Reminiscing on Twin Cities Dance History
Stories are among our most potent tools. We need to unearth old stories that live in a place and begin to create new ones. We are story makers, not just story tellers. All stories are connected, new ones woven from threads of the old. (Paraphrased – Robin Wall Kimmerer)
Join ARENA DANCES every Thursday lunch break for new podcasts, hosted by Artistic Director Mathew Janczewski. This series will share the histories of notable Twin Cities dance artists and the evolution of the industry’s landscape through time. Each week will feature a new guest of honor, sharing their story and impact on this gem of an arts town.
— Our special guests this week is Olalade Gbadamosi —
To listen to previous episodes, click HERE!
More about today’s special guest –
Ololade Gbadamosi, also known as O, is a Twin Cities native who is a dancing artist, an educator and administrator. Ololade specializes in the dance styles Krump, Hip Hop and Afro Social dances.
Krump is a street dance that stands for Kingdom Radically Uplifting Mighty Praise. Ololade is mostly self taught in this style and has traveled outside of Minnesota to participate in battles and also take classes from other proven krumpers including the creators of the dance style Chez “Tight Eyez” Willis and Jo’Artis “Mijo” Ratti.
Ololade has been a big supporter in the MN Krump & dance community by teaching krump, hosting events such as The Uprizing and being involved in hip hop based performances such as I’m From Vol. 1; The Mixtape series at the Cowles Center; and Rooted Hip Hop Choreographers’ Evening.
He has also performed internationally in Montréal, Canada (Gutta Zone Krump event), Johannesburg, South Africa (One Kasi Arts Summit) and Dusseldorf, Germany (European Buck Session Krump event).
Photo (2) Roosevelt Mansfield
Missed last week’s episode? You can find all our previous interviews by clicking here!