Conrad Murray chats Beats meets ballet
Here at ET we’re big fans of Conrad Murray. His hip hop theatre work with Beats & Elements and the Battersea Arts Centre’s Beatboxing Academy shout loudly that working class kids should and can have a voice in creating brilliant art. He and his team are constantly breaking the rules of theatre, putting new people and voices on stage in innovative and exciting ways. From live shows at some of the world’s most celebrated venues to global success online, to reimagined classic novels and even Shakespeare, they have shattered cultural barriers and opened gateways to new creatives. Now we find out they’re in a collaboration with Rambert on a brand new project, Future Movement. We just have to know what that’s all about!
Hi Conrad. Happy New Year to you! You’re already involved in something special, ready to kickstart 2025. Can you tell us about the Future Movement project and why it was set up?
Happy New Year! Yes it is a brand new collab for us. It is a creative project aimed at engaging creatives across the UK which culminates in a Iive performance in Liverpool. Future Movement is Rambert’s free, innovative national youth programme designed for 16-21 year olds, opening up creative doors whether you’re into performing, design, filmmaking or backstage roles.
My good friend and producer Daniel Fulvio (we worked together at Camden Peoples Theatre), who works for Rambert, asked if Beats & Elements (me, Paul Cree and associate artist Nadine Rose Johnson) would be the creative lead on Future Movement. This would mean we would share our creative practice of hip hop and gig theatre, with us delivering workshops – allowing artists to use some of the skills we share with them; beatboxing, rapping, spoken word, singing and looping. We would help them to write and create pieces, which could potentially be part of the final show. We also direct and give feedback on some of the material that they have created with their facilitators.
It was really exciting to be asked to be part of a collab with Rambert, as they are an extremely prestigious organisation, and pretty cool to work with them.
Something that really excites me about the project is that there are people who are trained and very knowledgeable about performance and the industry. We also have others who just want to experience something creative. The diversity amongst the groups is fantastic, and creates great dynamics or excitement, exploration and wonder.
The project connects locations nationwide. Who will be involved, and who is it aimed at?
There are three different groups, Liverpool, Mansfield, and the one in London which actually takes part at the Rambert studios. Feels very cool being in there – quite a privilege!
Each location has their own creative leader facilitating the groups, working on stuff before Paul, Nadine and I go in. Something that I think that is important in our Beats & Elements Future Movement team is that we are working class artists, with me and Nadine being global majority. It is important for young people to get the opportunity to see that many different people from different backgrounds are experienced experts in art and performance, and for participants to also be able to see themselves.
Unlike a casual club, Future Movement is a weekly space that takes its young artists seriously, encouraging young people to push creative boundaries and develop skills that matter for their future as artists.
What makes these sessions more than just a dance club?
It is much more than dance because we incorporate beatbox, rapping, acting and spoken word. There are also opportunities for people to learn about backstage work, design and stage management.
One of the performers, Amy, is a contemporary dancer who is using her performance to express how she feels engaging with the world as someone who is visually impaired. She is also accompanied by beatboxing, singing and spoken word by Naomi, Holly and Callum.
What has the response been like from your participants? Are they ready to embrace ballet?
I think a few of them are quite ready to embrace ballet – they were more scared about the beatbox!
There are quite a few movers/dancers who are experimenting and collaborating with other creators.
The artists have dived right in, and some of them who were reluctant to call themselves ‘singers’ are now writing and performing their own lyrics.
Is there going to be a performance at the end of the work?
Yes! The programme culminates in a performance event in Liverpool on Sunday 22 March 2025, offering participants the chance to showcase their work live, celebrating collaboration and creative growth.
And finally, what do you hope the participants will come away with when the project is finished?
A lot of them want to get into the creative and performing arts industry, and I want them to feel like they have taken part in a professional performance, hopefully having gained some skills and experience and they will be able to showcase their talents and feel proud of it. For the whole group, I hope that they make friends, get creative and make some cool memories!
Thanks so much to Conrad for telling us about this amazing project. We really look forward to hearing more about it in the future and seeing how everyone gets on.
