Slack and Spiritual?
Dancehall culture has always been under fire for its raw expression, but have we been ignorant of its other levels?  Behind uncompromising lyrics and movements lies a hidden language of music, rhythm, movement and culture connecting the dancehall to African and Caribbean spiritual traditions.

LEVELS: Africa in the Dancehall is an immersive exploration of the African roots of Jamaican Dancehall through film, image, music and movement. Its a space to make connections, raise objections and create progressions. 

PROGRAMME

12.00 - 1.30pm BRUK OUT
A high energy dance workshop hosted by Ignition Dance Company for dancers interested in exploring the hidden meaning in Dancehall movements. Connect with the energy and have fun with it. Dress to Sweat – all ability levels welcome!

1.45pm - 2.45pm BRUK EEN
Artist, choreographer and Dancehall scholar ‘H’ Patten explains how voices, rhythms and bodies archive Africa in the Dancehall space; drawing on music, movement and his doctoral research ‘Moving in the Spirit of Jamaican Dancehall’.
  
3pm - 3.30pm SHORTS
Two short films exploring religion, spirituality and the Dancehall:

3.30 - 3.45pm BREAK/FILM INTRODUCTION
Connie Bell (DTA) sets the context for the main feature. 

3.45 - 5pm SOUL REBEL: The Untold Story of Dancehall Music - UK PREMIERE (Dir. Stéphane Delphin)
Music of the ghetto and the international charts, the roots of Dancehall extend long before its stylistic advent in the early 80s. SOUL REBEL: The Untold Story of Dancehall Music traces its rhythms, movements and vocals to the first Jamaican religions in the 18th century and the African religions from which they came - practices ignored or despised by many Jamaicans. Includes interviews with Dancehall architects like Clevie Browne, Sly Dunbar, Sizzla, Gregory Peck, Powerman, Papa Jaro and Merciless and contributions from cultural scholars like Edward Seaga and Dr W Wedenoja, SOUL REBEL tells the half that has never been told!

5pm - 6.00pm Q&A/PANEL DISCUSSION
 

Guest panelists including 'H' Patten, Carolyn Cooper, Shelaine Prince and Ashdon Crazylegz discuss the cultural significance of Dancehall culture - touching on the issues surrounding what is now Jamaica's most significant cultural export. 

This programme is brought to you in association with Reggae Films UK

SOUL REBEL: The Untold Story of Dancehall Music Trailer: