Moving Online: Ontology and Ownership of Internet Dance Seminar Series

Seminar 1: Appropriation, crediting, and biting/movement theft

Tuesday, 8th October 2024 at 4pm-5.30pm (BST) ONLINE

Link: https://forms.office.com/e/ZdEzupE4c8

Reviewing Jim Vernon’s Sampling, Biting, and the Postmodern Subversion of Hip Hop (2021), Claire McLeish (2023, 90) notes that Vernon’s work questions ‘how… a genre known for its sampling—its reuse of previously recorded musical material— [could] also hold a prohibition against “biting” (that is to say, stealing, or copying), when it comes to lyrics?’ In this Moving Online seminar, hip hop dance artists and choreographers Joshua Effi and Lauren Scott bring the question to hip hop dance based on their own professional industry experience. After a brief response to the question in relation to their own work, Effi and Scott will have a conversation with Vipavinee Artpradid on the complexities of appropriation, crediting, and movement theft in hip hop, krump, breaking, and animation. 

This event is part of a seminar series arising from Moving Online: Ontology and Ownership of Internet Dance. The research is supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council [grant number AH/W01002X/1]. For more information about the other events in the series please see here.

If you have any question about the seminar series, or would like to join the Ontology and Ownership research group, please contact Hetty Blades: hetty.blades@coventry.ac.uk .

Artist Profiles

Josheffi is the stage name of Joshua Effi, a Nigerian-born dancer and choreographer. He has gained recognition for his dynamic and energetic dance style, particularly in hip-hop, Krump, Breaking, and Animation. Effi started his dance journey in Nigeria and later moved to the UK in 2020, where he continued to develop his craft.

Effi’s dance career began during his time at Covenant University in Nigeria, where he earned a degree in Sociology. In 2017, he founded Divinity Dance Company in Nigeria, which provided a creative space for young people to express themselves through dance, engage in educational activities, and foster community development. He later pursued an MSc in International Development at Northumbria University in the UK. 

Currently, Josh is active in the UK dance scene, where he has participated in various performances and workshops, including the Dance Base’s Hip-Hop Live and Direct in Edinburgh and classes at Dance City in Newcastle. His work often explores themes of cultural identity and social issues, and he remains deeply connected to his Nigerian roots, which he incorporates into his performances​.

Instagram:josheffi, LinkedIn: Joshua Effi, X:@effijoshua

Lauren Scott

Lauren Scott is a multi-disciplinary artist specialising in popping, hip hop and contemporary dance. Lauren was a grand finalist in BBC Young Dancer 2022 and part of Queens Speech Exchange, a feature documentary of a female-led hip hop collaboration between the UK and the Philippines to create hip hop theatre. Lauren continues to express the artistry of street styles amongst contemporary environments, exploring the lens and structure of hip hop. Lauren assisted Brooke Millner in the development of Brooke’s commission for the Moving Online project.

See Lauren Scott’s One Shot Dance Film on Breakin’ Convention BCTV at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8SXU2DzHoY&list=PLvSvb7mP9Gp-QeUJTL9uCq1QbWJGi–4Y&index=5

Instagram: laurenscott1.0 (https://www.instagram.com/laurenscott1.0)

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/laurenlscott

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