by Beverley Harry (Historical Consultant on Ending the Silence)
Bawren, how did you become involved in this project?
I have known Euton for a number of years now and he has always been supportive of my ideas and of my company, Tavaziva Dance. In that time, we have shared memories and aspirations about the past, present and future work, so I felt that I had a good knowledge of what he was planning.
What drew you to the project?
Firstly, I felt honoured that Euton would ask me to be the choreographer for this project as I have tremendous respect for his achievements over the years, he’s an incredible man. He had given me a rough idea of what the script was going to be about and I was excited by his vision and based on his previous work, I knew it was going to be powerful.
Now that you have started work on the project, how do you feel about it now?
Strong- Even though as a black man, I still see things like this still happening (making references to police killing in US ) I also believe that the current political climate Brexit/Tump were both motivated by hatred of fringe and minority groups: women, black people, foreigners, homosexuality, that seemed to rewind the minds and actions of some people. So, works like this gives a heads up that ‘you can’t do it’ (alluding to the hatred), that’s why I love this type of work for the same reason- its ability to send a powerful message and - I take it personally
What is the most moving part for you?
Being a Nigger!
What do you hope people get from the project?
I hope that people will share what they have learnt from watching the performance because it is an education. It’s an education about what happened in the past to black people, and it’s an education about what is happening now to black people. I hope that they see that the situations are similar, though the words may be different, the feelings are the same. Mainly, I want people to watch this and want to share love.
Bawren, how did you become involved in this project?
I have known Euton for a number of years now and he has always been supportive of my ideas and of my company, Tavaziva Dance. In that time, we have shared memories and aspirations about the past, present and future work, so I felt that I had a good knowledge of what he was planning.
What drew you to the project?
Firstly, I felt honoured that Euton would ask me to be the choreographer for this project as I have tremendous respect for his achievements over the years, he’s an incredible man. He had given me a rough idea of what the script was going to be about and I was excited by his vision and based on his previous work, I knew it was going to be powerful.
Now that you have started work on the project, how do you feel about it now?
Strong- Even though as a black man, I still see things like this still happening (making references to police killing in US ) I also believe that the current political climate Brexit/Tump were both motivated by hatred of fringe and minority groups: women, black people, foreigners, homosexuality, that seemed to rewind the minds and actions of some people. So, works like this gives a heads up that ‘you can’t do it’ (alluding to the hatred), that’s why I love this type of work for the same reason- its ability to send a powerful message and - I take it personally
What is the most moving part for you?
Being a Nigger!
What do you hope people get from the project?
I hope that people will share what they have learnt from watching the performance because it is an education. It’s an education about what happened in the past to black people, and it’s an education about what is happening now to black people. I hope that they see that the situations are similar, though the words may be different, the feelings are the same. Mainly, I want people to watch this and want to share love.
