Series 9: Episode 9: Breaking Barriers: Racial Equity in Dance with Imogen Aujla and Stacey Green
🎧 https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/resdance/
In this second episode with ResDance, Stacey and Imogen explore their thinking around racial equity in dance, drawing on the work of the TIRED movement and their three-year RED Research Project into representation in dance training and education.
The conversation centres on the barriers faced by those from the global majority in accessing training and education, the role of research in driving meaningful change, and the need for greater transparency, leadership, and collective responsibility across the sector. Stacey and Imogen reflect on positive institutional shifts emerging through the RED project; the wider work of TIRED; celebrate the ongoing impact of TIRED Ambassadors and young people paving the way for change and share recent milestones. This episode is one of hope, responsibility, and a shared commitment to collective change.
Imogen is a dance psychology specialist from Dance in Mind. Her work covers research, lecturing, resource development, and psychological coaching. She originally trained as a dancer before specialising in dance science and later dance psychology. She has a PhD in dance psychology and a Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.
Stacey Green is the co-founder of both the TIRED Movement (Trying to Improve Racial Equality in Dance) and the UK’s new inclusive dance brand, Shades Dancewear. She is also the principal of a well-established dance school with over 30yrs teaching experience. She currently delivers talks all over the UK, raising awareness about the importance of racial representation in dance education.
Link to listen: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/resdance/
@movementtired @shadesdancewear @dance_in_mind_uk @uoc_dance @uocdancescience @uoc_conservatoire
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Stacey Green – TIRED Movement Co-Founder and Director
“From the very first time I stepped into a ballet class back in 1979, I immediately noticed I was different. Even at the age of just four years old, the predominately white environment I found myself in felt strange but I didn’t know why. I do now. What was apparent then, is still apparent now. The lack of black representation within dance education is clearly something that needs to be addressed. If children and young people don’t see someone that looks like them at the top of the pyramid of power, then how do they aspire to be in that space or identify with that profession? As the principal of my own performing arts school and over 25yrs of experience working within the industry, teaching children and young people to embrace not just the artform but their ethnicity has always been paramount. As a mixed race educator I have spent the past 42yrs competing in a sector that is predominately white, with very few opportunities to voice my concerns about the lack of representation within The British Festival Federation and various examining boards.”
Contact details:
- Email: info@tiredmovement.com
- @movementtired on Instagram and X
- TIRED Movement on Facebook
Other social media handles:
- Shades Dancewear
- info@shades-dancewear.com
- @shadesdancewear on Instagram, TikTok, X, Facebook, Pinterest
Dr. Imogen Aujla
Imogen is a freelance dance psychology researcher, lecturer, and life and wellbeing coach. She originally trained as a dancer before specialising in dance science and later dance psychology. She has a PhD in dance psychology and a Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. Prior to going freelance, Imogen was a Senior Lecturer in Dance and Course Coordinator of the MSc Dance Science at the University of Bedfordshire. As well as her project-based freelance work, she is a regular guest tutor on the MAS Dance Science at the University of Bern, Switzerland, is a peer tutor for the mental health charity Mind, and is a member of the Mental Health Advisory Group of the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science. Imogen’s research interests include talent development, inclusive dance, and psychological wellbeing among dancers. She has published over 30 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, and has presented her research internationally.
Contact details:
- Facebook: @danceinmindUK
- Instagram: @dance_in_mind_UK
- Website: www.danceinmind.org
Published sources and recommendations:
Let’s talk about representation in dance (danceinmind.org)
Please share this episode with students, educators, practitioners, performers, and interdisciplinary researchers curious to learn more about dance research in action.
