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Stepping Up in Lozells

Jane — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 15:59:25 +0000

When it comes to having street cred i think i miss the mark. Put me in a recording studio and ask me to MC and i wouldn’t have clue. For the last ten days i’ve been blown away by the talent of young people in Lozells, Birmingham. I’ve been documenting Step Up + Step Out, a summer arts project where young people get stuck in to movie making, MC’ing, street dance and a whole host of other workshops.

Directing a movie

The guys are in to movie making, and act out scenes of street fights, meetings in dark grafitti covered underpasses, money exchanging hands, high speed chases on foot. Of course, as with every good movie, in the concluding scene the protagonists change their ways and a resolution is found between gangs.

When it comes to music, thanks to the project, i’ve discovered a little gem, the Young Disciples recording studio, tucked away above a shop on Lozells Road. Packed full of state of the art macs and recording equipment it’s a great place to find young local talent sweating out the beats over an open mic session. Each young guy projecting a natural air of ‘cool’ in the fast and furious atmosphere of the breathless, dimly lit studio.

MC'ing in the recording studio

The girls are pretty hot on street dance, each one watching their moves reflected in the mirrors in the dance studio above Gerrard St Methodist Church. They barely get to the end of a track before they fall about laughing when one of the group misses a beat, forgets the step or complains that the track is too fast. Their faces start to become familiar to me as the girls return at the next session to perfect what they started.

Street Dance

The Guardian reports that since the success of dance troupe Diversity on ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent the hiring of street dance instructors has tripled in schools, not to mention spilling over in to summer holiday activity schemes like this one.

If that’s anything to go by, who knows, maybe Lozells is growing young talent today that we’ll see on our TV screens tomorrow.

Watch this space!

High Rise to Power: Speak Out Magazine

Jane — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 10:57:46 +0000

Isn’t it great when you stumble upon a real gem…

Brap is an equality and human rights charity based in Birmingham who have launched their very own magazine called Speak Out. Under the strapline ‘Same City, Different Lives . This is Birmingham…’ the magazine invites contibutors and readers to share opinions and consider what it’s like to live in one of the country’s most ‘diverse’ cities.

So that’s why I thought i’d make my own contibution with the feature article:

High Rise to Power (Speak Out, Issue 4: pages 2, 8 – 10). It’s about single mums, Lynsey, 23, and Carina, 21, who took their chance to speak out in Parliament about their experiences living on a council estate in Birmingham.

There are very few magazines like Speak Out that give an opportunity to profile stories of people in Birmingham that might otherwise go unheard.

Lets hope those that can bring about change listen up!

Jane — Wed, 13 May 2009 12:20:53 +0000

Lynsey, 23, at the bus stop with her daughter Keeley, aged 5. Birmingham, UK (from High Rise to Power series).