Photography: Kieran Irvine, just before the show... (No photos allowed during the show).
Back in December 2023, following my Supreme Standards show at Amazing Grace (London Bridge), I was invited by Tomorrow's Warriors to perform for Nutcracker Nights at the iconic pop-up, Tuff Nutt Jazz Club, which housed McOnie's reimagining of the Nutcracker ballet at London's cultural hub, the Southbank Centre. With music scored by the incredible composer and saxophonist Cassie Kinoshi and performed by a live jazz band, the ballet was quite the occasion, and it was such an honour to follow with a live Ni Maxine set.
With limited ticket availability on the night, it was a busy room filled with people wanting to listen to a journey through the life of a Black British woman making sense of her experiences, and by the end of the night, we had the audience up, dancing with us on the very floor the ballet dancers had graced before our set - It felt very special.
As a child, I attended ballet classes with a lovely lady, Miss Sims, who always believed in my ability to dance and pushed me as much as she could to be the best that I could be. Sadly, I didn't see the ballet world as a space for me, because I wasn't aware of ballet dancers who looked like me, and had my physique - Ballet buns and tucking in bums for my ballet exams was quite the challenge, with all of my curls and kinks, but I will always remember the freedom that dancing gave me. If I remember rightly, I stopped going to ballet classes around the time I started my GCSEs and for years, the only dancing that I did was 'in the club', apart from a stint of street dancing, but in 2023, I was tasked with creating a music video for a cover I recorded, 'Changing Every Day' and it was time to buy a new pair of ballet shoes and re-connect with my body. I'll share more about that soon, but for now, the Ni Maxine Nutcracker Night...
Since the show was in London, it made sense to work with a London band, so I brought together some musicians who I'd worked with on other shows, and we spent a few hours on the day rehearsing at Southbank (quite typical for shows like this). I'd never met the bass player before (he was recommended to me by the drummer), and I was absolutely blown away by what he did!
A huge thanks to AC for arranging access to the space at Southbank which we were able to rehearse in, such a huge help and it was so nice to be in that room again, where I'd met some of the artists I look up to, through Tomorrow's Warriors' amazing workshops.
Speaking of Tomorrow's Warriors, I absolutely adore this organisation and everything that they do to empower and support the next generation of UK Jazz stars. With 30 years of success stories under their belts, they are a force to be reckoned with, and do vital work to ensure that the future of UK Jazz is diverse, inclusive, Black, Female and accessible. Important! They are currently fundraising to keep their music education programming free and widen their offer so that more young people can access their support so if you're able to, please consider donating to their #IAmWarrior fundraiser and recommending this to whoever will listen!
While we're here, London, my next show is a going to be a very special one! I'm live-recording an album at Pizza Express Holborn on Friday 26th April 2024, my 'Ode To Billie Holiday' show. I'd love to see some familiar faces there! To get tickets, tap here. See you there!