56
THE NEXT GENERATION
INTERVIEW
EMANCIPATION AND EDUCATION BOY BLUE’S COMMITMENT TO EDUCATION AND EXPRESSION
BY ALISON RAY MA www.bit.ly/BoyBlueEOE
Alison Ray MA talks to Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante and Kenrick ‘H20’ Sandy MBE, co-founders of Boy Blue, on their presence on the GCSE Dance syllabus and the importance of diverse dance styles being presented to young people. Founded in London in 2001, Boy Blue, the awardwinning brainchild of composer Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante and choreographer Kenrick ‘H2O’ Sandy MBE, encapsulates the pulse of the city it was born in. Weaving frontline stage and screen work around the elevation of hip hop culture, Boy Blue is an Associate Artist of the Barbican, London. Since 2007 the company has created Pied Piper (2007), which won a Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliated Theatre, Legacy (2011), Touch (2011), The Five & The Prophecy of Prana (2013), A Night With Boy Blue (2013, 2015, 2016, 2018), the Olivier nominated Blak Whyte Gray (2017), Outliers (2018) - Asante’s musical debut in the Barbican Concert Hall - and REDD, which premiered at the Barbican in 2019. Film work includes R.E.B.E.L, commissioned by Sky Arts and ‘Art50’ in 2018.
Kenrick ‘H20’ Sandy MBE © Benji Reid
Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante © xxxx