COMMISSIONED ARTISTS – Just Us Dance Theatre

Shawn began his dance journey in the year 2000 and has been developing as an artist for the last 20 years.
In that time has performed on many different stages and platforms both locally and internationally.
Choreography / Performances:
London - San Francisco - China - Japan - Charlotte NC - Bahrain - Glasgow - DC - Germany - Italy - Spain and more.
Competition / Battles:
London - Hamburg - Amsterdam - Las Vegas - Beijing - Tokyo - Osaka - Moscow - New York - Tallin - Vilnius and more.
Shawn teaches regular classes and workshops and is in particular focused on the continual development of the street dance scene in the UK.
He is also the founder of 'A.I.M Collective' the UK's first female popping crew.
Shawn competes & judges in both choreography and freestyle competitions. He has travelled worldwide and won titles as a solo dancer, as well as alongside his crews Plague/ Pro-Motion & Fiyah House.

This year the Apprenticeship Co have been working with 4 choreographers to show the breadth of Hip Hop dance in the UK in a bill of work live streamed in April. COMMISSIONED ARTISTS Joseph Toonga originates from Cameroon and was raised in East London. Rooted in the Hip Hop culture and form he has established himself as a fore fronting change maker for the scene. He continually looks for authentic reasoning for choreographing and his expertise enables him to engage with other individuals and communities in order to bring stories foreword and empower people during both his research and live performances.

Alongside extensive teaching and independent commissions, Joseph runs his dance company ‘Just Us Dance Theatre’ (JUDT), a collective founded 2007. He established mentoring programmes (Let’s Shine Mentorship and New&Notable) to support and provide opportunities for young Hip-Hop dance artists to achieve their goals. He is also co-founder of artist-led hip-hop initiative ‘Artists4Artists’.
Tali is a movement artist with over 15 years’ experience, in the commercial world as both a dancer and choreographer, with the UK’s most successful hip hop theatre companies and as a teacher, artist and mentor in her own right.
Choreography/movement direction credits inc. Rita Ora, ‘Phoenix’ World Tour; Rita Ora, ‘Let You Love Me’ music video; Years & Years, ‘Palo Santo’ World Tour; X Factor Italia
Tali has delivered choreography classes across Europe, the US and Asia. She is the founder and lead facilitator of identity. ideas. industry., a programme and method designed to encourage dance artists’ curiosity about their creativity and the industry at large, through movement, conversation and literature.
Kenrick ‘H2O’ Sandy MBE is the co-founder and co-Artistic Director of Boy Blue, an Artistic Associate of the Barbican, London, and a renowned choreographer and performer.
Sandy’s credits are extensive; as choreographer he’s responsible for the film R.E.B.E.L (2018), the dance theatre shows REDD (2019), Blak Whyte Gray (2017), The Five & the Prophecy of Prana (2013), A Night With Boy Blue (2018, 2016, 2015, 2013) and Pied Piper: A Hip-Hop Dance Revolution (2007).
Off the main stage, Sandy collaborated with director Danny Boyle for the London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony, winning the Evening Standard’s Beyond Theatre award. Sandy and Boyle reunited in 2017 to film Boy Blue’s Emancipation of Expressionism, a set work on the GCSE Dance syllabus. On screen work includes choreography for The BAFTA Awards, All Stars and T2 Trainspotting, plus appearances on Street Dance 3D and the BBC’s So You Think You Can Dance. Sandy has also created choreography for artists FKA twigs and Rita Ora and brands Nike, adidas and ASOS.
Sandy was awarded an MBE for services to dance and the community in 2017, a Companionship from LIPA and an Honorary Fellowship (HonFGS) from the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in 2018.