Dance
The International Dance League is breaking in a new era for open-style dancers
Athletes & artists — For decades, being a professional dancer has almost exclusively been a background role, providing choreographed moves for musicians or sporting teams. Now, a new competition aims to put them into the spotlight, and the worldwide scene is paying attention, reports Natalie Albaran.
Written by: Natalie Albaran
Capturing the vibrant energy of passinho dancers in Rio’s favelas
Funk is life — The fast-paced dance first emerged in the early 2000s at illegal baile funk parties, but has grown into an international phenomenon in recent years with the help of social media. Photographer Jonangelo Molinari has spent years documenting its moves, characters and culture.
Written by: Josh Jones
As Washington DC rapidly gentrifies, street dancers refuse to be pushed out
Song of Sons — Go-go and Beat Ya Feet are ingrained into the US capital’s fabric, but as its Black population gets displaced, their presence is increasingly under threat. Nate Langston Palmer’s ongoing project immortalises the culture.
Written by: Miss Rosen
What is a ‘flow state’ and why are they so important to creatives? Three artists weigh in
When time melts away — For decades, scientists have been attempting to understand what makes the brain focus so intently on a creative task that the world around us slips from grasp. We teamed up with AlphaTheta to ask anu, Joel Mignott and object blue about what flow means to them.
Written by: Huck
Why London’s queers are flocking to line dance
Stud City — With a global boom in the popularity of country music, a host of new nights attended by LGBTQ+ folk are opening in the UK’s capital. Zoe Paskett went along to find out about the community’s love for the hustle.
Written by: Zoe Paskett
A flamboyant portrait of a traditional Mexican dance
The danzón — For three years, Chiara Bonetti has been documenting individuals across Mexico City who are keeping a traditional dance form alive.
Written by: Eva Clifford
Unseen images from the last all-nighter at Wigan Casino
End of an era — From the queues outside to the last ones standing, Francesco Mellina’s new photo book follows a night that has gone down in the Northern-Soul history books.
Written by: Laura Havlin
The radical history of Paris b-boy culture is under threat
Break away — Born in the Bronx back in the ’70s, breakdancing later found a similar home in the banlieues of Paris, where marginalised communities adopted the style as a vessel for protest. In 2024, it will feature as an Olympic sport for the first time – but what does this mean for its radical roots?
Written by: Peter Yeung
The photographer capturing the explosive B-boy scene
Keep moving — Frankie Perez remembers chronicling the evolution of breakdance between 2018 to 2020 across the US, Mexico and Canada, celebrating an art form that has stayed true to its cultural roots despite mainstream success.
Written by: Miss Rosen
Inside a vibrant '90s Kingston dancehall community
No Gyal Can Test — Photographer Akeem Smith, who grew up between Brooklyn and Jamaica, has spent much of his life chronicling the creative spirit of dancehall and his archive forms a love letter to the culture that raised him.
Written by: Miss Rosen
Favela ballet: inside a dance school unlike any other
En pointe — In one of Rio’s toughest neighbourhoods, a makeshift academy is offering young women the opportunity to escape the struggles of life – even if just for a day.
Written by: Fabian Federl
The Black ballet dancers taking on industry racism
Beyond The Screen in Lockdown — From raves for the deaf to Black ballet dancers and ‘outcast’ amateur wrestlers, now more than ever, communities are coming together online to keep their real-life connections alive.
Written by: Huck
