In this special summer episode, Stance features Deborah Colker, the legendary Brazilian choreographer and creative mind behind the opening ceremony of the Rio Olympics. We speak to writer Kerry Hudson about her memoir, Low Born, that charts life growing up poor in 80’s & 90’s Britain. And Stance heads to Grange Park Opera to speak to Wasfi Kani, the woman bringing South Carolina’s Porgy and Bess, to the English countryside.
Stance travels to Manchester to explore and celebrate its extraordinary LGBTQ+ history and why it’s been consistently judged as one of the best places in the world to be LGBT. We catch up with Chicago born singer, songwriter and poet Jamila Woods to find out more about her album LEGACY! LEGACY! that celebrates 12 of her heroes and icons from the African diaspora, along with the cultural lineage they have created for her. Lastly, Stance covers Smack That, a play currently touring the UK, inspired by real stories of domestic violence and abuse.
Read MoreStance meets award winning, critically acclaimed writer Valeria Luiselli. We speak to her about her life and what influenced her new book The Lost Child Archive, which has been longlisted for the 2019 Women’s Prize for Fiction. We head to the East Bay, California, to learn about the disability rights movement for artists and we visit Creative Growth, the world’s first and largest non-profit centre dedicated to artists with disabilities. And lastly, we profile electronic music collective KOKOKO!. Formed in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, they have been hailed as creating a new and exciting sound that is radical and energetic in a country where political instability has been almost consistent.
Read MoreStance catches up with Actor and Director powerhouse Adjoa Andoh to find out more about her production of Shakespeare’s Richard II showing at the Globe Theatre in London. It’s the first UK show to be produced entirely by people of colour front and backstage. Stance flew to Bergen in Norway to check out Borealis, an experimental music festival showcasing everything from music to performance art to dance and voice. Voices featured include Last Yearz Interesting Negro with Phoebe Collings-James, Juliana Huxtable, Colin Self, B L A C K I E and more.
Read MoreStance profiles London singer and producer NAO to hear about her acclaimed second album, Saturn. Plus, in this month’s feature, Stance explores the many faces of modern yoga - including the voices driving for greater representation in the wellness space, the people that call themselves ‘yogis’, the cult-like controversy surrounding the founder of Bikram yoga, LA’s first instructor that teaches from a wheelchair, and the artist that started the movement #WhitePeopleDoingYoga.
In this episode, we examine some themes within Women and Islam. We discuss the rise of US political figures Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib; plus the Sudanese revolt. We have a discussion with women from the Arabic Diaspora; we uncover the practice of Islam shrouded in mystery - Sufism; and we hear from one of the writers in a seminal new essay collection called It’s Not About The Burqa. We profile rap artist and actor Paigey Cakey and hear about her career and upcoming projects including recent mixtape, Flavours. And lastly, Stance visits La Colonie in Paris, a radical art space for cross-cultural critical thinking created by artist Kader Attia.
Read MoreWe kick off the new year with an exploration of language in our feature, “Way With Words”. How do we preserve our most endangered languages? How does a dialect become a language? Do labels like “Womxn”, “LGBTQIA”, “people of color” and “Latinx” empower or hold people back? What happens when a command of written and verbal language no longer separates robots from humans? We’ll dig into these questions and more. We profile Armina Mussa, visual artist and creative director of Saint Heron - a multidisciplinary creative agency founded by Solange Knowles. Armina shares how a life-changing incident has helped her find her voice in her art.Lastly, we revisit our MIND series exploring links between design and mental health in urban spaces. How is the creative community in London responding to the pressures of city life?
Read MoreOn Beauty - Stance explores its value in society, the ethics surrounding beauty ideals, the objects we treasure, and the beauty rules of Drag. Stance speaks with artist Naeem Mohaiemen, Turner Prize Nominee, to find out more about what inspires his work. And in our current affairs piece, we investigate how neuroscience is being used to promote greater wellbeing in cities, with a new generation of scientists, architects and policymakers.
Read MoreHow can we re-imagine political power? What is the role of culture in the current political climate? These were the questions framing the YBCA 100 Summit in San Francisco - an event recognising some of the most exciting people, organisations and movements changing society for the better. Stance caught up with this year’s honorees writer, director and TV producer, Janet Mock; founder of the Me Too movement, Tarana Burke; award-winning sci-fi and fantasy author, Nnedi Okorafor; poet, writer, actor and producer of Blindspotting, Rafael Casal; and Chief of Programs and Pedagogy at the YBCA, Marc Bamuthi-Joseph, who drives these important socio-political conversations.
Read MoreIn our first ever podcast, as President Trump took office we talked about the rise of the demagogue. Nearly two years on, the bitter fight for control of Congress is playing out in front of our eyes. Stance looks at how global relationships with democratic participation has changed and is shifting in a period of rapid technological and political upheaval. We profile Sayaka Murata, a multi-award winning author in Japan who’s making waves with her acclaimed novel Convenience Store Woman. And for our arts piece, we speak to two poets from opposite sides of the Atlantic, Fatimah Asghar and John Cooper Clarke, about their exciting new collections.
Read MoreIn this episode of Stance Takes - we celebrate Black History Month in the UK and explore the noisy debate about its continuing relevance. In the year that Windrush went from being a ship to a scandal, in the month that many schools dismissed its celebration as tokenistic and in the week two descendants of a Barbadian slave trader married in a royal chapel, Stance asks - how have we got here?
Read MoreThis month, Stance looks at what has been hailed as a new era in masculinity a year on from the launch of the #metoo movement. They dissect society’s idea of masculinity and how this is being challenged and reshaped, with voices including Emmy award-winning filmmaker Deeyah Khan. Stance profiles the award-winning acclaimed poet, musician and writer Kae Tempest, and speak with director, actor and winner of this year’s Sundance Grand Jury Prize, Desiree Akhavan, ahead of the launch of her highly anticipated new TV show, The Bisexual.
Read MoreThe first Stance Takes dissects the cultural significance of award-winning surrealist TV drama comedy, Atlanta by FX. Donald Glover has been described as a “one of Hollywood’s most exciting and in-demand creative minds” today and he recently made history as being the first black person to win an Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a comedy series. Expect an immersive audio experience filled with music, analysis and snippets from the hit series as its second season comes to a close.
Read MoreStance explores the notion of Coming of Age, what it means to young people, how its expressed and celebrated across many cultures and depicted through film and experienced through music. We speak to award-winning playwright and poet Inua Ellams about his critically acclaimed play, Barber Shop Chronicles, which is now touring internationally. And, lastly we catch up with Eno Williams, the lead singer of Nigerian/UK Electronic 8-piece band, Ibibio Sound Machine.
Read MoreStance dissects the great British obsession - class - featuring a special in-depth report focusing on the creative industries. We break down the issues surrounding this inequality and explore what needs to change as we hear from some of the working class artists leading in this debate. Voices include sociologist Dr Lisa Mckenzie, visual artist Joy Miessi, fresh art critic duo The White Pube, Arts Council Senior Officer Hassan Mahamdallie, David Mumeni, founder of Open Door, and Lynsey Hanley, one of Britain’s leading commentators around class and equality in Britain. We interview Mercury-nominated singer and songwriter Jessie Ware and we catch up with star of the dance world, Hofesh Shechter, ahead of his mammoth community-led project set in the Tower of London.
Read MoreStance investigates PTSD and how people living in violent neighborhoods are developing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder at rates as high, if not higher, than veterans who served on the frontline in Iraq. We find out more about how this mental health condition can result from a larger array of sources than previously known. We speak to the thorn in government of China’s side, activist and member of the feminist 5, Li Maizi. And lastly we hear from filmmaker and photographer Khalik Allah at the West Coast Premiere of his highly acclaimed film, Black Mother.
Read MoreStance visits India to meet street educators, young LGBTQ activists and visual artists that are all changing the face of modern Mumbai. Plus we meet with with Grammy Award-winning musician, Zakir Hussain, and visionary choreographer, Alonzo King, at the world premiere of their new co-creation, Sutra to discuss the importance of artistic collaboration. Finally, we speak to actor and playwright, Natasha Gordon whose first ever play, Nine Night will debut at the National Theatre.
Read MoreStance looks at the changing face of drugs, including two special reports from California on weed and LSD. Plus, we hear about the sacred plant, Iboga, from the forest of Gabon, known as one of the strongest psychedelic drugs on the planet. We meet with award-winning choreographer and director Holly Blakey, ahead of her London show, Cowpuncher. And we speak to writer Nikesh Shukla to find out more about his new novel, The One Who Wrote Destiny.
Read MoreStance returns with its Alternative Realities series and investigates the perception of Witches and what it means to be a be a witch in the UK, the US and India. They speak to author, Kamila Shamsie about her multi-award winning novel, Home Fire. Plus they discuss music with DJ & Producer of the moment, Kaytranada.
Read MoreIn Stance we speak to the French artist, JR to talk about his work including the new project, Director Agnès Varda called Faces Places. We catch up with award-winning director Maysaloun Hamoud, to find out more about her directorial debut movie In Between. Lastly, we explore centrism and ask, will it ever be in vogue again?
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