Wild Heart
by Tadhi Alawi (Dar es Salaam), Barbara Johnston, Anika Johnson, and Suzy Wilde (Toronto)
Tadhi, Barbara, Anika, and Suzy talk with SDF creator Nick about the process of creating this project.
Tadhi Alawi
See more of Tadhi’s work on his website and on our Dance page!
Alawi Saidi (*April 1994), known as Tadhi is a Tanzanian Performing Artist, Choreographer and Yoga-instructor. He is the co-founder and director of Nantea Dance Company.
In 2008 Alawi discovered dancing for himself after watching a tape of Michael Jackson. Soon after the feedback on his ability to dance grew and friends encouraged him to make use of his talent he started to attend several trainings in contemporary dance, traditional dance and urban dances. Since then Tadhi participated in numerous workshops and trainings. Some of them were facilitated by different known international directors and choreographers from Africa, the United States, Europe and Asia. The trainings and workshops treated various disciplines including dance and yoga. Through those programs Alawi started to take part in various dance performances in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
In 2016 after attending a three years program at MUDA Africa dance school he achieved his Diploma of dance and 2019 after three year of Yoga teacher training he achieved his certificate of Africa Yoga Academy. In 2015 Alawi co-founded Nantea Dance Company which has successfully toured to different local and international festivals where they have performed own productions and taken part in artistic exchanges with fellow contemporary dancers and he organizes dance events called Contemporary Dance Night twice a year in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
So far Tadhi Alawi collaborated with several International companies and choreographers including: XU Huang Huang Company China (2012), Nora Chipaumire Company USA (2013), Panta Rei Dance Theatre Norway (2014), Anjorombala Madagascar (2015), Johnny Autin (2017), Johannes Wieland Germany (2018), Black Box Dance Company Denmark (2015 and 2018) and Kampnagel Theater Hamburg Germany (2019), Cooperative Maura Moralese and B12 (2020). Tadhi’s vision is to portray different forms of beauty through arts as a mean of creating a positive impact and contributing to the development of Tanzanias arts scene and communities.
Facebook: Tadhi Alawi Instagram: @alawitadhi
Anika Johnson, Barbara Johnston, and Suzy Wilde
(LtoR) Suzy Wilde, Barbara Johnston, Anika Johnson
Anika Johnson is an award-winning writer and performer. With her sister Britta, she has written music for hit shows including Brantwood and Dr. Silver: A Celebration of Life and served as dramaturg for the acclaimed US regional premier of Life After at San Diego’s Old Globe Theatre. For 12 years, she has toured Europe and Asia as a dancer with Corpus DanceProjects.
Barbara Johnston is a Toronto based performer and Dora-nominated writer, director and choreographer. Aside from writing and teaching music, she has choreographed for BBC America's Orphan Black and the upcoming Netflix series Ginny and Georgia. She is a founding member of Edge of the Sky Theatre and part of the creative team for national show choir champs The Wexford Gleeks.
Suzy Wilde is an acclaimed Canadian songwriter, composer, and arranger who has spent the last decade touring and recording with many bands in Toronto's folk, pop and jazz scene. Currently working toward her masters in composition at York University, her original music has been featured on CBC's Heartland and Kim's Convenience and radio programs across Canada.
Together, they are Stonefox (the original name of the band they started in high-school). From writing and staging full-length musicals to composing pop music for film and television placements to traveling the globe with their legendary band Wannabe: A Spice Girls Tribute, this powerhouse trio do most of their best and favourite work together. Select musical theatre collaborations from within their collective include Summerland, The Fence, Be Kind Rewind, One Small Step, Fangirl (with book writer Nick Green), Blood Ties, Maddy’s Karaoke Birthday Party, and Stonefox’s critically acclaimed album The Things I Wouldn’t Know About. They are always dreaming up new projects with their growing community of collaborators around the world and are incredibly honored to be a part of The Social Distancing Festival.
Wild Heart
Written and performed by Anika Johnson, Barbara Johnston and Suzy Wilde
Produced by BADLOOK (David Mooney)
Mastered by James Ervin
Additional arrangement by Bram Gielen