Editorial by Jeanette Bain

Welcome to the Autumn 2008 issue of Hotfoot Online! It’s been a busy and exciting summer. Read the ADAD News section to catch up with all we’ve been up to, starting with our first Open Stage for dance of the African Diaspora in June.

Following on from summer issue Re:Invention, this issue explores Transcendence and transcultural stories. How can dance artists who are part of the African Diaspora rise above the challenges they face? How do we position ourselves to make our best work, become more visible and establish more viable artistic practices? Throughout this issue, we meet artists and companies who are tackling these questions head on and we discover that the answers are only unearthed as we lay aside our inhibitions and have the courage to be who we are, no matter what.

In his report on the ADAD seminar at the Big Mission festival in May, Dr. Olu Taiwo sheds light on the challenges dance artists from the African Diaspora face in balancing artistic and political agendas. He then shares some reflections on why telling our transcultural stories is more important than ever, as we seek to establish a sense of identity. I share my reflections on the varied approaches of three visiting companies and also manage to squeeze in an interview with American choreographer Cynthia Oliver while she is passing through London doing research for a new piece about “Caribbean people in the transnation”. Dance Student and recent ADAD work experience placement, Lucy Glover, shares her experiences of Contemporary African Dance and her ambitions for the future of the sector. We go West with Huw Jones as he reports on the struggle to keep African and Caribbean dance alive in Bristol, following the closure of the Kuumba centre earlier this year and Zela Gayle also has her say, sharing her tips for survival as an Afro-Caribbean dance artist. Read on...