A founding member of Movema, one of my earliest memories is dancing with my dad on the Carnival float around the streets of Liverpool when I was younger, and then it was when I formally started dancing when I was 28 that I realised it’s important to do what you really want to in life, as it’s too short not to!

From there I started a HND course at Liverpool City College, where I met Pei, and during that time I became interested in understanding myself more, and that came through from wanting to explore dance styles from the African Diaspora, keen on learning more about diverse practitioners such as Pearl Primus. From there, I realised I was interested in dance styles that explored culture and people. African Dance is something I love to learn about, and I’ll continue to learn about it forever more – I love to share West African Dance forms with the community! ⁣

"Dance is therapy for me – not only is it good for your body but it’s great for your mind, to be free of the chaotic world that we live in. I think dance allows you freedom to express yourself, whether alone or with others, and I love that Movema allows me to do all this as my job!"

Ithalia Forel