Plethu:affricerdd

Plethu: affricerdd is an opportunity for music-creators of African descent living and working in Wales to write a new work for any music forces (instrumental, electronic etc and the dance artists will choreograph and create a dance film to the musical work.

The panel, made up of representatives from National Dance Company Wales, Tŷ Cerdd and Sub-Sahara Advisory Panel selected the following artists to work together: 
Eric Martin Kamosi & Idrissa Camera 
A.K.A. Mista B (Seun Babatola) & June Campbell-Davies
E11ice & Kitsch n Sync
Sizwe Chitiyo & Rosanna Carless
Jefferson Lobo & Gundija Zandersona
 

This programme is one of the strands of Tapestri, Tŷ Cerdd's new initiative helping to create a living musical archive of the people, languages and communities of Wales.

Eric Martin Kamosi 

Eric Martin Kamosi is a guitarist, electronic musician and composer who creates folk, rock, concrete, electronic and minimal music using a variety of instruments, field recordings and electronic sounds. He has written and performed for professional dance and physical theatre and created music installations, sound design, algorithmic compositions and music for live instruments as part of a BA (Hons) ‘Creative Sound and Music’ degree from the University of South Wales and a Master’s degree in ‘Digital Composition and Performance’.

Having taken part in a media composition traineeship and created music for screen and live theatre, Eric continues to be interested in working with artists from a wide range of disciplines.

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http://www.ericmartinkamosi.com/ 

Born in Guinea Conakry in West Africa, Idrissa trained from a young age with the renowned Ballet Bassikolo du Guinee. He has been principal choreographer with many leading dance companies in Guinea and Senegal and pioneered the teaching of dance to the hearing impaired at the Visual Theatre Company of the National Association of Sports and Culture for the Deaf.
 

In 2010 Idrissa, who is also a musician, founded Wales’s only professional black dance/music company, Ballet Nimba. His innovative ideas have taken the UK by storm and with his direction, Ballet Nimba has combined traditional dance roots with dynamic young performers and an original musical score. Idrissa has curated many successful productions throughout Wales and beyond.

http://www.la-olam.com/ballet-nimba

Idrissa Camara

A.K.A. Mista B

A.K.A. Mista B (Seun Babatola) is a musician, lyricist and socially conscious rapper.  Born in Nigeria, he spent the first few years of life in Cardiff, then lived in Ibadan (Nigeria), London and Birmingham, before returning to Wales.
 

His musical tastes vary from break-beat to metal to trip-hop, and he believes, at heart, that genre is simply a veneer. Real music will reach out, regardless of the style.  Perfection in substance, not presentation.

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For Mista B's website click HERE 

June Campbell-Davies

June is a Cardiff-based dancer, choreographer and carnival artist. She trained at the Laban Centre for Movement & Dance in London before working with Moving Being mixed-media Theatre Company, Dance Wales, Cwmni Dawns Gwylan, Welsh  Independent Dance and Cwmni Whare Teg. 

June has taught at Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, Cardiff Metropolitan University, Rubicon Dance and worked collaboratively as a singer and sound artist on a number of albums. She has held the post of consultant & facilitator with Butetown Carnival and worked on several community projects involving dance in schools, documentary videos and in a healthcare setting.
 

June continues to perform for Striking Attitudes dance company for senior performers and works with Oasis One World Choir leading movement sessions with refugee & asylum- seekers. In May 2021 June was selected for an R&D commission to create a site-specific body of work  for Artes Mundi 9.

E11ICE 

E11ICE is the alter-ego of Cornwall born Cardiff based multi-genre singer and rapper Thalia Ellice Richardson. A core member of Cardiff based community initiative Ladies of Rage, Cardiff, E11ICE’s inimitable live performances have made her an integral feature of any Ladies of Rage live showcase.

Melding thoughtful melodies with conscious lyrics, E11ICE’s music reflects her journey through each day making the ordinary extraordinary.

E11ICE’s live performances range from stripped-back sets on the mic to full jazz band productions. Each time E11ICE steps on to the stage she seeks to bring something fresh to her audience.

Kitsch n Sync Collective

Taking inspiration from all things retro, vintage and wonderfully absurd, Kitsch n Sync Collective are immediately recognisable by their innovative brand of curiously quirky dance theatre. Taking fashions, fads and toe-tapping tunes to create an infectious blend of highly visual choreography, colourful characters and a dressing-up box bursting with enough vintage clobber to make your gran proud! Kim Noble and Kylie Ann Smith fuse different dance genres, unusual props and a dash of audience interaction to bring you something truly unique.

Kitsch n Sync were set up in 2011 and have built a reputation for themselves as one of Wales’s most exciting, original and eclectic companies. This may even be your first venture into the curiously quirky world of Kitsch n Sync. Either way, you’re in for a treat. 

SZWÉ 

Born in Harare, Zimbabwe, Sizwe ‘SZWÉ’ Chitiyo is a 23-year-old singer, rapper and songwriter based in South Wales. After starting his music career professionally four years ago, Sizwe played acoustic sets around South Wales before venturing into electronic production. Having achieved Spotify playlisting, national radio play and a new Project Manager role for Beacons Cymru, his goal now is to build a hub for urban music to thrive in Wales and produce a new wave of sound.

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Rosanna Carless

Rosanna grew up in Aberystwyth before moving to Bristol and eventually London, where she fell in love with street dance and breakin’. After joining a number of street dance crews, Rosanna battled as a solo B-girl at events and conventions, winning third place in ‘London’s best street dance crew’. Rosanna has since worked with companies such as HSBC and Sony as well as with musical artists such as Giggs, STylo G and Wiley.

Rosanna returned to Wales to have her son, and studied to become a Bwy yoga teacher. Rosanna still teaches dance regularly, and has toured with educational and street dance performances, and worked on the Lead creative scheme projects as well as joining National Dance Company Wales as a Dance Ambassador. 

Jefferson Lobo

Brazilian-born Jefferson Lobo is a musician, composer, and producer living in Cardiff.

His music is an invitation to a world of unpredictable sonic possibilities: sweet harmonies combined with soothing and witty melodies form the basis for his musical cauldron with a pinch of jazz, orchestral, Latin, reggae, futuristic and world music.

He has worked with August 012 (theatre company), BBC Radio and has written, scored and arranged music for the Butetwon Carnival with special highlights to his transatlantic piece Zamba, commissioned by BACA. 

Gundija Zandersona

Gundija Zandersona is a Latvian performer, choreographer and an educator based in Cardiff, Wales.

As an executive director of Kokoro Arts Ltd and an independent dance artist she works across a variety of genres including work for families and young audiences, spoken text and movement, physical theatre and contemporary dance. Trained in Latvia, Denmark and the UK, she has been working internationally for the last six years creating and reviewing performance works.