Dancing to Our Own Beat

Available for over a year

Dancer, writer and broadcaster Deborah Bull, looks at the rise of dancing on one's own and in ways that draw on our most basic rhythms and instincts. From the explosion of the twist in the early 1960s, through ska and reggae, to street dance today, Deborah considers how many of the dances which have invited us to "dance to our own beat" have come from Africa and the Caribbean. Along the way she learns some of the key ingredients of traditional African dance, evident in so many of our most popular dances. Producer: Hannah Rosenfelder A Just Radio production for BBC Radio 4.