African Routes 2026: Fair Play – Day 3

Maxine Brown curator for Bend Down Low

Maxine has spent decades working in various communities throughout the UK, Europe, Africa, and the Caribbean, specializing in African People’s classical and contemporary dance (APD). As a teacher, lecturer, and choreographer, she has dedicated herself to sharing the richness of APD at numerous educational establishments and community groups both locally and internationally. Her extensive involvement in APD has allowed her to become well-acquainted with current developments and practices, and regularly engages with a wide network of practitioners, attending specialist workshops and events to stay abreast of the latest trends.

Her experience includes bringing people together for collaborative projects, coordinating performances and events, and inspiring participants to maintain high levels of interest and engagement. Beyond dance, she is skilled in African crafts, often conducting workshops creating costumes for performers. Currently, works as the Community Engagement Manager at NML while also working as a freelance creative artist and movement educator.

Kerri Ankrah-Lucas

Kerri Ankrah-Lucas is a Liverpool-based creative producer, music industry professional and founder of Staged Kaos CIC and Decks in the City. Her work is rooted in music, culture and community, creating opportunities for people who are often underrepresented in the creative industries.

Working with local communities, artists, venues, festivals and cultural organisations, Kerri develops projects that bring people together, build confidence and create real pathways into the music industry. At the heart of her work is a simple belief: culture is most powerful when everyone has the opportunity to be part of it.

Wendy Okoli

Wendy Okoli is a Dancer, Actor and Model of Nigerian Heritage. She specialises in teaching and performing Afro dance and Brazilian Samba. Wendy is the co-founder of Samba Livre, a dance troupe that performs all over the country at various events as well as commercials and TV. As an Afro dancer, Wendy teaches at colleges and youth centres as well as giving dance workshops in collaboration with various CICs such as Afrodance Academy, Movema, Wigle Dance Dance CIC, Everything Human Rights CIC to name a few, and is presently working with Everyman Theatre as a Movement director and Cultural consultant for an upcoming play.

Francis Angol/Movement Angol

Francis is the founder and Artistic Director of Movement Angol dance, a UK based Dance Company that produces work which draws from the teachings and practices of dance from the African Diaspora and Western Contemporary dance. Francis other roles are that of Somatic Movement Educator/Therapist, performing artist, choreographer, and Lecturer in dance, working extensively in higher and further education, professional and community practice.

His work is greatly underpinned by Somatic practice which forms the framework for his artistic explorations. His work is deeply rooted in the spirituality of the self, and offers individuals a fresh and creative approach to engaging with their bodies to awaken the inner self through a dialogue of movement, rhythm, dance, imagery, and the imagination. This forms the basis of his “embodied flow” dance practice.

During the course of his career Francis has produced work that has contributed to the enrichment of British dance culture through a range of training programmes, classes, courses, and performance works. His company Movement Angol, was one of the first UK based dance companies to stage the festival of contemporary African dance art – ‘Flat Feet Dance Festival’. This was a performance platform, showcasing works by UK dance artist who draw from the teachings and practices of dance from the African Diaspora in their work.

As well as working in the UK, he has worked overseas and held various artist in residence positions at a number of artistic establishments including the Edna Manley School of Dance in Jamaica, Nigeria State Council – Lagos, Merseyside Dance Initiative (MDI), Singapore – WOMAD, York St John University, to name but a few.

Dr. H. Patten MBE

Dr ‘H’ Patten, Artistic Director of Koromanti Arts and ‘H’ Patten Dance Theatre Company is an experienced choreographer, performer, filmmaker, storyteller, visual artist and author. His international reputation in African and Caribbean arts spans over 35 years. Winning several awards, including the Jamaican High Commission 50th Anniversary Award for services in Arts, Culture and Entertainment (2012), ‘H’ has worked/researched/trained across Africa and the Caribbean. Choreographing for the National dance companies of Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Malawi, and Jamaica’s Stella Maris Dance Ensemble, he has worked on major UK productions, including the critically acclaimed ‘Fences’ (2013) starring Lenny Henry. Gaining his PhD at Canterbury Christ Church University (2019), ‘H’ authored the ground-breaking – Reading Religion and Spirituality in Jamaican Reggae Dancehall Dance: Spirit Bodies Moving, Routledge (2022) and multiple publications. An (2020) Independent Social Research Foundation (ISRF) Scholar, researching British reggae/dancehall dance(2020), ‘H’ was the storytelling consultant on the Open University’s DEPA project (2021-2025), and lead researcher on: The 10th International Conference of Carnival & Masquerade Arts – Rhythm of a People: Tradition, Connection, Innovation and Decolonisation, at University of Education, Winneba, Ghana (2023), the Salone DEPA storytelling, theatre and film project, Sierra Leone (2021 and 2023-25) and the DEPA Dance for Camera project Sierra Leone/UK (2024-25). ‘H’ is currently choreographer for The Song of Njama a live musical dance theatre production in Sierra Leone (2026) and is presently developing his reggae/dancehall musical production and documentary film programmes.

Ruvimbo Bliss Munodawafa

Ruvimbo is a self-taught dance artist passionate about African diasporic movement and Somatic dance practices, influenced by identity and lived experience. Her practice includes performance, choreography, collaborative creation, facilitation and teaching.

With the mentorship from Maxine Brown, a leading UK Diasporic practitioner and Francis Angol, a pioneer of Black British Dance.

Their guidance has enabled her to draw on her Zimbabwean roots and Scouse identity; combining intuitive and traditional African movement with contemporary flow, to begin an exploration into the body as a vessel for personal experience, cultural memory and social history.

Karen Gallagher MBE

Born in Liverpool, trained at the Laban Centre for Movement and Dance in London in the early 80’s. Set up the dance and mime department for Second Out Theatre Workshop (1986) Programme Manager of 051 Media Training Limited (1991-92), Assistant Director at Cheshire Dance Workshop (1992-94), now Cheshire Dance, becoming Artistic Director of MDI (1994-2018).

A Graduate of Liverpool John Moore’s University (LJMU) in 2007 with an MA in Social Enterprise, received a BMOBO for MDI’s community dance practice (2010) and in 2011 was a runner up for Merseyside Woman of the Year. Awarded an MBE, for services to dance (2012) and awarded an Honorary Fellow of LJMU (2014), and Honorary Life Member of People Dancing (2016). In 2020 set up Karen Gallagher and Associates and works freelance.