Stance is back with musician Moonchild Sanelley as we approach our 8th year on air! In Season 4, Chrystal Genesis explores the people, places, stories, and ideas shaping our creative world. And with that, we head to South Africa to hear about Full Moon, the upcoming album from Port Elizabeth-born, Jo’burg-based singer, dancer and businesswoman Moonchild Sanelly. Born Sanelisiwe Twisha, she was raised on dance routines and church choirs and has since created a sound that’s entirely her own, which she calls Future Ghetto Funk—an eclectic fusion of hip hop, punk rock, house, and dance-pop with South African gqom and kwaito. She has also collaborated with artists like Beyoncé, Self Esteem, Nile Rodgers, Ezra Collective, and Gorillaz. Chrystal sat down with her to discuss her third studio album, Full Moon, her patented teal Moonmop hairstyle, and the inspiration behind her new record's themes of sexuality, reclaiming power, motherhood, vulnerability and forgiveness.

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After seven incredible years of Stance, with over 64 episodes exploring arts, culture, and current affairs, 8 impactful Stance Takes shows, the growth of Stance Studios, multiple awards, and over 30 live events around the world, we’re thrilled to bring you the final episode of Season 3. Stay tuned as we look forward to new beginnings in Season 4! In this show, Chrystal Genesis takes a look at creativity, storytelling, and the essence of being human through literature, music, history, and culture. Musician and producer Kamaal Williams joins us to talk about his latest album, Stings, his enduring faith, and the layered creative influences behind his music. Author LaToya Watkins discusses her new short story collection, Holler, Child, set in Texas, and how using method-style acting brings her closer to the characters she writes about. Artist and composer Cochemea reflects on his work with Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings and his album Vol. II Baca Sewa, which connects ancestry, memory, and improvisation. Musician and multi-instrumentalist Sinkane shares the inspirations behind his upcoming album, We Belong, which celebrates Black creativity and joy.

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On this episode of Stance, we explore the question: what does it mean to be a Jewish person of color in America today? We speak with a range of voices from this growing demographic, spanning philosophy, pop culture, community organizing, and journalism. We also dive into music with jazz musician Enji, who shares insights on her mesmerizing new album, Ulaan. During a Sukkot celebration, members of the Jews of Color Initiative—Jade Groobman, Sarah Starks, and Riki Robinson—discuss their hopes, dreams, and their work in building stronger communities within Jewish spaces. Ilana Kaufman, CEO of the Jews of Color Initiative, explains the organization's mission to create professional, organizational, and communal spaces for Jews of Color. She highlights the importance of accurately capturing data about Jews of Color and empowering them to take on leadership roles. Writer Hanah Bloom tackles the model minority myth twice over in her essay on being a Japanese American Jew, published in Hey Alma, a contemporary online community. She reads from her essay and shares some of the responses it received. Professor Lewis R. Gordon, an expert in philosophy and global affairs, offers a window into the diverse history of Jewish peoples, recounting his experiences navigating between Jewish communities in Jamaica and the U.S. We conclude with journalist Robin Washington, Editor-at-Large for The Forward, who reflects on what it means to be a Black Jew in the wake of the tragic events of October 7. To end, we cover vocalist and composer Enji’s musical journey and the inspiration behind her third solo album, Ulaan. She talks about how blending jazz, contemporary folk, and the ancient Mongolian tradition

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This show explores Harlem, one of New York City’s most historic and noteworthy places. Co-hosted by special guest, Vita, she joins her mum, Stance’s host and founder Chrystal Genesis to highlight some of their favourite places. As residents of the area, they visit a handful of their favourite spots, spanning film, food, and nature to uncover what continues to make Harlem one of the most distinctive pockets of NYC. Through independent filmmaking at Maysles Documentary Center, we chat with lead educator Art Jones about their one of a kind cinema space, filmmaking as a creative medium and the importance of community-first programming. At Sugar Hill Creamery we speak with co-founder Petrushka Bazin Larsen about founding Harlem’s only family owned ice cream store, the relationship between ice cream and Harlem’s community, and Vita gets to taste test a few of their seasonal flavors. Stance connects with The Brotherhood Sister Sol, a social justice organization empowering young people of color through community and environmental change. Chrystal and Vita visit their Green Youth Market and meet with senior manager, Nando Rodriguez, to find out how urban farming enriches the Harlem community. We end with music from New Yorker, Cameroonian American musician and songwriter, Vagabon, on her new record Sorry I Haven’t Called exploring joy after grief.

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How do we tap into sources of hope, compassion and humanity during such turbulent times? This episode of Stance explores this question through the lenses of philosophy, poetry, and music. Professor Lewis R. Gordon is a philosopher, musician, and historian whose areas of focus include existentialism, Africana philosophy, social and political theory, theories of race, and philosophies of liberation and education. He speaks with us about compassion, politics and power during periods of uncertainty and upheaval. Poet, writer and multidisciplinary artist, Fariha Róisín shares her latest poetry collection, Survival Takes A Wild Imagination, and reflects on hope, humanity, and imagining new futures. Soul artist, singer-songwriter and lawyer, Danielle Ponder introduces to us her compelling debut album, Some Of Us Are Brave, an anthem of resilience and hope.

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We’re back from our summer break to bring you a special show celebrating seminal funk-punk dance band, ESG. Join us on this immersive musical journey through New York City exploring the 70’s and 80’s, following ESG and their unique sound and story. Starting in the South Bronx, sisters, Valerie, Renee, Deborah, and Marie Scroggins formed ESG with Tito Libran in the late 70’s. They went on to perform across the world and record dozens of records influencing artists across genres, with their music being sampled over 500 times. The band’s body of work is rooted in New York City’s eclectic music scene, which spans Latin groove, hip-hop, rock, funk and more. In conversation with Chrystal Genesis, the band’s lead vocalist, guitarist and co-founder Renee Scroggins, shares her perspective on ESG’s origins, era-defining sound, and future. We find out more about the band’s new documentary “Are You Serious?” and plans for their farewell tour. Stance hears from Carol Cooper, a journalist, professor and cultural critic,  who was there to document ESG hitting New York City’s vibrant music scene for the first time. They both discuss the city’s booming creativity and crumbling economy, as well as what made 70-80’s NYC so original.

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We take you to Tribeca Film Festival celebrating creative storytelling from the heart of NYC’s lower Manhattan. Chrystal Genesis interviews actors and filmmakers on the red carpet and backstage to cover some of the most exciting films and TV premiering at Tribeca. Screening over 100 films from across 36 countries, the two-week festival's buzzing red carpets and film theaters take over city spaces to include conversation, collaboration and learning. We catch up with actors including Zazie Beetz, CCH Pounder and Claire Danes to find out more about the mystery thriller TV show, Full Circle, directed by Steven Soderbergh. Prolific actor Steve Buscemi chats about his directorial project The Listener. It is an intimate look at experiences of calling a helpline, as we follow one night in the life of volunteer helpline worker Beth, played by Tessa Thompson. Filmmakers So Young Shelly Yo and Guo Guo discuss their Korean-American coming-of-age drama, Smoking Tigers, following the life of teenager Hayoung who navigates her shifting identity and working-class reality. Writer-director Noam Kaplan's film covers Israeli politics, the struggle for liberation and womanhood in his engrossing new drama, The Future. Jennifer Esposito chats with Chrystal about reinventing the organized crime genre, by centering women in her directorial debut film, Fresh Kills. A powerful, layered drama exploring the complicated dynamics of a mob family.

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Stance visits Toronto to cover Hot Docs, the largest documentary film festival in North America, known for its bold and outspoken programming. Founded in 1993 by Canadian filmmakers and producers, the festival now showcases over 200 films from across 72 countries. While at the festival, Stance views visually arresting, thought provoking, experimental and investigative documentaries premiering in Toronto from across the world. Chrystal Genesis interviews makers of the films including Who’s Afraid of Nathan Law?, covering Hong Kong’s fight for democracy through the political rise of lawmaker and activist Nathan Law to becoming most wanted by the age of 26. This World is Not My Own is an innovative portrait of self-taught visual artist Nellie Mae Rowe in 20th century Georgia, USA, through vivid dreamscapes and animation. The Homes We Carry follows Sarah, an Afro-German mother to a newborn, who dreams of being united with her family having been separated by two continents, Africa and Europe, in a moving search for home. Echo Of Everything explores the transformative power of music across cultures through science, history and philosophy. Plus we share a list of other compelling and important international films for you to check out.

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We visit New York City’s Chinatown with culinary historian, cookbook author, and campaigner Grace Young. The largest in the US, it is known for an abundance of markets, eateries, multi-generational businesses, and independent stores serving New Yorkers and tourists from all over the world. Home to a predominantly Chinese Asian diaspora dating back to the mid-1800s, today this area includes communities from Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan, and many others. On a tour through the area, Grace guides Chrystal around Chinatown’s streets and landmarks. They begin at 65 Mott Street, the oldest tenement building in NYC, followed by a visit to Mee Sum Cafe, a local hangout since 1967 and now a household name known for its casual setting, Zongzi Chinese tamales, ginger tea, and small plates. Together they explore Grace’s favorite food markets, fishmongers and bakeries in the area. To end, Chrystal visits Grace’s home where she learns more about her love of food, the art and history of the wok, and how to make the perfect stir fry. In conversation with Chrystal, Grace shares why Chinatown is a living encyclopedia, the still felt impact of COVID-19 and anti-Asian racism, and the importance of supporting Chinatown’s history and future. 

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Stance delves into the spiritual realm and how spirituality manifests through the visual arts, dance, music and poetry. An ever evolving topic, we cover the power of spirituality through ancestral connections, imagination, movement, humor and joy. To start, we speak with surrealist blues poet, aja monet on the artistic movements shaping her writing and community organizing. We discuss her upcoming poetry collection Florida Water, and album When The Poems Do What They Do. We cover writer and journalist Emma Warren’s book Dance Your Way Home: A Journey Through the Dance Floor, an intimate look at movement through the personal, social and cultural history of dance. We speak in conversation with visual artists Senga Nengudi Fittz and Kaylynn Sullivan TwoTrees who were both members of the Just Above Midtown (JAM) creative space which centred African American creatives in the 1970s and 80s in NYC. We explore the spiritual links between art, history and tradition, and their collaborative performance piece Tying & Un-Tying at the MoMA in New York. This episode is guest-edited by Tamika Abaka-Wood, a cultural anthropologist, creative strategist, and founder of Dial An Ancestor.

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Whether you know it well or not at all, caste in South Asia and around the world influences everything from politics, education, media, and family relationships. It’s a system which dates back centuries and today affects around 1.9 billion people. So how do we become caste aware? We explore this and more through the lenses of literature, tech and the arts. We speak with Mumbai based author and journalist Anindita Ghose about her highly praised debut novel The Illuminated. A lyrical, human and provocative story set against India’s tense contemporary political landscape. Dalit rights activist, Thenmozhi Soundararajan discusses her powerful debut publication The Trauma of Caste: A Dalit Feminist Meditation on Survivorship, Healing and Abolition. She is joined in conversation by model, engineer & DJ Seema Hari who shares their experience of caste oppression and the power of travel and transformation.

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Stance is back with its sixth anniversary episode, a celebration of all things Stance loves: culture, food, music and art. In this show, Chrystal Genesis travels to the buzzing, complex and vibrant capital of Ghana: Accra. An epicenter of creativity, innovation and youth culture. While in Accra, Chrystal meets Ghanaian music collective SuperJazzClub, made up of artists, producers, filmmakers and DJs to find out more about their alternative sounds of the city. In conversation with Sandy Alibo, founder of social enterprises including Freedom Skatepark, we go for a tour of the park and hear how community-led projects and entrepreneurship shape the city’s burgeoning youth population. To end, art and food unite in a sundown dining experience at the creative space and restaurant Palm Moments, owned by model Anastasia Cobbinah, in collaboration with ceramicist Ella Bulley and Chef Kwame Fiafoli.

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Stance celebrates the summer with a show live from Glastonbury. The most iconic music and performing arts festival in the UK. Stance takes in the sounds of the festival atmosphere and speaks with Lima-born, Berlin-based producer, DJ, vocalist, and activist Sofia Kourtesis before her performance at Glastonbury’s Sonic Stage. Sofia chats about her bittersweet house music, her Peruvian roots, and playing Glasto for the first time. Sofia’s recent EP Fresia Magdalena features tracks influenced by family, loss, community & hope. Plus Stance spends the weekend taking in the sounds and atmosphere of the festival just for your ears.

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Stance’s latest show examines sex, desire and pleasure through visual art, literature, culture and musical critique. We uncover how black women, and women of colour, navigate their sexual needs and wants. Stance hears from Ghanaian non-fiction author Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah on her book, The Sex Lives of African Women. We discuss sexual expression through poetry, performance and art with American poet and editor of erotic fiction, Samiya Bashir, and South African visual artist Lady Skollie. UK-based journalist and culture editor at gal-dem, Kemi Alemoru explains how sex is depicted in music, film, and wider popular culture, through the lens of black women. Outside of our topic, we end with music as we chat with award-winning producer, composer and DJ, The Twilite Tone. We dissect his debut album, The Clearing which celebrates a space to be free and break away from the past. This episode is guest-edited by Charlene Prempeh, founder of A Vibe Called Tech, a creative agency championing Black creativity and innovation.

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Stance explores Island Life through music, food, culture, and literature as well as where they sit within our imaginations. From representations on telly to Sicily’s diverse culinary food history, and Haiti’s culture and politics through sound, Stance attempts to get to the roots of Island Life. We hear the arresting music of Haitian American artist Leyla McCalla, as she speaks with Stance about her album Breaking The Thermometer. We dissect the HBO TV show White Lotus set in Maui, Hawai’i, in a group chat with journalist Mitchell Kuga based in Honolulu, editor and writer Maura Walz stationed in LA, and film publicist Yung Kha in London. Living in Sicily, American author, Mary Taylor Simeti reveals the global influences which have for centuries shaped Sicilian cuisine. British author, Alice Albinia presents a reading of her futuristic feminist island novel, CWEN. Plus, Island expert and professor of sociology, Godfrey Baldacchino breaks down the narratives of Islands.

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In light of the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, Stance examines how narratives of war shape how we see and experience conflict. We explore the tropes of war, racist media coverage, war as entertainment, and the current and future issues refugees fleeing Ukraine are likely to face. Plus, Stance hears music from Hercules & Love Affair as we chat with Andy Butler about the upcoming release of their new record, In Amber. In conversation with Daemeah Karbeah, the co-founder of grassroots collective @BlackPeopleinUkraine, professor of women and militarism Cynthia Enloe, and award winning journalist and author Daniel Trilling, Stance dissects war, the experiences of people fleeing conflict, and the impact this has on global politics and policy. We also chat with award winning journalist and storyteller Ahmed Shihab-Eldin to get his take on international law and the concept of hierarchies of suffering.

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Stance speaks with Summer of Soul Director Questlove and highlights the innovative musicians making their mark on music right now. We discover how the arts, introspection, sound, society, and heritage influence these artists and their crafts. Grammy winner, Oscar and BAFTA winner, director Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson discusses his spellbinding and vital documentary Summer of Soul, highlighting the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival. Stance speaks with London-based multidisciplinary artist Joviale about their otherworldly, immersive alt-pop sound, and their latest EP Hurricane Belle. We chat with Tallinn-based singer, producer, and composer Planningtorock about celebrating queer happiness, fashion as a powerful language, and their latest EP Gay Dreams Do Come True. We catch up with Montreal-based songwriter, dancer, and visual artist KALLITECHNIS about her soulful songs, themes of love and vulnerability in music, and her latest EP Because it Feels Good. Stance also spotlights a range of other artists who continue to shape and innovate.

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Stance is back, going beyond the studio with an immersive and lively conversation between world-renowned sculptors Antony Gormley and Nari Ward, as they speak to host Chrystal Genesis from their respective locations in London and New York. Both sculptors are visual artists who have shaped the landscape of contemporary art as we know it, with their works being reflective of the spaces and times we live in. As artists, their creative practices invite viewers to consider the world around them and they share unique, considered opinions on their own practices and each other’s work, and highlight themes at the forefront of their creativity. Antony Gormley, largely known for his public large-scale human figures, and Nari Ward, for his complex, mixed material-based sculptures jointly share their thoughts on the power of sculpture, community, fatherhood, architecture, location and belonging. They also reflect on the subversive nature of art, the body as a space we inhabit, as well as their view on their homes within islands. These are just some of the powerful points from this discussion.

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Stance Takes is back with a special show taking you around Montreal’s creative scene. Known for its independent and eclectic music and visual arts, Montreal is a striking and dynamic French speaking multicultural city. In this immersive episode where music and art collide, Stance visited the city and profiles Haitian Canadian musical artist, programmer and DJ Gayance. She invites Stance into her home for pancakes and a chat about her latest EP No Toning Down, and the cross-cultural influences behind her nostalgic and joyful sounds. We speak to Dr. Kenneth Montague, founder of Wedge Collection about his long-standing work as a Canadian art collector of Jamaican heritage, acquiring works that explore black identity, and his recent compilation of photographs in his book, As We Rise: Photography from the Black Atlantic. To end, we meet with Gabonese photographer based in Montreal, Yannis Guibinga about his bold and futuristic representations of African identity and culture through the lens of photography.

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Stance Takes brings you MFest, a multi-arts festival of Muslim knowledge and creativity by Maslaha. We bring highlights from the festival, sharing an immersive glimpse from its programme, and speak with award-winning Somali-British author Nadifa Mohamed. Her latest novel, The Fortune Men, covers the true story of the wrongful imprisonment and execution of Mahmood Hussein Mattan, a Somali seaman, in Wales. The book is a reimagined version of Mahmood Hussein Mattan's real life. We connect anti-racist struggles internationally with France-based journalist Rokhaya Diallo, UK Labour MP Zarah Sultana and US-based writer Hoda Katebi; we examine the practice of loving through the eyes of Muslim women with Founder of Amaliah Magazine, Selina Bakkar, creative producer Haja Fanta, political academic Hudda Khaireh, and journalist Myriam François; we explore the work being done to subvert Muslim narratives through comedy, with writer and director of Channel 4’s We Are Lady Parts, Nida Manzoor; we hear about the importance of wide-ranging Queer and Trans Muslim stories with poet Fatimah Asghar, author Zeyn Joukhadar, historian Blair Imani, and writer Faryal Velmi; to end, we discuss the process of creating fictional realities through fantasy novels for young adults with acclaimed authors Reni Kosi Amayo, Intisar Khanani and Taherah Mafi.

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