The Capsule

This episode I had Carla Trim-Vamben, Jo Read & Robert Nicholson from the BA (Hons) Dance: Urban Practice Degree at the University of East London. They are the leading program focusing on hip hop dance in a degree format in the UK, so I wanted to have a chat with them about the scene and what they do. It was really nice to sit down with them and discuss all the hard work they do, moulding the...

This week was super interesting for me. I have Celine, Ash & Omar in the studio with me to talk about the London Ballroom Scene. This is something I have very little experience in, so was really interested to learn about it and to get to know these lovely people. Honestly had a great time.

In this episode, back in Pirate Studios, I had a chat with the wonderfully talented dancer and musician, Saskia Horton. We talk dance before getting in to her gender identity as well as talking pronouns, societal pressure and sexuality. We had a bit of problem with the audio towards the end, so apologies for the abrupt finish!

This week, my old friend Robia came through for some drinks! She is an extremely talented dancer and choreographer who's work is universally appreciated. We consumed some beverages and discussed some wildly varying topics. We talk tech runs, starsigns, misinformation, what it takes for an artist to 'make it', and her experience at 'All Star Game'  in Paris.

This week it was my birthday (on wednesday) so I decided to do an  episode of the podcast for myself. I brought in two of my closest  friends, Lee Putman & Abe Jarman. I have known them for around  thirteen years and we have made so many memories together. They are also  two phenomenal dancers who have plenty of experience between them. We  competed as part of the 'UMA...

Ivan Blackstock is a multi-disciplinary creative, who started (and  remains) in the dance scene. He is someone I looked up to for a long  time, so it was great to have a chat with him. We discuss his departure  from Birdgang, his feeling of being underappreciated and his future  plans. Thanks to Pirate Studios for hosting us this week.

Magical Bones may be most well known as a magician and performer, but he was (and still is) a huge part of the UK dance scene. Starting as a b-boy and a popper, he was around the scene for years. We discuss his journey from dancer to professional magician, his views on Diversity's BLM performance and the BLM movement as a whole, and of course his experience being on Britains Got Talent. At the tim...

We made it to 20 episodes! This week I had Tobi Izedomi pass through. He is known for his work under the 'OddVenture' brand as a videographer in the UK dance scene. He has worked on a lot of visuals over the past five years for various well known artists. We discuss his perspective on the dance scene, what his experience has been working with dancers and what he has learned during his time. www.th...

This week Shaadow Sefiroth passed through to have a chat. He is a creative director, movement designer & digital consultant who is originally from France. He moved to the UK and began dancing here not long after I had started to settle in to the scene in London. We discuss social media, his company 'Noesis' and our opinions on the UK street dance scene. www.thedukeldn.com Instagram: https://ww...

In this weeks episode I spoke to Jordan Matheson, also known as Flash Jordan. We haven't spoken much before and this was a great way to get to know him outside of a dance event. We get into some deep talks! We discuss Jordan's journey in to fitness as well as our understanding of consent, sexuality and cultural appropriation. www.thedukeldn.com  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theduke.ld...

Vanessa Marina, also known as 'B-Girl Vanessa' is a breaker originally  from Portugal who now lives in London. She is an old friend, someone I  met at 'Eurobattle' around ten years ago when I first started travelling  for competitive dance. We discuss staying motivated, her 'Tiny Room  Workouts' and her views on being a woman in the breakin' scene. www.thedukeldn.com Instagram:...

Rory Clarke is a sixteen year old dancer who has been making waves in the London dance scene in recent years. He has danced for Zoonation Youth Company, currently is active with Kieran Warner's Litefeet Crew 'K-Fam' and has been at many battles and events as an individual. We have had a few brief conversations sparked by his thoughts on a few of my previous podcasts, so I decided to invite him on...

Emmanuel 'Manny' Adelekun, is a b-boy, writer and creative based on the London scene. Coming up through the breakin' scene with La Familia and Soul Mavericks, he has plenty of experience in the London dance scene. We discuss... a lot. From writing, to the Olympics, to Red Bull to dance events. Me and Manny haven't had a lot of opportunities to sit down and talk over the years we've known each othe...

This week I sat down with Clara Bajado, a very important figure in the UK dance scene. She is the organiser of many UK dance events such as Juste Debout UK, the founder of 'Indahouse' dance company and mentor (and friend) to many of us in the scene. We discuss her long standing in this country's scene, the evolution of the hip hop culture and her work with UDO, among other things. www.thedukeldn.c...

Yukino McHugh is a performer from Japan/Australia who has spent the last two years living and working in the UK. Unfortunately she is leaving us, so I wanted to check in with her before she did. We reflect on her time here in London, the business side of dance, working for ZooNation and competing in Battle Opera. www.thedukeldn.com   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theduke.ldn/ &nbs...

After a break for personal reasons (i.e dealing with the coronavirus lockdown), we're back with Episode #12. This week, I talked with Kashmir Leese, who has grown to become a pillar of the UK underground dance scene in the last decade or so. We discussed his new film, 'Kiwewe Nyeusi' which deals with '"...the effects of quarantine during the COVID outbreak, touching  on subjects like depression, t...

This week I had a chat with David 'Spin' Gaviria, a breaker from  Columbia who has been an integral part of the London breakin' scene for  years, at the Wacky Barbers in Soho. We discussed the competition circuit, family life as a bboy and breakin' being considered a sport.

Just a little bit of me in between episodes. Seeing as I just passed my  first small milestone by releasing 10 episodes, I thought I'd explain a  little bit about why I started the podcast. I wanted to share some  insight and explain some things that I've been discussing in real life  conversations since I started this. Hope you enjoy. Our regularly  scheduled episode will...

This week I had a chat with The Red Dread House Head, Frankie J. We  discussed how intentional his rise to success was, how it's important to  find your niche in the dance industry, allowing things to evolve  naturally and more.

While in Kerry, Ireland for a judging job I took the opportunity to sit down with Tanaya Martin. At 1.00am, after a long day of work and a couple of beers, we had a chat in the hotel room. We covered the importance of finding 'you' in hip hop culture, using dance as a tool to grow, Ice's journey with Noesis & Future Formalities and had plenty of laughs along the way.

A succesful choreographer, accomplished artist and a battler with many wins under his belt. Brooke Milliner popped over to have a chat this week. We discuss his competitive nature, his call-out at Juste Debout UK, battle tactics/approaches and his reserved nature. 

This week I had a chat with Nadia Sohawon, the Founder of 'FreeYourStyle' agency. We've known each other for a long time and as a result covered a lot of varying topics. We speak about tattoos, our heritage, colonisation, past jobs, language and some more random bits & pieces. Lots of laughs were had and it was a great time with an old friend.

He's leaving us! A good friend (and ex-flatmate) of mine, Tomas 'T-Boy' Drafi is moving back to Slovakia. Before he left, I asked him to swing by so that we could have a chat. We discuss his Gypsy heritage, our shared interest in fashion & the partner dance 'Hustle', of which he is a well-renowned teacher.

Harry Barnes, also known as 'Dirty Harry', passed through The Duke LDN Studios this week to have a chat. We discuss his journey through the London dance scene: from a hopeful beginner to a seriously heavy hitter on the battle circuit. We also speak about how he ended up joining London's 'Monsterz Crew', coming from The Wirral (not Liverpool) and why he'll never move down south.

This week, Tali (also known as Shannelle Fergus) passed through for a nice long chat. We discuss our thoughts on dance studios and the classes they contain, joining the battle scene and what is & isn't considered 'hip hop dance'.  Please check out Tali's signature 'Identity. Ideas. Industry: Refresh' intensive at The Hub Studios from 17th - 21st Feb 2020. Tali.iii@yahoo.com for more info & to regi...