Caught by the River presents: Places and Spaces – Reflections from the perspective of the dancefloor
Taking place at The Social, London W1, on Wednesday 6th November,
7pm – 11pm
With guests Kayo Chingonyi, Rob Gallagher, Emma Warren, Belinda Zhawi and DJ Haseeb Iqbal.
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Dancefloors are at the heart of this Caught by the River special. The evening brings together four writers who have captured the magic and medicine of hours spent in the dance, each bringing their unique experiences and perspectives to the page.
Kayo Chingonyi’s latest book Kumukanda won the Dylan Thomas Prize. He writes often about the significance of music and the lure of the dancefloor. His three all-time favourite club experiences are going to Funkmosphere in LA, Josey Rebelle playing Cosmic Slop in Leeds and the moment Floating Points dropped Tarika Blue’s ‘Dream Flower’ at Brilliant Corners sometime in 2016.
Rob Gallagher’s limited edition Dancefloors of England is a bespoke, hand-printed poetry collection that positions the dance floor as underwater kingdom where waves of bass crash over and through and where connections are made.
Emma Warren’s book Make Some Space and her pamphlet Steam Down: How Things Begin are born from decades in the dance, and they remind us that we need places to gather – and that we’ve been dancing in the dark for time immemorial.
Belinda Zhawi’s recent collection Small Inheritances weaves together stories from South East London and Southern Africa and her poem ‘Passing Clouds’ brings us right into the heart of the dance floor. She regularly improvises with Steam Down and is Schools Artist in Residence at Serpentine Galleries.
Spoken word poet, podcast host and DJ Haseeb Iqbal will be playing tunes before, in between and after speakers. Having been profiled by The Fader, he has gone on to perform at the likes of Brainchild Festival, the Roundhouse and the ICA, as well as the Edinburgh Fringe. With a weekly residency on Wired Radio, he has also played an array of shows on NTS, Balamii and Netil, and also hosts the recently-launched Mare Street Records – a DIY podcast platform documenting the thriving London jazz and creative scene.
Advance tickets £12, available here.