A Black History Month (UK) event celebrating Black women jazz dancers incorporating practice and theory with dance and music workshops, a panel discussion, and a jazz jam party. Featuring a keynote presentation about Florence Mills by Jreena Green.
Brought to you by Annette Walker, this event is supported by AHRC-LAHP, Coin Street, Jazz Dance Collective, Tap Dance Research Network UK and St John’s Waterloo
Saturday 26th October 2024
12 – 7pm (in person only)
At St John’s Church Waterloo and Coin Street neighbourhood centre, London, United Kingdom of Great Britain
Who’s it for? Researchers, students, teachers, dancers, musicians, general public… anyone interested in jazz dance history!
From 12pm, join us at St John’s Waterloo for an afternoon of activities featuring a series of presentations on jazz history that explore activism in performance in the early twentieth century through Black women in jazz dance. Other activities include jazz dance and music workshops, and a panel discussion about jazz history and practice featuring “Jamaica’s First Lady of Jazz,” Myrna Hague.
Then follow us to Coin Street neighbourhood centre (5min walk) for the after-party, jazz and tap dance jam where there will be a Caribbean hot food buffet. See the agenda for full details.
Join all or any one of the activities for free!
Workshops, Presentation, Panel discussion
12.00pm – 4.40pm
St John’s Church Waterloo, 73 Waterloo Road London SE1 8TY
12.30pm Dance workshop: Jazz dances of resistance
With Jreena Green
In the Forum
Open-level dance session led by Jreena Green. This workshop introduces elements of early twentieth century jazz dance that would have been part of the practice of the Black women dancers of Hill’s seminar. Dances such as the Charleston and Black Bottom brought independence to women in social spaces and led to “moral panic” of British high society. Often depicted by “flappers”, the dance craze and modern movement grew out of the resistance and activism of Black women.
Jreena Green is a professional choreographer, dance teacher and ‘practical dance historian’. She has previously developed a module entitled ‘Charleston To Hip Hop’ that explores the links between current urban dance styles and African American dance styles from the 1920′s. Jreena has taught authentic jazz at many of the leading dance conservatoires in the UK including Rambert, Trinity Laban and Mountview and published several articles on jazz dance history in Britain. She is artistic director of Jazz Dance Elite and a co-founding member of the Jazz Dance Collective.
12.30pm Music workshop: Playing with and for jazz dance
In the Old Crypt
Bring your musical instruments and explore the early jazz rhythms such as the Charleston that were essential to some of the first popular dances of the twentieth century and that can still be found in modern grooves. A piano is provided.
Charts
Charleston (jpg)
Take the ‘A’ Train (pdf)C
1.30pm Tea Break
2.00pm “Florence Mills: The First International Star of Jazz”
By Jreena Green
In the Forum
Join us for a presentation that explores the life and legacy of famous African-American singer and dancer Florence Mills from the early 1900s. This combined performance and talk examines her historic visit to England, where she broke barriers and impacted on the British culture of the time. While her performances became a powerful symbol of racial pride and resilience, sadly no recordings of Florence were made at the time. In response to this, the presentation blends historical texts and visual projections with live dance and singing to create an immersive experience that conveys Mill’s work, her personality and the times in which she lived. It will celebrate how Mills used her art to challenge racial stereotypes, advance civil rights, and pave the way for future generations of Black performers. Don’t miss this chance to honour a true icon of social change and artistic excellence!
3.15pm Tea Break
3.30pm Panel discussion on jazz history and practice
Panelists: Myrna Hague and Annette Walker.
In the Forum.
Each panelists will share a presentation after which there will be a discussion and Q&A about researching marginalised and invisible history.
Myrna Hague is well known in Jamaica and the UK as a singer, actress and journalist, and tours annually in the UK and Europe following the Ocho Rios Jazz Festival. She completed a Doctorate in Cultural Studies at the University of the West Indies focusing on Jazz in the Caribbean. Ms Hague has been inducted into the Caribbean Development for the Arts, Sports and Culture Foundation Hall of Fame 2012, for outstanding contribution in the field of music; the Kiwanis Club of New Kingston award for excellence 2011, and the recipient of the Silver Musgrave Medal 2015 from the Institute of Jamaica. She is known as “Jamaica’s First Lady of Jazz”.
Paper title: “Jazz, whose it it anyway”
Annette Walker is a versatile dancer, actor and musician as well as an educator and researcher. She has appeared in a variety of international and national shows, from theatre, circus and dance, to the concert stage. As a tap dance soloist, Annette featured at the BBC Proms 2019 in the Duke Ellington’s Sacred Music concert at the Royal Albert Hall. Annette is conducting PhD research on the forgotten choreographer, Buddy Bradley.
Paper title: “Shifting Perspectives of Tap Dance: Spotlighting Women”
4.45pm Change of venue: Walk to Coin Street neighbourhood centre
Lead by musicians and dancers, follow the short procession to Coin Street neighbourhood centre on Stamford Street for the after-party with a jazz tap jam accompanied by a live band. Don’t miss out on the hot buffet of Caribbean food at the new venue!
Jazz jam party
5.00pm – 7.00pm
Coin Street neighbourhood centre, 108 Stamford Street, London, SE1 9NH
Tap jam hosted by Lee Payne accompanied by the Rhythmaticians and featuring a dance showcase
Join the closing party at Coin Street neighbourhood centre where Lee Payne hosts a jazz tap jam accompanied by live music, and with a special dance showcase from members of the Jazz Dance Collective. Whether you come along to watch or take part, enjoy the Caribbean hot food buffet at this family-friendly, social event that’s in collaboration with Coin Street’s Community Day.
Lee Payne. After 7 years of training in the arts and entertainment industry, Lee started off working with small rep companies within the swing and Lindy hop circuit. He then ventured on to music videos and stage performances for such artists as Enrique Inglesias, Gabrielle, Wyclef Jean, Brian Harvey, Steps, S-Club 7, The Honeyz, The Appleton Sisters and many more. Lee is now working to create new platforms within all areas in the arts……And after long last, Tap dancing became a strong feature and is standing tall.
Band: The Rhythmaticians (see past events)
Event supporters
Coin Street support is provided as part of a Black History Month and Community Day event. We are a social enterprise working in Waterloo and North Southwark, London. From a derelict site in 1984, we have created a vibrant, diverse and welcoming place for people to live, work and play. https://coinstreet.org
Jazz Dance Collective is an educational hub for Tap Dance, Authentic Jazz, and UK Jazz. The Collective brings together the knowledge of Jazz, encompassing both its history and practice. The Collective works together to investigate and contribute to expanding the knowledge of Jazz using the wealth of information from its different aspects. Weekly studio space is supported by Coin Street. http://jazzdancecollective.com
Tap Dance Research Network UK brings together researchers, artists, academics and practitioners. We advocate, engage and develop an open platform that connects industry and academia to explore creative practice in tap dance. http://tdrnuk.com
St John’s Waterloo – St John the Evangelist, the church by the roundabout at Waterloo, is an inclusive church. Through our charity, The Bridge at Waterloo, we provide therapy, counselling, creative activities, employment and resilience training for homeless people, young people and other local people for whom life’s challenges are now even more acute.
We run the annual Waterloo Festival, a fringe of international, national and local creativity. We’re home to the alumni of Southbank Sinfonia, one of the best youth orchestras in the world. We provide meeting and performance space for hundreds of arts groups and charities. https://stjohnswaterloo.org/
London Arts & Humanities Partnership (LAHP)
The principal aim of the LAHP Student-led Activities Fund is to fund activities to enhance the research culture across the consortium
London Arts Humanities Partnership (LAHP) is funded by the Arts Humanities Research Council (AHRC), part of UK Research Innovation (UKRI), and is a doctoral training partnership (DTP) supporting PhD study in the Arts and Humanities. It brings together eight world-leading UK research organisations: King’s College London, London School of Economics Political Science, Queen Mary University of London, Royal Central School of Speech Drama, Royal College of Art, Royal College of Music, School of Advanced Study (University of London), and UCL. https://www.lahp.ac.uk
Additional Biographies
Organiser: Annette Walker MA, BSc (Hons), DipHE
Annette is conducting PhD research on the forgotten Black jazz choreographer, Buddy Bradley (links to blog), who had significant influence on stage dancing in Britain. Her research is funded by an AHRC-LAHP scholarship at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.