Beckett Talks

In this episode, Karen reflects on her career in dance, leadership, and cultural advocacy. She shares stories of family pride, professional recognition, and receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award, while considering the impact of her work across the Liverpool cultural sector. The conversation explores issues of inequality, community, and the idea of "levelling up," with Karen arguing for approaches...

In this Dancing Class episode, Laura and Rachel host Farooq Chaudhry , who reflects on his journey from childhood in Pakistan to a career in UK dance, earning him an OBE. Farooq explains how he navigated poverty, racism, and the transformative power of education and art. He recalls being inspired by Namron and later supporting a young Akram Khan, taking bold risks to help launch his early works. H...

Inspired by David Bowie and raised in Walthamstow by Irish parents, Brendan Keaney’s journey into dance was anything but predictable. Keaney’s career took off in Wales with Jumpers (later NDCW) then led him to Ludus Dance, where he began developing educational strategies he describes as offering the kind of 'thinking time' many people associate with university. He describes how strong mentorship t...

In this episode of Dancing Class , Laura and Rachel invite artist and researcher Kate Marsh to discuss her journey from growing up in Peterborough to becoming a dance professional and academic. Kate reflects on childhood encounters with movement, the impact of supportive teachers, and how class, disability, and identity continue to inform her relationship with dance. Kate discusses key mentors in...

In this episode of Dancing Class, pioneering hip hop artist Jonzi D shares how growing up in a creative family and discovering hip hop shaped his identity and ambitions. From early school performances to training at The Place, he reflects on navigating class and cultural barriers within the world of contemporary dance to carve his own path. Jonzi recounts the creation of groundbreaking works like...

In this Dancing Class podcast episode, Martin Hargreaves reflects on his journey from a working-class upbringing in Wallasey near Liverpool to becoming Head of the Rose Choreographic School at Sadler’s Wells. Raised in a family with little direct connection to the arts, his early exposure to dance came indirectly through his sister’s ballet classes and films like West Side Story . He discusses how...

In this episode of Dancing Class, dance artist Sarah Blanc vibrantly explores her journey from a council estate in Waterford, Ireland, to becoming a freelance choreographer and performer in the UK. Sarah shares candid reflections of navigating the challenges of class and access alongside themes of ambition, identity, imposter syndrome, and the freelance hustle. The discussion is wrapped in Sarah’s...

In this episode of Dancing Class, choreographer Gary Clarke shares his journey from growing up in the mining village of Grimethorpe to founding his own dance company. Gary reflects on childhood memories of the miners’ strike, discovering movement through rave culture and baton twirling, and the teachers who helped him along the way. He shares stories of training at Northern School of Contemporary...

In this episode of Carnegie Conversations, Tanya Arnold looks at why women remain under-represented in coaching and why the answer isn’t simply “more programmes.” With Leanne Norman (Director of the Women in Sport Research and Innovation Hub), Annette Stride (Director of Centre for Social Justice in Sport and Society), and Vicky Huyton (Female Coaching Network), the discussion unpacks the stubborn...

In this episode of Carnegie Conversations, Tanya Arnold explores the world of elite boxing performance and how strength and conditioning, sports science, and biomechanics are shaping modern fight preparation. Joined by two-time world featherweight champion Josh Warrington, strength and conditioning coach Andrew Langford, and senior lecturer in sport and exercise biomechanics, Dr Alex Dinsdale (Lee...

In this episode, Tanya Arnold dives into the groundbreaking technology of instrumented mouthguards. These cutting-edge devices measure head acceleration to help detect and prevent head injuries in rugby. Professor Ben Jones (Leeds Beckett University), Ross Tucker (World Rugby), and Karl Hogan (Prevent Biometrics), reveal how reveal how this technology works, the science that proves it, and what it...

Join Tanya Arnold as she brings you a very special episode, we celebrate the remarkable people who’ve passed through the doors of the Leeds Beckett University. Nearly 40 alumni have been inducted into our first Sport Hall of Fame, including Alistair Brownlee, Laura Weightman, Emily Campbell and Paul Heckingbottom, to name just a few. Tanya had a chance to chat to a few of our inductees at the laun...

Hannah Cockroft is a nine-time Paralympic champion. Nearly twenty years into her career, she’s still finding ways to get faster. In this conversation, she talks about how biomechanical analysis has helped her make small but meaningful changes. The kind of changes that give her those marginal gains… that keep her at the top of her sport. In this episodeTanya Arnol...

How is Leeds City Council driving the play agenda? Ali Long, course leader of playwork and childhood development at Leeds Beckett University, talks to Leeds City Council’s playwork strategy officer, Jen Rutherford about the impact of Child Friendly Leeds, the opportunity for the sector presented by the Play Festival, the power of play streets and, of course, our wonderful students.

Emma Bearman of Playful Anywhere is a driving force advocating for all things force for playful and creative in Leeds. In this episode Ali Long talks about Emma's role as Chief of Play, Galaxy Division, what the festival of play means for the city and what the city can expect during the fun-filled week.

Leeds is hosting its first ever festival of play and creativity. Drs Ali Long and Mike Wragg from Leeds Beckett University’s playwork and childhood development course outline why its important, what it means for the sector and the movers and the shakers to come in future episodes.

In the latest Leeds Law School podcast Dr Jill Dickinson, Reader of Law at Leeds Beckett is joined by Teri-Lisa Griffiths, Senior Lecturer in Criminology at Sheffield Hallam University and Dr Lousia Ashley, Head of Subject (Postgraduate) at Leeds Beckett University to discuss Professional Development for Practitioners in Academia.

Dr Louisa Ashley, Head of Subject (Postgraduate) interviews Dr Jill Dickinson, Dr Agata Fijalkowski, Dr Suzzie Oyakhire, and Dr Anne-Marie Greenslade around the projects they’re working on, their motivations behind them, benefits and challenges to their research, and next steps for their work.

We are delighted to announce that the Obesity Institute and Obesity UK have just been awarded an NIHR grant to work together with South Asian women and the LGBTQ+ community to codevelop much needed tailored support groups and more inclusive research.

In the latest episode of the We Inspire series, Dr Fiona Fylan from the School of Built Environment, Engineering and Computing talks about the science of behavioural changes and how we can use research to determine people to make more sustainable choices.

In the latest of our series focusing on our academics, their research and its impact on students and communities, Dr Philomena Commons from the School of Health talks about the work she and her students are doing with St George's Crypt, a charity supporting the homeless population in Leeds.

In the latest of our We Inspire series, Dr Ah-Lian Kor from the School of Built Environment, Engineering and Computing explains how we can make more sustainable choices through the technology we use every day.

In the latest of our series focusing on our academics' research and its global impact, Dr Olayinka Ajala from the Leeds School of Social Sciences talks about the correlation between conflict and climate change and how this affects human security in Africa.

In the latest in our series focusing on our academics and their research, Professor Christopher Gorse from the School of Built Environment, Engineering and Computing explains how we can create more sustainable places and contribute to a better environment in our communities.

Andy Cunningham, a Masters by Research student in the Carnegie School of Sport talks about spending two weeks alone in the Scottish wilderness as part of his research on the impact of nature. He discusses the positive benefits of being outdoors and how we could appreciate the aesthetics more.