Interview: Cindy Claes: More Than Just a Dancer 20.04.15

With the Breakin' Convention coming up (get your tickets here, http://www.sadlerswells.com/whats-on/2015/breakin-convention-15/ this is not one to miss!) it's time to dig deeper and find out a little more about what it takes to become a truly great artist. Becoming great at what you do is often linked with having a pure passion for what you do. When this package is also wrapped up with a desire to spread a strong message the results can be explosive, which Cindy has been described as before. Known as '@dancebackpacker' on Twitter, she received the Lisa Ullman Travelling Scholarship Fund in 2008 which started her on her journey to go to the root of where her dance passions were born, and travelled to different places to develop and master her craft. Since then she has been unstoppable. Not only is she a great example of a dance artist with many hats, she's another brilliant, strong and unique role model for women. Thanks to the guys at the Breakin' Convention, they let me ask her a few questions to which she gave some very stimulating answers. Thank you Cindy...see you over the Bank holiday!

Do you remember what sparked your love and interest for Dancehall and Krumping? 

I fell in love with Dancehall when I was still living in Belgium.

The enthusiasm for Dancehall and its music was very present, even though we don’t really have a Caribbean community back home. Back in the mid/late 90s, the energy of hiphop culture was mainly carried forward by the Congolese and Moroccan communities in Belgium. When you went to a Hiphop club, there would always be a section during the night where the DJ’s would play Dancehall and N’dombolo music.  So, Dancehall was around me, and people who loved the music too. 

There was no YouTube yet, and we didn’t have access to information about Dancehall culture.  But the love for Dancehall was everywhere. I already had the dream to go to Jamaica, to understand the roots of the culture and experience Dancehall from where it came from.

The rest is history, but still a long journey! I moved to London in 2005.  I improved my English (people often forget I wasn’t as fluent back then as I am now), and this made a huge difference. Speaking and understanding English opened the doors to eventually understand Patois. I am really fascinated by Patois, I love studying the language, I believe that when we understand a language, we also understand more of a culture. I lived in Brixton for many years, and Jamaican culture was everywhere in London. Later on I was awarded fundings at several occasions which allowed me to travel to Jamaica to do choreographic research (ADAD Trailblazers, Bonnie Bird UK New Choreography Fund). I travelled for the first time to Jamaica in 2010.

Dancehall is a culture that keeps evolving, new steps are being created on a regular basis, and as a Dancehall dancer and choreographer, I must keep up to date. It can sometimes be hard when being far away from the source. Even though internet and YouTube is available now, I still want to travel regularly to the island to continue my research and stay in touch with the scene.  It is a very vibrant and creative culture.

My love for Krumping developed soon after I moved to the UK (2005). A friend of mine introduced me to some videos he found online. I didn’t know Krumping existed, but the internet opened the doors to something new for me. It was exciting as I could really relate to the quality of movement and I loved the energy.

Then the documentary “Rize” came out and blew my mind, I was hooked. Again, I wanted to experience Krumping from where it came from and I applied for fundings. The Lisa Ullman Traveling Scholarship Fund allowed me to go to Los Angeles and do choreographic research on Krumping. 

I created a strong relationship with Demolition Crew. Fudd (one of the leaders of the crew) took me under his wing, I became Lady Fudd. I trained with them and got to understand Krump culture from the inside. The energy and also the friendships people created amongst themselves through dance was so strong and so beautiful.

I not only got to understand Krump culture but I also started to understand the social and economical climate of the area more in-depth. Gang culture is very predominant in South Los Angeles and this is impacting all areas of lives: who people date or don’t date, how people dress, how people walk, when people go home, how people address one another, etc. Gun crime has made and continues to make many victims.

Myself and Demolition Crew set up a Krumping Theatre project in Long Beach and Compton a few years later. I lead workshops and introduced local dancers to the art of Dance Theatre, and they trained me more and more with my Krumping technique. We did a whole hour show in a small local theatre venue and one of our piece then got programmed for a festival in Hollywood! It was a massive achievement to be able to perform our Krumping Theatre piece at the Ford Amphitheatre for the Annual Juice Hiphop Festival, the venue is truly magnificent!

 What made you want to combine the medium of Theatre with Dance?

My interest for Hiphop Theatre started when I was a young dancer in Belgium. However there wasn’t much Hiphop Theatre around due to a lack of fundings.  Even today, the Hiphop Theatre sector is really struggling to receive support back home.

My Belgian mentors encouraged me to pursue the path of choreography even though I was still trying to articulate what I wanted to do with my “dance life”.

As a young Hiphop dancer, I thought the only way I could make a living from my art was by doing commercial work: corporate events, music videos, etc. But I didn’t feel happy, and I felt pressured by the industry as I never met the physical requirements, I was never slim enough or sexy enough, and “something” was missing.

Despite the many rejections and the commercial dance jobs which didn’t trigger much enthusiasm on my behalf, deep down I knew I wanted to “make it” in the dance industry. I knew dancing was my purpose but I couldn’t really articulate where I wanted to go.

I then got into a Contemporary Dance Company who were looking for dancers from different backgrounds (I was actually the only Hiphop dancer who got through the audition).  I worked with “La Compagnie” for a year and it opened up a new world.  I got to experience a new approach to choreography which was new to me.

When moving to London in 2005, I was surrounded by role models and artists who were passionate about Hiphop Theatre. It changed my life, radically!

Hiphop Theatre allowed me to express myself artistically and intellectually.  I felt I was an artist who had something to say, and Hiphop Theatre gave me a platform to do so.

I attended “The Surgery” and Jonzi D’s workshops regularly, I trained with various peers and explored Hiphop Theatre work, I did research at the British Library and read about the Hiphop Theatre movement in the USA, I looked up on Hiphop Theatre pioneers such as Benji Reid and Robert Hilton. I also looked up to Franck Wilson (performer), he is an incredible inspiration for me, he has such a powerful charisma on stage, and our conversations always make me grow.

At the start of my career as a choreographer, I created abstract work.

My inspirations where very social and politically driven. I wanted to impact audiences on a deeper level, initiate debates around social issues. So my work soon became very narrative driven. Hungry for more knowledge, I started researching the art of storytelling. A new journey began in 2011 when Faith Drama Productions commissioned me for my first full length production: “Voices in the Alleyway” when I was mentored by Gbemisola Ikumelo (Theatre Director / Playwright).  After the production I went off to a 6 months research trip and spent 3 months in NYC focussing on improv’ comedy, acting, play writing and screenwriting.  Coming back to the UK in 2012, I continued my training as a writer and storyteller by doing various courses in screenwriting, creative writing, stand up comedy and more. This unique journey and the knowledge I acquired over the years have informed and nurtured my work as a dancer and choreographer.

(I will be teaching a full day workshop on Storytelling for Dance on Wed 13th May 11am-3pm at Stratford Circus (info and registrations: www.eastlondondance.org)

  You’ve recently been working on International Dance Theatre exchanges- what is your dream outcome from these exchanges?

I am very proud to say I have impacted and collaborated with about 65 dancers across the world on various Dance Theatre Exchange Programs (Belgium, Los Angeles, Jamaica). And I will soon work with the British Council on a Dancehall Theatre Program in Venezuela, which I am very excited about!

I truly believe it is through International Exchanges that we tap into our leadership potential.

When going abroad we learn to receive and to give.  We become a sponge and are hungry to learn, we are excited and everything is new.  We also learn to give, but before we “give” to others we must ask ourselves how we can contribute to others, and we must reflect on our strengths and abilities.

Being abroad we are vulnerable as we are out of our comfort zones. 

We are in another country for a limited amount of time, so we learn to drop our fears and take action to achieve our goals, as we know time is limited and the trip will come an end.  It is all of this that allows us to grow and develop our leadership potential.

We also discover that all artists in the world have similar struggles, but we answer them differently.  It is through these exchanges that we find new solutions and try out new approaches.

My long term vision is to set up an organization which can support regular international exchanges for dancers. I want to find a model that can allow these projects to become more sustainable in the long run and allow more street dancers to access the power and beauty of Theatre.

The ultimate dream is to make documentaries or films about the exchanges to inspire others and bring more knowledge about various cultures to audiences.

   In 2012, you adapted the classic tale ’School for Wives’ adding your dancehall twist to re-tell the story. If you could adapt another tale in the future what would it be? 

I was commissioned by Midland Actors Theatre to create a Jamaican re-adaptation of a Moliere classic.  “School for Wives” became “School fi Wifey”. It was a very enriching experience, the process was challenging as it was my first commission as a playwright. It truly pushed me outside of my comfort zone.

Moliere only wrote comedies, so the creative process and rehearsals were a lot of fun! It also thought me a lot about comedy, which is another area of interest I have been exploring for the last few years. It is somehow easier to make people cry than to make people laugh!

My biggest dream, and challenge, is to write a unique authentic story myself which I could translate in dance.  Even though I would love to re-adapt existing stories into a dance version, at the moment I am focussing my creative time on trying to write a groundbreaking story myself.

My latest project is my new solo. I will be performing “Time is Ticking, Phone is Ringing” at Breakin’ Convention 2015.  It is the start of a new narrative about love and romance, which I hope to develop over the next year into a much longer version.

Where did you travel to as a Dance Backpacker that had the greatest influence on your work?

I think it was my first trips to Africa and my encounters with rappers and Hiphop lovers in Niger that influenced me the most. I went several times to Niamey (my first trip was in 1999). 

Being able to exchange with peer Hiphop lovers in another continent made me understand how much international exchanges were important. We were part of a worldwide community. Hiphop created the opportunity for us to bond. I observed Hiphop being influenced by the local culture. I understood that everywhere in the world artists have similar struggles but we find different answers to our problems. We shared our dreams, we shared about what inspired us.  We all expressed our thoughts and emotions through Hiphop.

I think this is what sparked what would follow after in my career...

What advice would you give to any young people out there looking to get into dance in general but particularly dancehall?

Do not stay stuck behind your screen watching YouTube.  The internet can be a great tool to find information, but it can also be a great tool for “disinformation”.

Go and experience the dance forms your practice. Do what it takes to go to the root of it, in other words: travel. Find a way, don’t let anything stop you from reaching that goal.

Read. Read books and articles about the genres you practice.

Advice when it comes to Dancehall...

-  Go to Jamaica, experience Dancehall in Kingston, you won’t come back the same.

-  Research Dancehall, but also Reggae and Jamaican Folk dance forms such as Kumina, Dinki Mini, Revival. It will inform your practice and your understanding of the genre as a whole.

-  Read books (by Dona Hope or Carolyn Cooper for example).

What exciting plans or projects have you got coming up in the next year?

I will lead a one day workshop on “Storytelling in Dance” on Wed 13th May 11am-3pm at Stratford Circus.  The Workshop is part of East London Dance’s Dance Forum series.

I recently set up a professional development program for Hiphop, Dancehall, Krumping, Afobeats artists who want to create Theatre work. The first training program took place in Brussels in January 2015 and was produced in association with Zinnema.

The program offered Artistic training as well as Business training to the participants. It was a massive success!! So “1000Pieces Puzzel - the Dance Career Bootcamp” will be back in Jan/Feb 2016 and take place both in Belgium and in the UK!! We are currently applying for fundings to allow 30 artists to be involved in this Belgium/UK exchange program.

This year I am also focussing on myself as a performer. I want to develop my solo “Time is ticking, phone is ringing” into a full length production over the next year, and use new technologies, which is a totally new area of research for me. It is a very exciting process!

Cindy Claes

www.cindyclaes.com