VISION, MISSION & VALUES
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 2012, Body Politic is a pioneering female-led charitable organisation that uses hip hop dance and arts to empower individuals and communities. Based in Oxford, we aim to inspire positive social change, challenge inequality, and provide a creative platform for those often marginalised in society.
Our vision is to transform the lives and experiences of young people aged 5-25yrs, through meaningful and innovative collaborations, cross-sector partnership working, boundary-pushing productions and outreach work, locally, regionally and nationally.
Body Politic is made up of three core strands of activity: creative learning, artist development and productions & touring.
vision
To transform the landscape of hip hop dance and dance theatre by creating opportunities and platforms for new voices in the cultural sector. We are dedicated to widening access pathways for individuals from marginalised backgrounds, including those underrepresented due to gender, socio-economic status, or ethnicity, ensuring a more inclusive and equitable future for the arts.
mission
Through fostering cross-sector partnerships, producing boundary-pushing hip hop dance theatre, delivery of our flagship Future Leader Programme, National Touring and impactful creative learning opportunities, we aim to inspire meaningful change and create lasting impact at local, regional, and national levels.
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
Emma-Jane works collaboratively with a range of artists to ensure that Body Politic’s artistic voice and foundation are continually evolving. In bringing together different diverse artists and prioritising shared learning has enabled Body Politic to produce authentic, relevant, and essential work.
We are passionate about bringing Hip Hop Dance Theatre to audiences aged 14-25yrs, 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.
Artist Development
Body Politic is committed to widening access routes and ensuring that dance training is accessible, inclusive and appropriately supported. There is a sectorwide issue and lack of support for non-traditional dance styles progression routes. This is particularly evident in non-London centric provision, and as a consequence, young people with low socio-economic status located outside of London, are often excluded due to price, opportunity and belief systems.
In 2024, Body Politic launched its flagship Future Leaders Programme, a 12-month paid professional development programme, that addresses the persistent and widespread lack of diversity and inclusivity in the cultural and physical activity workforce through the long-term investment in eight diverse young artists from under-served areas or who are experiencing marginalisation.
Values
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Community
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Leadership
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Growth
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Innovation
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Kindness
Emma-Jane Greig
Artistic Director
After graduating with BSc (Hons) in Psychology from the University of Manchester, Emma-Jane has dedicated the past 10+yrs to supporting and nurturing the growth of Body Politic.
Lee Griffiths
Chair of Directors
Lee has been working as a producer in the Hip Hop dance community for the past 12 years. She is currently Executive Producer of Far From The Norm, one of the UK’s leading Hip Hop dance companies.
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
“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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