Panel Discussion: Dub – Forward-thinking frequency Dr ‘Funmi Adewole Elliott, nora chipaumire, Yassmin V. Foster, Spider J

Photo Pete Martin

‘Funmi Adewole Elliott is a performer, dramaturge and academic. ‘Funmi started out as a media practitioner in Nigeria but moved into performance on relocating to England in 1994. For several years she toured with Physical theatre and African dance drama companies whilst working as a dance consultant and in voluntary leadership capacities with several arts organisations. In 2019 She was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by One Dance UK for her advocacy work which contributed to a shift in perception of Black dance in the UK. She has an international reputation as a speaker. She has facilitated dramaturgical labs, conversations and panels in Europe, Africa, and Canada and has featured as an expert in a number of dance documentaries. She holds an M.A in Postcolonial Studies from Goldsmiths college and a PhD in Dance Studies from De Montfort University, Leicester where she is now a senior lecturer in the dance department.

Photo Andrew Boyle

nora chipaumire was born in 1965 in what was then known as Umtali, Rhodesia (now Mutare, Zimbabwe). She is a product of colonial education for black native Africans – known as group B schooling – and has pursued other studies at the University of Zimbabwe (law) and at Mills College in Oakland, CA (dance).

chipaumire’s latest work is NEHANDA, a large-scale opera. Before and up to the start of the global pandemic chipaumire has been touring #PUNK 100% POP *NIGGA (verbalized as “Hashtag Punk, One Hundred Percent Pop and Star NIGGA”), a three-part live performance album. Her other live works include portrait of myself as my father (2016), RITE RIOT (2012) and Miriam (2012). She recently released a Radio Opera (2021), has been featured in several dance films and made her directorial debut with the short film Afro Promo #1 King Lady (2016).

Her long-term research project nhaka, a technology-based practice and process to her artistic work, instigates and investigates the nature of black bodies and the products of their imaginations. nhaka bhuku 1 has been published in 2020 at the courtesy of Matadero Publishing House (Spain).

nora chipaumire is a four-time Bessie Award winner and was a proud recipient of the 2016 Trisha Mckenzie Memorial Award for her impact on the dance community in Zimbabwe. She was also nominated for a NAMA award as one of those exiled Zimbabweans making an impact on the arts at home and abroad in 2020. chipaumire is honored to include the acknowledgements of the arts communities in awards such as the recent COVID-19 related “Dance Bubble” grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation (2021), a Guggenheim Fellowship (2018), a Foundation for Contemporary Arts Grant (2016), a Doris Duke Artist Award (2015) and a Princeton Hodder Fellowship (2014). She is currently a Fellow at Quick Center for the Arts at Fairfield University (2020) and an Artist in Residence at the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, LMCC (2019-2021).

Spider J is a producer, songwriter and musician actively touring and playing festivals around the world. Spider specialises in urban, dub, hip hop, reggae and pop genres.
He plays a huge part in the Roundhouse’s annual outreach programme, On Track. As well as Music Producer Drop In, Nando’s Music Exchange, Spider J mentors young people in every continent around the world in general. As a lead artist tutor and record producer, he works closely with young creatives to help them realise their potential, focussing on music production and live performance.

Yassmin V Foster is an artist, researcher, academic and sound woman with a portfolio career. She has a multidisciplinary work ethic, underpinned by her passion for movement and dance. Her work is credited to Heroin To Hero Ameena Hamid Productions, Sessions Paines Plough/ Soho Theatre, award winning Queens Of Sheba Nouveau Riche/ Soho Theatre, Inside Bitch Clean Break/ Royal Court and With A Little Bit Of Luck Paines Plough. Yassmin is a founding member of Legs Eleven Sound System: the nomenclature in the art of playing amplified music. Legs Eleven Sound System, established in 2011, are a trinity of sisters. Mili Red (MC), Princess (DJ) and Xuxu (Selecta/ Operator). These sound women hail from a lineage of North West London sound systems. Fada/ Daddy 90, father and impresario, established ‘JOE 90 High Power’ in the early 80s. Followed closely by the next generation of sound system ‘90s Vigilante’, in the early 90s, and a revival of motivation and inspiration, by his daughters the all-women Legs Eleven Sound System.