News Archive - Page 7 of 10 - Jukebox Collective

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We launched our Future Creatives initiative in partnership with #VansCheckerboardDay a global celebration of community and culture on Nov 18th 2021. Vans Checkerboard day is an initiative developed to rebuild and revitalise local communities across the world through creativity. We were grateful to be one of the 16 organisations Vans chose to receive a grant from The Vans Checkerboard Fund at Tides Foundation.

We hosted an evening of curated performances and conversations, inviting Welsh artists and communities to explore their hopes and ambitions for the future by bringing their collective ideas to life.

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Jukebox Collective Agency curated and produced the event from concept to delivery. Liara Barussi directed a movement piece with dancers alongside a selection of commissioned artists that included Karimah Hassan, Andrew Ogun and Naomi Ferne.

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The Yemeni community’s long history with Wales began in Cardiff, it was the first port they arrived in when they came to the UK.

Aden, which is now the temporary capital of Yemen – was ruled by Britain from 1839 for 130 years. In 1937, Aden became a crown colony as the British wanted to establish a permanent coaling station in Aden to facilitate steam navigation for British ships to travel back and forth to India.

Yemeni people were known for their seamanship, and also for the first community to live longer out on sea than land. They made their way to Cardiff as Wales held one of the biggest coal ports in the world.

Aden and Cardiff had coal in common. Which meant that in the 1950s/60s Yemeni families were migrating to Cardiff to settle with their families. Today, there are families of five generations who have settled in Cardiff.

We’ve referenced most of our information from the ‘Yemeni Community Association Cardiff’.

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In the summer of 2021, we welcomed Ffasiwn Stiwdio to host fashion and photography workshops with our Academy students.

Ffaswin Stiwdio is a hybrid project combining youth work, creative workshops and documentary photography led by French photographer, Clementine Schneidermann and Welsh creative director, Charlotte James.

Charlotte and Clementine have been working with our students to help them explore costume design, styling and photography, finishing with a photoshoot of the final designs.

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Renae Brito features in the latest We Are Villagers new single ‘The First Day’ filmed in between lockdowns in 2020.

We loved being involved in this beautiful creation as Renae’s agent, thanks to all of the team below.

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Director Daniel Brereton

DOP Simon Plunket

Producer James Copsy

Prod co Anattic

Directors rep Free Agency YK

Styling and casting Charlotte James and Lucy Broome

Art Director Milda Baginskaitė

Actors

Renae Brito

Renae’s agent Jukebox Collective

Amelia

Erin Scott + Willow

Christine Leathley

1sr AD Chɿistopher Thomas H. Caddy

PA Ellie Devereux

1st AC Matt Farrant

2nd AC James Stier

Grip James McCallister

Camera Trainee Lemar Vanburen Maynard

Playback Matti Page

Stunts Jack Stockdale

Choreography Jasmin Saulo

HMU Becca Anderton

Commissioner John Moule

Grade Jack McGinity

VFX Jack Brown

Additional filming Bob Gallagher

Film Kodak

Film processing Cinelab London

Kit One Stop and Shift 4

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African Pantsula originated in the 1950’s – 60’s during the apartheid era, in Sophiatown Johannesburg – a legendary black cultural hub. The dance gained popularity throughout South Africa in the 1970’s – 80’s and has now become one of the main expressions for youth culture in South African townships.

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The name Pantsula means ‘Walk like a Duck’, which is incorporated into the dance along with the signature footwork, use of hands, props, outfits, and voice.

Pantsula’s roots consist of tap dance, with elements of jive, tribal African dance and gumboot. You can see everyday gestures included too, like dice-rolling. Panstula’s trademark is it’s footwork; described as intricate and rhythmic, where feet twist, shuffle and stamp.

Pantsula communicates stories through movement. The dance is a platform for reflection, revolution and politics – it’s a way for young people to step up and create a revolution in their own way.

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Dancers describe the dance as a form of relief and freedom. Free in movement, free in their voice, free from troubles, free as a Black person to tell their own story. South Africa’s first ever dance film created about Pantsula is called ‘HEAR ME MOVE’ – you can find it on Amazon Prime Video.

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Jaffrin is a Welsh Bangladeshi multidisciplinary artist and writer based in Cardiff. Her written work consists of prose and poetry as well as spoken word, exploring themes of identity, mental health, religion and culture.

Brought to life through a poetic visual directed by Liara Barussi, Jaffrin’s poem, Faith إيمان, draws heavily on her experiences, exploring religion, rituals and the battles between ‘deen’ and ‘dunya’ (religion and real life).

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Credits:

Curator – JUKEBOX COLLECTIVE

Artist – JAFFRIN

Artistic Director – LIARA BARUSSI

Producer – LAUREN PATTERSON (Jukebox Collective) + DAVID MASSEY (Gŵyl y Llais | Festival of Voice)

Director of Photography – EMILY ALMOND BARR

Camera Assistant – NATHAN O’KELLY, LOUISE JENKINS

Stylist & Art Director – ASMA ELMI

MUA – GEORGIA DEANE

Hair Stylist – TOM SAGE

Editor – GARY COOGAN

Colourist – JIM BRACHER

Music and Sound Design – IXYXI

Sound Recordist – KAIRESE HAWKINS

Photographer – ZAID DJERDI + DEBBIE BRYAN

Cast:

SHAKEEL MURTAZA

SHOBNAM HUSSAIN

MOJEED ADEGBITE

MONIA AHMED-SHARFI

SALMA KHAN

VIOLA GIKAR

HIBO ELMI

TILEWA YUSSUF

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South Asian communities in the West have been facing racial discrimination from white people for centuries, something which has become ever more apparent recently. However, there is often a disconnect between the type of racism perpetuated by white people, and that which exists within communities themselves.

Jaffrin is a Welsh, Bangladeshi, Muslim poet and multi-disciplinary artist who is more than familiar with these deep-rooted beliefs. Growing up, skin colour was a regular topic of conversation in her family and she was often encouraged to stay out of the sun because her skin would get darker, implying that it would make her less desirable.

These experiences inspired her poem, SKN, in which she explores how colourism is rooted in European colonialism and is deeply embedded into the lives of many South Asian communities.

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Curated by Jukebox Collective and Directed by Artistic Director, Liara Barussi, Jaffrin’s poem has been brought to life through a poetic visual styled by local Welsh-Somali stylist Asma Elmi.

The short film takes place in the National Museum Wales and draws similarities from the British royal family, questioning the parallels between them and the ideologies that families from racially minoritised backgrounds uphold in order to retain a good reputation within their community.

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The poem draws from Jaffrin’s personal experiences, including a trip to India where she was faced with the unnerving reality of the country’s devotion for Queen Victoria. This narrative became even more obvious when a news article broke about Meghan Markle breaking royal protocol by crossing over her legs rather than sitting with a slant. Something which was similarly frowned upon in Jaffrin’s own family, and inspired part of this poem, “is that what happened when we adopted their ideology?”, she asks.

Jaffrin says, “I have felt alone in my skin and my soul so many times and I know that is a very relatable thing – I just want people to feel comfort in relating through my work and to understand they are not alone.

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I also hope that this piece of work will encourage more discussion and action to eradicate certain traditions that are rooted in racist ideologies and to tackle subjects that are deemed taboo to talk about. I’d like to encourage other Asian and Muslim women to speak on and express their experiences as every single experience is valued.”

SKN is part of a six part series of films and performances curated by Jukebox Collective for Festival of Voice.

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Credits:

Curator – JUKEBOX COLLECTIVE

Artist – JAFFRIN

Artistic Director – LIARA BARUSSI

Producer – LAUREN PATTERSON (Jukebox Collective) + DAVID MASSEY (Gŵyl y Llais | Festival of Voice)

Director of Photography – EMILY ALMOND BARR

Camera Assistant – NATHAN O’KELLY, LOUISE JENKINS

Stylist & Art Director – ASMA ELMI

MUA – GEORGIA DEANE

Hair Stylist – TOM SAGE

Editor – GARY COOGAN

Colourist – JIM BRACHER

Music and Sound Design – IXYXI

Sound Recordist – KAIRESE HAWKINS

Photographer – ZAID DJERDI + DEBBIE BRYAN

Cast:

SHAKEEL MURTAZA

SHOBNAM HUSSAIN

MOJEED ADEGBITE

MONIA AHMED-SHARFI

SALMA KHAN

VIOLA GIKAR

HIBO ELMI

TILEWA YUSSUF

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Family Dance Festival is a Bombastic, Coreo Cymru and Wales Millennium Centre co-production in association with Chapter and Memo Arts Centre. Jukebox Collective performed pieces alongside two other leading Welsh dance companies, Bombastic and Gary and Pel.

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Jukebox Collective presented two pieces with BBC Young Dancer finalist Kate Morris. Her playful solo ‘Drifter’ and a duet ‘Toy Story’ made specially for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s visit to Wales.

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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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