About
Body Politic is a flagship female led organisation, whose work empowers the voices of young people from under-represented communities both, on and off the stage.
Who We Are
Founded in Oxford in 2012, by Emma-Jane Greig, Body Politic is a not-for-profit professional Hip Hop Dance Theatre company.
Having relied so heavily on dance as a young person to navigate and understand her own grief, Emma-Jane realised the transformational and universal power of dance and artistic expression. Through her work Emma-Jane seeks to help children and young people grow confidence, challenge perceptions, and develop as young leaders of the future.
Emma-Jane created a flagship female led organisation, whose work empowers the voices of young people from under-represented communities both, on and off the stage.
Body Politic is passionate about bringing cultural experiences to those facing significant barriers. We tackle big themes and challenging subjects, and strive to create meaningful experiences for audiences and participants.
As well as professional touring, Body Politic provides vital life-changing work to young aspiring artists from diverse communities through an enriching programme of training, mentoring, paid opportunities and internships.
We strive to ensure that true representation of community, people and place are reflected in the organisation from board level to the young people we work with.
vision
Body Politic’s Vision is to transform the lives and experiences of young people from vulnerable and marginalised communities through Hip Hop Dance theatre.
Mission
Body Politic’s Mission is to change the landscape of Hip Hop Dance Theatre through innovative collaborations, productions and outreach work, locally, regionally and nationally.
values
Body Politic believe…
- that Hip Hop Dance Theatre can transform the lives and experiences of young people from vulnerable and marginalised communities, and strive to provide infrastructure, training and support to help promote these young people.
- everyone has the right to experience art and culture, and fight to ensure that our work is accessed by those who are often excluded due to inaccessibility or cost.
- in the power of working collaboratively to continuously challenge, reinvent and elevate new voices within the cultural sector.
The Body Politic Programme:
Body Politic is made up of two core strands: creative learning and productions & touring
Creative learning
- Community and outreach are two of the driving forces behind BP’s work. We deliver a subsidised programme of dance activity in Oxford, and work with school engagement officers, social services and other local organisations to target young people most in need.
- Body Politic is passionate about investing in the continued development of our artistic workforce. We deliver transformative career pathways for young artists equipping them with the skills, confidence and leadership to inform future success.
- All of our programmes aim to nurture young artists through the development of transferable skills, boosting employability and representation within the cultural landscape.
Productions & Touring
- We work collaboratively with a range of artists to ensure that our artistic voice and foundation is continually evolving.
- In bringing together different diverse artists and prioritising shared learning it has enabled Body Politic to produce authentic, relevant and essential work.
- We are passionate about bringing Hip Hop Dance Theatre to audiences aged 3-25yrs, sparking conversation on challenging topics and helping to raise awareness.
- We prioritise working with venues and dance houses with successful youth participation and education programmes. This enables our work to have a lasting impact and evoke real change.
Emma-Jane Grieg
Artistic Director
After graduating with BSc (Hons) in Psychology from the University of Manchester, Emma-Jane founded professional hip hop theatre company, Body Politic. As Artistic Director, Emma-Jane Greig works collaboratively with creatives to approach taboo…
RAJPAL PARDESI
Chair of Directors
Raj is a dedicated senior arts professional with a highly successful background in Dance, Theatre and Music. Throughout his career, Raj has taken numerous independent artists through to National Portfolio Organisation status and others…
With your support, we are able to continue to deliver our ambitious and enriching programme of work, ensuring that it reaches the audiences and people who benefit the most.
Testimonials
“Pegasus is thrilled to be working in partnership with Body Politic to deliver hip-hop classes to young people, and build the profile of hip-hop and street dance as an art form in the city and beyond. We are looking forward to working together on several initiatives that will enrich the lives of young people through our combined expertise, experience, and shared values.”
“During my time as Relationship Manager for Dance at Arts Council England, South East I was impressed with the grit, creativity and imagination shown by Body Politic in all their projects.
Working at the very grass roots and inspiring new generations with their teaching through to thought-provoking, hip hop inspired shows is no easy task and they manage it great skill and spirit.”
“Having known Emma-Jane and worked with Body Politic for several years now, I have always been impressed by their dedication to the development and nurturing of young people’s talent, well-being and constantly inspiring them to strive to be the best that they can be. The energy and passion is their main driving force, with an unswerving commitment to both inform, challenge and inspire audiences with their work.
Their performance works feeds seamlessly through to their education work; developing and encouraging the talents of the younger generation, with inspiring and talented role models. They are a company both Dancin’ Oxford dance festival and Oxford City Council’s Culture Team are proud to support, and Dancin’ Oxford looks forward to continuing the strong partnership, they have developed over the last couple of years.”
GET INVOLVED WITH THE COMPANY
We’re always looking for passionate people who would like to get more involved in the work that we’re doing. If you’re interested in marketing, media or you’re an artist looking for work, we’d love to hear from you!
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