Just Us Dance Theatre Launches Just Us Hip Hop Apprentice Co.

The debut performance of the UK's first Hip Hop apprentice dance company takes place this April. The five young dancers of the Just Us Hip Hop Apprentice Co. will perform works created by some of Hip Hop's most exciting names - Shawn Aimey, Tali 'Shannelle' Fergus, Kenrick Sandy and Joseph Toonga. The performances will be livestreamed from the main stage of DanceEast in Ipswich, interspersed with pre-recorded interviews with the choreographers. The show will be followed by a live Q&A with Toonga and the dancers.

The performance is the culmination of a three-month pilot scheme developed by Toonga, the artistic director of Just Us Dance Theatre, with input from leading members of the sector such as Boy Blue, Kloe Dean and Botis Seva. Recognising that those from black and ethnic minorities or lower economic backgrounds were often excluded from high-quality artistic opportunities, Toonga wanted to set up an initiative to equip young dancers with the necessary skills for a successful career in the arts. The long-term aim is to create a pool of black and ethnic minority talents who can fully represent the UK Hip Hop dance scene and diversify the dance sector.

The five dancers, aged between 17 and 24 are Penelope Klamert from Vienna, Dilyon Graham from south London, Leroy Kanyowa from Dagenham, Cache Thake from east London and Aisha Webber from Nottingham. They receive a weekly salary, daily class in a variety of disciplines (including non-dance techniques such as Ginastica Natural) and sessions on lesson planning, managing a self-employed career and teaching opportunities in the dance sector.

Over the last six weeks, the dancers have been working with the choreographers in the studio to create a 50-minute-long programme. Aimey, Fergus and Toonga have each created a new piece for all five dancers. Three short works by Sandy, co-founder and co-artistic director of Boy Blue, are interwoven through the other pieces, along with interviews with the choreographers.

Joseph Toonga says: "When I worked with Bundesjugendballett, the National Youth Ballet, in Hamburg in 2015 I saw something that I thought could really benefit the UK Hip Hop sector. They were running a Second Company, a two-year opportunity that supported young contemporary/classical dancers transitioning into the large-scale companies such as NDT and Stuttgart Ballett. There was nothing like that for Hip Hop performers in the UK. I saw a chance for a new route for dancers to access and create an environment where they can feel a sense of stability, and where they can take risks and experience being a freelancer whilst working with world-class teachers and practitioners."

The first full year of the Just Us Hip Hop Apprentice Co. will run from November 2021 with a national tour planned for spring 2022.

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