John Berkavitch
Creative Team
I've been lucky enough to get to work with some amazingly tallent people.
I'm looking forward to seeing how far we can take this idea. I would not have been able to do this without them.
Jamie Woon & Royce Wood Jr
Music and Soundscaping
John Berkavitch
Creative Director, Writer, Dancer.
Mobo Nominated Jamie Woon is a British singer, songwriter and producer signed to Polydor who gained widespread acclaim in 2010 for his single, "Nigh Air”, which was co-produced by Burial, following his previous independent release, "Wayfaring Stranger" EP. Jamie came 4th in the BBC Sound of 2011 listing and his sound and style is described as soul inflected vocals backed by samplers and programming.
Royce Wood Jr. has been capturing the attention of soul, hiphop and UK Bass aficionados with his productions and collaborations. Following several remixes and collaboration with Jamie Woon he has since been collaborating with vocalist ‘Stac’ on the extremely well received ‘Second Lens EP’ championed by XFM’s Mary Anne Hobbs.
Yael Shavit
Direction and Script Editing
Yael Shavit is a Jerwood Award winning theatre director. She has worked with many leading spoken word artists including Molly Naylor, Warsan Shire and Polarbear on the development of new work
She currently leads the Spoken-Word Ensemble based at Roundhouse Camden and is known for her deep appreciation of storytelling and character development.
Katie Pearson
Movement Direction
Mickael “Marso” Riviere
Collaborator and Choreography
Flo Gonthier
Collaborator, Dancer and Workshop facilitator
Leigh “Mono” Drummond
Illustrations
Khush Nubian
Lighting Design
Blend
Projection Mapping
Ed “Spoons” Stephen
Collaborator, Dancer and Workshop facilitator
Dean “Bugz” Reeve
Collaborator, Dancer and Workshop facilitator
Amy Martin
Scratch Producer
Marso has been based in the UK for over 12 years and has, in that time, established himself as a major force in both the contemporary dance and hiphop dance scenes. Founder of Company Decalage and Bboy’s Attic he has presented work at British Dance Edition, The BBC Proms 2010, The Place London, MasDanza in Spain and more recently created work for the Queen's Jubilee, the London Aurora Orchestra, Sampad as part of the cultural Olympiad.
Dubbed a “warrior of dance” by the London Evening Standard, Katie Pearson is a choreographer, performer and teacher who’s a knowledge and understanding of dance spans many genres and cultures. Her style is muscular and athletic yet conveys every nuance of human emotion. The effortless result appears simultaneously charismatic, enigmatic and intricate.
Flo was born in France where he begun breaking in 1998; he moved to the UK in 2002 where he started to teach and dance professionally. Having worked for several dance companies (Hype Dance, Kompany Malakhi, RJC, and Cultured Mongrel dance), he has performed many dance pieces in theatres all over the UK. Flo has also traveled extensively across the world with his crew “Ghetlow Pirates”, taking part in competitions, judging battles and showcasing his talents in corporate shows.
Lord Leigh, Mister Breakfast, Lord Breakfast, Mono . . . .Take your pick of the pseudonym. Founding member of Mono Clothing, practitioner and master of the visual arts. Long time Graffiti / Street Artist with experience in most visual mediums from Illustration to Film. Credits include Channel 4.
Based in the Midlands, Blend Visuals aka Liam d’Authreau & Tony Coleman have been constantly travelling the length and breadth of the country providing custom visual content, live video performance and video installation services for nightclubs, promoters, music events, theatres and festivals across the UK.
Khush Nubian is a Leicester based artist working mainly in photography, projected light and collage. Having recently graduated with an MA in Fine Art at De Montfort University she has been exhibiting works at galleries across the country.
Current Juste Debout UK Toprock champion Ed Stephen has over 10 years experience in dance and education and was a founding member of the Ghetlow Pirates BBoy Crew. He has worked on creative theatre projects mixing bboying and contemporary movement for SIN Cru and Room2Manoevuer. He established the Yorkshire Youth Hip Hop Dance Festival, now in its 7th year. Currently based at Hoxton Hall managing all creative youth projects.
Steven 'Polarbear' Camden has been leading young peoples writing and performance projects with schools and arts organisations since 2006. He has delivered story writing and spoken-word courses with the British Council in Malaysia, Slovenia and Rotterdam.
He has led the spoken-word course for The Roundhouse since 2009. In 2010 he led the Sound & Fury project for the RSC. He has been commissioned by BBC radio 3 and 4 to write narrative pieces for broadcast, his work has also featured on Radio 1 and 6 music. He has performed his narrative spoken-word around the world from Glastonbury to California and has toured four feature length theatrical monologues nationally and internationally.
Steve "PolarBear" Camden
Additional Script Editing
Catherine Rogers
Co-Producer
Amy Martin is an Independent Producer who works across the creative and cultural sector. She has an ambitious approach to programming new creative projects that utilise the voices, experiences and attributes of young people. Amy works with cultural organisations, young people and emerging artists to produce dynamic creative projects, festivals and events that include Arts, Culture and Digital Media. Fostering future audiences, future artists and utilising the skills, expertise and talents of a digital generation. Amy has collaborated on creative projects with BBC, 4Talent, Fierce Festival, Breakin' Convention, Microsoft, RSC, IdeasTap and Arts Council England and has worked within a range of art forms such as poetry, live art, theatre, music and dance.
Catherine has worked behind the scenes producing a wide variety of live literature performances for a range of organisations from universities and local authorities to participatory arts, community venues and theatres. Projects she has worked on recently include Apples and Snakes - Shake the Dust, World Event Young Artists and The Lyric Lounge bringing spoken-word and live literature to new audiences including schools and rural venues. She has worked as a professional storyteller, bookseller and literature development officer, has been published in two short story collections (one award winning) and has supported the development of many professional spoken-word artists and groups including Deborah ‘Debris’ Stevenson and Mouthy Poets. She currently works as Arts and Creative Industries Manager at Leicestershire County Council.
Additional Mentoring Guest-Direction and Support
Leo Kay
Direction
Leo is Artistic Director of the performance company Unfinished Business (www.thisisunfinished.com). His work has moved through physical theatre, dance theatre and spoken word to explorations of site-specific-performance and intimate audience interaction, it lies somewhere between theatre and live-art.
Leo is particularly involved in mentoring spoken word artists, and has directed several acclaimed productions including: 8sixteen32 (Birmingham REP), I hear Voices (Contact Theatre), Don Letts Presents Speakers Corner (Birmingham REP and CMN), The Glass menagerie by chris Redmond (BAC) and OLD ME by Polarbear (The Roundhouse).
He continues to work with young people, intergenerational groups and emerging artists to create engaging theatre and performance of a professional standard, a practice that has become a core element of Unfinished Business’s work.
Dean Reeve grew up in Devon and has been involved in performing arts and Hip Hop from a young age. He became a BBoy at age sixteen and has since danced both nationally and internationally. He trained at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance and gained an BA Honours degree in Physical Theatre with Drama at St.Mary‘s University. Now writing and producing his own works - for stage and screen - as well as collaborations, he is a freelance artist based in Berlin.
Aditional Choreography from The Dancers
Jonzi D
Direction and Movement Direction
Jonzi D is the Artistic Director of Breakin’ Convention and Jonzi D Projects. He has been actively involved in British Hip Hop culture, rapping and b-boying since its genesis in the early eighties. Since graduating from the London Contemporary Dance School, Jonzi has been committed to the development of hip hop theatre, creating Lyrikal Fearta in 1995, and Aeroplane Man in 1999. He was an Associate Artist at The Place Theatre and has performed and created dance theatre pieces all over Europe, North America, Russia, Israel, Australia, New Zealand, Cuba, Uganda, and Southern Africa. Recent works include TAG... Just Writing My Name featuring John Berkavitch and Markus The Sadist, featuring Bashy. As an emcee Jonzi has worked with The Roots, Steve Williamson, MC Mell’o’, Wordsworth, Hymphatic Thabs, and toured europe with Jeru Da Damaja and Gangstarr in the early nineties.
Lemn Sissay is a poet and playwright. He’s associate artist at at Europe’s largest arts complex, Southbank Centre. He’s the first poet commissioned to write for the 2012 Olympics. His Landmark Poems are written into public architecture throughout Manchester and London. He is author of five books of poetry spanning twenty five years. He reads on stages throughout the world. He is an honorary Doctor of Letters and was awarded the 2010 travelling award scholarship from the Society of Authors. His play Something Dark directed John McGrath (artistic director of National Theatre Wales) is winner of a RIMA award and has been performed throughout the world. BBC made a television documentary about his life – Internal Flight. In 2010 he was made an MBE by the queen of England for services to literature. Lemn is Patron of The Letterbox Club and The Reader Organisation. He is education ambassador for Arvon Foundation and Trustee of World Book Night.
Lemn Sissay
Direction