Memorial Dance A Pan African Descent Journey music video is released today April 2nd on the anniversary of the St Pauls Uprisings in 1980. Bringing together artists and community members, collaboration, healing, reconciliation and culture has always been at the heart of the project.
Whilst inclusive in nature, people came together to reflect on the history of Bristol from a Pan African descent perspective. Born out of an open research project exploring dance as a methodology for knowledge sharing.
The first phase of the project saw the launch of an app and a memorial dance crafted from a series of open dance workshops and masterclasses. The latest phase involved a collaboration between dancers and musicians to create an original piece of accompanying music, and a music video.
Collaborating artists were principle dancers Latisha Cesar, Penny Marie and Cleo Lake alongside musicians Clive Smith, Richard Davis and Alan May. Stephen ‘Blaggy’ Blagrove was the musical director and Fitzroi Lake-Amatey the music apprentice. The music producer was Courtney Beckford and the videographer Dan Martin.
The project also features the artwork of Bólárìnwá.
Veteran artist Clive Smith who created the bassline for the music said :
‘To be asked to work on such a project like this was an honour. To feel the spiritual flow and inner standing that was shared and felt throughout this project was a grand rising for the present and future of what’s to come.’