Can Art Save Us?

A BBC Poet Chef! Survival, Life Affirmation and You.

David Attree is a ‘people’s poet,’ he’s also known as a ‘Poet-Chef,’ ‘Famous Dave,’ and more recently as the voice of the ‘Week in Words,’ aired on BBC Radio across three counties. His poetry is also currently on buses in the city of Brighton, known internationally as a centre of creativity. But fame isn’t what interests Dave, it’s connection; it’s you. Dave’s BBC, on-air introduction, was clear from the start: “I’m not writing for a crowd.” He’s interested in every individual that makes up a community. He finds “hope in disguise” and he takes “the time to measure what really counts.” Dave “links news and stories with poems and rhymes,” he creates a calm space where we can stop and think and even Time can rest a while. Dave is also an active poet in other ways; he walks and cycles for charitable causes, he speaks up, with us and for us. He’s also a funeral celebrant. He celebrates a person’s life as though he has always known them, with the skill and insight that poets possess. And what lies behind it all? Courage. Dave knows tragedy and fear, he’s had life-saving surgery that sadly, many don’t make and he’s also recovered from a stroke. Through all this he serves the value of life, for all of us and he champions his amazing, para-Olympian daughter too. This is a family that isn’t shy of beating the odds. Dave lets you know you are heard amongst all the noise, he invites you to pause and I’m sure, like me, you’ll feel, you’ve always known him too.
Series Audio Editor - Joey Quan.
Series Music - Courtesy of Barry J. Gibb
Closed Captions are added to all interviews in this series. Read only, text versions of every interview, news, reviews and your host are here: www.canartsaveus.com
Discover Dave Attree on BBC Sounds. The Week in Words and other clips with Dave are uploaded here as part of the Allison Ferns, Sunday Breakfast Show: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p001d7v5/clips

The UK's First Professor of Dance Education

Do you like dancing? Do we dance enough? Or maybe the question is, why don’t we dance more? Dr. Angela Pickard is the UK’s first Professor of Dance Education. She has worked with talented dancers and choreographers across a multitude of theatres and sites in the UK and internationally. From toddlers to The Royal Ballet School, Angela has a wealth of knowledge and she is now the Director of the Sidney De Haan Research Centre for Arts and Health, here in the UK. The Centre makes an internationally leading contribution to critical scholarship, research, and practice in the field of arts and health. She is interested in the relationship between dance and psychological, social and artistic outcomes and responding to barriers of exclusion. Who is and isn’t included in dance, even in contemporary forms that we might assume are much more accessible? Who participates in dance is problematic, there’s a ring of elitism around it. Different generations may have memories of the traditional Friday night dance at the village hall, the school disco, the glamorous prom, the explosion of street-dance or maybe at weddings only. Have you ever been to a 'Daybreaker,' a morning dance rave to feel energized and well? Are you a fan of the hit TV series, Strictly Come Dancing? Whatever is happening, it seems our relationship with dance is fragmented, yet it has brought us joy, forms of protest and phenomenal social change. So, let’s get curious about dance and who better to ask than the UK’s first Professor of Dance Education?
Series Audio Editor - Joey Quan.
Series Music - Courtesy of Barry J. Gibb
Closed Captions are added to all interviews in this series. Read only, text versions of every interview, news, reviews and your host are here: www.canartsaveus.com
Discover Dr. Angela Pickard, Director of the Sydney de Haan Centre www.canterbury.ac.uk/research/research-centres/sidney-de-haan-research-centre-for-arts-and-health
 

Ballet Black. Be Free to be the Artist you Want to be.

Cassa Pancho, MBE, founded Ballet Black in 2001, Britain’s most diverse ballet company celebrating dancers of black and Asian descent. Today it’s one of the most prolific commissioners of new and critically acclaimed ballets here in the UK. The journey in between however, has been huge. Racist barriers in the industry were high and it was only six years ago that the world leading designer, Freed of London, in collaboration with Ballet Black, developed the UK’s first range of point shoes for dancers with darker skin tones. The exclusively pink or pale ballet shoe had long reigned as the symbol of a white-centric ballet world. It was trying to write her dissertation for a degree in The Art and Teaching of Classical Ballet, that Cassa realised she couldn’t interview black women in British ballet, because there weren’t any. As a young graduate, Cassa started Ballet Black, it was a brave under taking. Starting a new company is normally built around a star dancer and no-one was likely to take her seriously. But, Ballet Black offered a space where black and Asian dancers could come without feeling othered or marginalised and even a basic dance class was hugely popular. This is the work of a pioneer leading positive change. Black ballerinas being told they could only be cast in male roles or to break their feet because they didn’t fit a preferred, white, body type, are racist traumas to be left in the dust of this trailblazing work. Ballet Black is making a fundamental change in the diversity of classical ballet and to audiences in Britain. We talk about the freedom to be an artist, the stories that are told and who by, creative collaborations, the Ballet Black junior school and Ballet Black on Film. 
Photo Credits:
Image of Cassa Pancho, solo, credited to Holly McGlynn
Images of the Ballet Black Company on stage and with Cassa in a Studio, are both credited to Photography by ASH
 
Series Audio Editor - Joey Quan.
Series Music - Courtesy of Barry J. Gibb
Closed Captions are added to all interviews in this series. Read only, text versions of every interview, news, reviews and your host are here: www.canartsaveus.com
Discover Ballet Black: www.balletblack.co.uk
Ballet Black on Film: www.bbonfilm.balletblack.co.uk
Performances and Dates: wwww.balletblack.co.uk/performances/
Reference also made to Justice 4 Windrush: www.justice4windrush.org

Attitude in a Straight Jacket? LGBT+ History Month

Described as “an obscenely talented man.” Matthew Todd is a multi, award-winning writer, playwright, broadcaster and sometime performer. He was also the editor of the UK’s best-selling gay magazine, Attitude, for 8 years. During this time, Matthew interviewed countless celebrities, idols and icons, including Madonna, Elton John and Lady Gaga. For his very last issue in 2016, he made history. HRH Prince William was photographed for the front cover of Attitude, making his first appearance in the gay press and issuing the first Royal statement against homo, bi, and transphobic bullying. This was statement publishing. The Art of the Attitude front cover was glossy, distinct and stylish, it featured photographs of both gay and straight celebrities; everyone was welcome. But what lay behind those front covers was an even bigger and personal story, one that has informed what some would say, is life-saving work today. Matthew’s insights into gay culture and his own lived experience, was telling him a very different story; not everyone did in fact, feel welcome. He was witnessing a disproportionate number of gay people suffering from anxiety, depression, addiction, suicidal thoughts and behaviour. Despite big life statements, perfect bodies, out and proud gay attitudes, there was a dysfunction which Matthew identified as the ‘straight jacket of shame.’ In his book, Straight Jacket, How to be Gay and Happy, he examines the socio-political history that lies behind gay culture and how secrecy, being othered, criminalised, bullied and relentlessly judged, became defining characteristics of the straight jacket. No amount of striving for perfectionism can replace shame and Matthew’s book, Straight Jacket, is described as a ‘revolutionary call.’ It's reviewed by Sir Elton John as “an essential read for every gay person on the planet." This interview also marks LGBT+ History Month. References include:
Conservative, Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher's, homophobic legislation, Section 28 in 1988 and harmful attitudes of the tabloid press.
Progress from limited rights in 1967 to the Marriage Same Sex Couples Act in 2013
Making history with HRH Prince William's first appearance on the front cover of a gay magazine, Attitude, in 2016. The first royal statement against homo, bi and transphobic bullying was also issued.
The tragic murder of a transgender girl, Brianna Ghey, in 2023, motivated in part by hostility towards her trans identity and impact of the dark web. 
Attitudes in the 70s and 80s, captured in the current, multi award-winning film, All of Us Strangers. Digital streaming is now available in 2024. 
In LGBT+ month and every month, Matthew Todd's landmark book remains as relevant and as important today. This is a book for anyone interested in good mental health, healthy relationships, a kinder society, human rights and not hatred and discrimination.
You can also see Matthew's successful play, Blowing Whistles, 25 April - 25 May at The Turbine Theatre, London. Blowing Whistles is set on the night before Pride in the Park, a gay couple Nigel and Jamie, grapple with the complexities of modern gay relationships. @TurbineTheatre Book soon!
Series Audio Editor - Joey Quan.
Series Music - Courtesy of Barry J. Gibb
Closed Captions are added to all interviews in this series. Read only, text versions of every interview, news, reviews and your host are here: www.canartsaveus.com
Discover Matthew Todd: www.matthewtodd.net/
LGBT+ History Month: www.lgbtplushistorymonth.co.uk/

Musa Motha, Dancer of Hope, Makes TV History

Musa Motha is an outstanding, world class dancer and a master of making the impossible, possible. Despite a leg amputation at the age of 11 due to cancer, Musa's dance techniques and innovations exceed all ideas of what we typically think able-bodied means. Musa Motha has won the hearts and minds of thousands around the world, he is celebrated as a national hero in his home country of South Africa and now based in London, England, he is equally loved. Musa made television history with his breakthrough, UK, performance on the hit TV series, Britain’s Got Talent. The first ever, group golden buzzer was struck after the hysterical insistence of the audience. A shower of love and gold saturated the stage in return for a dance performance that was one of awe and disbelief. His ballet posture could hold up a skyscraper, but the essence of his core strength is courage, firm self-belief and faith. We talk about transformation in his personal life and in South Africa itself. Musa was nearly one when Nelson Mandela was sworn in as president. We talk about losing a leg and becoming a dancer, his near death experiences, positive thinking, visualisation, his firm belief in manifestation and unwavering faith in God. 
Photo Credits: @ViktorErikEman
Series Audio Editor - Joey Quan.
Series Music - Courtesy of Barry J. Gibb
Closed Captions are added to all interviews in this series. Read only, text versions of every interview, news, reviews and your host are here: https://www.canartsaveus.com
Discover Musa Motha: www.harboursidemgmt.com/artists/musa-motha-artist-page/
 

Sculpting Resilience, Conflict and Connection

Do enough of us think about our resiliency, our capacity to manage or co-exist with stressful events, now and in the future? Do we even think about cultivating our resilience for life’s catastrophes? Sculptor, Kate Viner has foregrounded resilience in her recent exhibition, Resilience in Clay, representing seven people, seeking refuge in the UK, displaced by conflict, discrimination and persecution. Across much of her work including Children Caught in Crossfire and Female Crucifixion, sculptor, Kate Viner, responds to courage, conflict and the brave optimism held by those worst affected. The expressions she captures in her portrait sculptures tell you everything without words. There are those who have lost everything, even their ability to make eye contact, displaced from their lives and families. Kate however, makes that eye contact, she draws our eyes to those who are most vulnerable and whilst they may not be able to look, she ensures they are seen through her sculptural art. We talk about art and spirituality and art as a calling. We talk about resilience for life as an artist, working with difficult themes and responding to people with trauma in their lives. We also talk about the resilience of refugees, their brave optimism and statements of compassion for how we live in the world. Kate never asks personal questions but creates trust with cups of tea, laughter and friendship.
Images Courtesy of Kate Viner Studio
Series Audio Editor - Joey Quan.
Series Music - Courtesy of Barry J. Gibb
Closed Captions are added to all interviews in this series. Read only, text versions of every interview are here with news, reviews and your host: www.canartsaveus.com
Discover Kate Viner: www.kateviner.com
Discover The Sanctuary, supporting refugees and asylum seekers locally.  www.sanctuaryinchichester.org
Discover the "Art Cathedral," Chichester Cathedral: www.chichestercathedral.org.uk/whats-on-chichester-cathedral

A Legendary Dancer, Ancestor and Legacy of Apartheid South Africa.

It's not often we meet a living legend, or someone who achieves their life's vision when there have been unimaginable forces against them. Gregory Maqoma, in the world of dance and on the international stage, is one of the most important artists of his generation. He not only survived the oppression and institutionalized racism in apartheid South Africa, but he broke cultural and gender expectations even within his own family, to pursue a life in the Arts. He has become a cultural landmark in his own right, and his legacy is currently being celebrated in his 50th year. Gregory has taken back African history and the black body from colonial ownership. He honors the classical dance of his African ancestors and contemporary collaborations, amongst numerous highly prestigious awards in South Africa and America, France also awarded him the ‘Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.’ He's a leader in dance and social justice, elevating the possibilities and contradictions in life. He's a visionary who could see beyond the burning tires, the burning houses, and burning flesh in apartheid South Africa. And despite the human injustice he saw growing up, Gregory was and is the Joy Dancer. As part of his legacy celebrations this year, two books have been published. ‘The Joy Dancer,’ introduces children to Gregory as a young boy living in Soweto, a segregated township, discovering the magic of dance, his memoir, ‘My Life, My Dance, My Soul,’ sees that young boy become a giant of courage, conviction and compassion. We talk about life taking risks, courage, the brutal regime of apartheid, the courage of women that made his dance life possible and being brave enough to be curious.
 
Series Audio Editor - Joey Quan.
Series Music - Courtesy of Barry J. Gibb
Closed Captions are added to all interviews in this series. Read only, text versions of every interview are here with news, reviews and your host: www.canartsaveus.com
Discover Gregory Maqoma: www.gregmaqoma.com/
Discover Vuyani Dance Theatre: www.vuyani.co.za/
 

Is the ’Art’ of History Axing Britain’s Expert in African History?

Have you ever thought about the Art of History? Not the history of art but how history is painted to tell us about the past; to document historical events, people and movement, power and conflict, control and beliefs, to tell us how to understand our lives, identity and the world today. How history is painted and told in any form, can include propaganda, fact, fiction, embellishment and absence. But who has told and been able to tell their histories? Currently in the UK, we have a significant news story in education that spotlights the importance of history, how and what is told, investigated or re-examined and by whom. Professor Hakim Adi, is the first British person of African heritage to become a professor of history in the UK. He was appointed Professor of the History of Africa and the African Diaspora at the University of Chichester and he’s just been shortlisted for the Wolfson history prize for his book published in 2022, entitled African and Caribbean People in Britain: A History. The Wolfson Prize is the UK’s most prestigious history prize. Here comes the strange part. At Chichester University, Professor Adi’s course, was recently axed without consultation. Despite being appointed years before this particular course, he was also made redundant. We talk about the need for truth, transformative history to help combat racism, respecting struggle and to never give up. He is internationally recognized as an expert in the history of Africa and the African diaspora. This is the best history lesson I've had. What we're not taught is staggering; the courage, the honour, the excitement, the inspiration, the giants that are absent. This is a voice raising a poorly painted landscape to the bolder truth of Africa.
Series Audio Editor - Joey Quan.
Series Music - Courtesy of Barry J. Gibb
Closed Captions are added to all interviews in this series. Read only, text versions of every interview, news, reviews and your host are here: https://www.canartsaveus.com
Discover Professor Hakim Adi: www.hakimadi.org/

20 Years of Creating Wellbeing, Inclusion and Empowerment

Nicky Goulder, CEO of the charity Create, recently received an Amazing Women award celebrating her as an ‘Arts Innovator.’ The British magazine, Women and Home, sold worldwide, hosts these awards for women making a big difference in the world. And this is indeed a very celebratory year. Founded 20 years ago, Create is now a multi-award-winning charity empowering the lives of society’s most disadvantaged and vulnerable people. In fact, Create has won more than 120 awards since 2012 and has worked with 40, 000 +  people since it started. This is a charity that changes lives through the creative arts, connecting, inspiring and empowering the people they work with. Working with artists, Create delivers purposeful projects for young and adult carers, disabled adults and children, prisoners, pensioners, marginalised groups including the homeless, refugees and the LGBTQ+ community. Currently Create has partnered on a nationwide Feeding Creativity campaign with the bakers Jacksons of Yorkshire. Publicised on millions of loaves of bread, Feeding Creativity is reaching schools and children nationwide whilst raising awareness of young carers. We talk about dad's in prison, carers as young as four years old, the pandemic urgency to reach new and existing participants, the importance of celebrating, why creativity matters and the evidence for Arts and wellbeing, including increasing life expectancy by ten years. 
 
Series Audio Editor - Joey Quan.
Series Music - Courtesy of Barry J. Gibb
Closed Captions are added to all interviews in this series. Read only, text versions of every interview are here with news, reviews and your host: www.canartsaveus.com
Discover Create: www.createarts.org.uk

The Art and Culture Network - Pirates Welcome!

Mark Walmsley trained in drums and percussion and spent 15 years performing with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. He’s also played in the pit of various West End shows in London and taught drumming to children online, around the world. But Mark also beats a different drum, as a self-confessed, ‘furious networker,’ working his way through creative digital marketing and events management. Put all that together, hand it to Tom Cruise behind his bar in Cocktail, and you get Mark Walmsley, founder of the Arts and Culture Network. Currently, there’s an average of 300 new members a day joining a global community that’s 80, 000 strong and Mark’s mission is to drive connections. He’s also interested in fractional philanthropy, taking a percentage of membership fees to support initiatives in under-developed communities, for example supporting a dance group for homeless children, based in Uganda. We talk about entrepreneurism, risk, the pirate code of conduct, music and neurology and why Einstein said imagination is more important than knowledge. We also talk about his exec role on Jungle Book, a forthcoming, immersive theatre experience. Mark leans forward and everyone is invited.
Series Audio Editor - Joey Quan.
Series Music - Courtesy of Barry J. Gibb
Closed Captions are added to all interviews in this series. Read only, text versions of every interview are here with news, reviews and your host: www.canartsaveus.com
Discover Mark Walmsley and the Arts & Culture Network: www.artsandculturenetwork.com/