Works Page
In celebration of Welsh culture, Liara Barussi choreographed a bespoke, high energy dance piece ‘Toy Story’ that featured agency dancers Kate Morris and Reuel Elijah to welcome Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on their official visit to the Welsh capital.
Night at the Casablanca was one of the opening performances for the Wales Millennium Centre’s 10th anniversary programme. The performance brought back to life the iconic Casablanca club through a series of stories and live music that celebrated the rich musical heritage of the local community.
Liara Barussi was commissioned to cast, direct and choreograph the dance. The cast included dancers Naomi Patterson, Reuel Bertram and Ramelle Williams who are represented on the Jukebox Collective agency.
“Dockland, strictly speaking, is of no country — or rather it is of all countries.” Cardiff is arguably one of the first multicultural cities in the world. As a port city, it has always attracted a diverse range of people to call it home. Long before the term for ethnic diversity had even been coined, Butetown was home to communities from all corners of the globe, home to 57 nationalities and 50 languages. A multi-racial, multi-faith, multi-ethnic, close knit community that has enduringly contributed to the cultural imagination of Cardiff, Wales, Britain and the world.
The production retold an important period of Butetown’s history and the story of Cardiff’s docks, commonly known as ‘Tiger Bay.’
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Archive imagery sourced from Paul Pilgroy: A Photographic History of Black Britain
The joy of dance inspired Welsh broadcaster S4C over the festive season to commission Wales’s leading dance companies to feature in their Christmas idents. We cast emerging talent Jo-el Bertram, Shakira Ifill and Renae Brito and created a bespoke christmas themed performance.
Our emerging talent were encouraged to share how dance has impacted their lives and what they enjoyed about being involved in their first TV idents:
Said Shakira: “The positive impact that dance has had on my life is that it provides me not only with a balance for my upcoming GCSEs but also with a great experience to learn and teach as a profession in that sector. Being involved in the S4C Christmas ident was really beneficial for developing my experience of dance on film and enabled me to explore my character further.”
Said Renae: “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!”
Jo-el said he enjoyed working with S4C. “Being on set with S4C was amazing. They made us explore our scene more and gave us the feeling of Christmas. This was cool because I imagined myself as someone watching the TV and we would look like a family that can’t wait for Christmas.”
A bespoke theatre experience created for a unique art auction at Aynhoe Park House.
Farnon and Lake are Bespoke Auctioneers that pioneer a unique and unusual take on art auction events. Jukebox Collective agency were commissioned to direct, choreograph and produce a theatrical movement piece that brought drama to their launch event ‘The Sculpture Auction’ that presented more than 160 sculptural works.
Liara Barussi directed the piece with movement artists Jodelle Douglas and Maren Ellerman and we collaborated with costume designer Sabrina Henry to bring the theatrics into every element of the performance.
The Auction immersed every guest in the world of art and theatre, so far removed from the traditional concept of auctioneering. ‘For us, an auction is not just a sale to the highest bidder. It is theatre, the thrill of the unknown. We believe an auction is an event not to be missed.’ Farnon and Lake.
All images shot by Jakub Koziel and styled by Sabrina Henry
For 2020, Dazed and Converse created the £50k Dazed 100 Ideas Fund to support a new generation of talent. The 4 Dazed 100ers awarded a grant hosted 4 days of talks and workshops as part of The Dazed 100 Academy. Deba, Beabadoobee, Danika Magdelena and Joy Crookes brought their projects to life with workshops spanning dance to panel talks.
Deba is a former student of Jukebox Academy and is now an incredible model and activist. As part of Deba’s project, Jukebox Collective co-curated an empowering dance workshop which was delivered by Artistic Director, Liara Barussi.
“Liara is the most amazing lady and has played a key role in my journey,” Deba says, promising that Liara will “show everyone how fun and uplifting dancing can be.”
In collaboration with Deba and Dazed, Liara created a playful class that drew from different dance styles from afro-dance to voguing. The workshop encouraged participants to explore how movement can be used as a way of demanding space and feeling empowered.
To celebrate Notting Hill Carnival 2020, we partnered with Let’s Go Do to curate a special performance for carnival’s online activities – Jukebox Collective presents; Reuel Elijah x Love & Harmony. We took local rapper & member of the Jukebox family Reuel Elijah and DJ Love & Harmony Sounds to Butetown — the heart of Carnival and Caribbean culture in Wales — to film an exclusive set, including the first performance of Reuel’s new single Straight Rum.
Although Carnival looked different this year, with all in-person events cancelled and moved online, we still managed to bring the vibes and celebrate Black British culture from Wales. We joined the likes of Koffee, Davido and WSTRN pre-recording sets to be streamed via the online platform LetsGoDo to replace Carnival’s usual weekend of lively events.
In collaboration with Superimpose, Jukebox Collective Agency consulted on the casting and curation for the Stormzy x Adidas Originals launch event in London. This project was all about connecting creative spirit with the community it comes from. Students from 800 schools across London, along with guests from community groups were invited to an impromptu theatrical performance which included a performance from Stormzy.
We sourced and briefed four local youth groups to create innovative reinterpretations of Stormzy’s hit songs. Each act was unannounced, erupting out of the space through dynamic lighting and bespoke projection content. In a series of 10-minute performances, a Black-led orchestra, choir, dramatics group and dance collective put their craft to Stormzy’s music, and Stormzy’s music to their craft, interwoven by a spoken word performance which brought the ‘Homegrown Spirit’ concept to life.
