wales. It showcased the cultural treasures of Africa, the world’s most vibrant continent and celebrated her food, fashion, music, dance and poetry.

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Local Welsh storytellers, poets, musicians and guest speakers and a DJ entertained guests with sounds from across the continent including Highlife, Rhumba, Ndomboloo, Afrobeats, Soukous, Kizomba and more.

This was definitely one of our favourite Welsh events of the year!

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SSAP

SSAP is an independent think-tank on international development. SSAP aims to consider and pursue the needs of Diaspora Groups in their international development work, and to facilitate the knowledge and skills of Diaspora Groups in Wales to be used to advice and support indigenous Welsh International Development Organisations. Follow their work here.