RACISM IN DANCEEpisode no 1 has launched! So grateful for @solangeurdang and @kaydances_ to have shared their experiences and how they actively fight racism in the dance world. Here’s an idea of what to expect in the podcast:’You can’t act diversity, you have to be diverse.’’We’re not stupid. We’re not going into a place just because you say ’You’re welcome’ but yet there’s no diversity in the teaching staff, there’s no diversity in the curriculum, the board is not diverse, no diverse choreographers, and then you say ’You’re welcome’. No, we’re not.’’What I don’t understand … when the story is a fantasy, when it’s not even real, how can we debate what color the lead should be?’’History is not generally taught. So again, this fosters the environment that dance is for particular people, but if they knew the history, it just would be evident (that dance is for everyone). So many schools teach jazz, tap, hip hop, commercial (…) and jazz, tap and hip hop come directly from the African Diaspora.’’Especially in ballet, once you get your teacher’s qualification, you can go, you can put in great kids for exams and be quite successful, but your mentality hasn’t moved forward in what you’re doing.’’It’s about students feeling comfortable, and then word will get back, to say that they had a good experience. If they didn’t have a good experience, the cycle (of diversity) would stop.’This podcast episode is a must listen for every dancer thinking that there aren’t enough white people speaking up. Solange Urdang leads the way and teaches us how to become allies of black dancers in the industry, and Kamara is a godsend for young black dancers not (yet) daring to think they could make it in the dance world!www.theurdang.londonwww.artistryyouthdance.comwww.ausdancersoverseas.com