Growing up dancing and clubbing, Moncell Durden completely stepped away from dance for SIX YEARS in his early 20s to be a graphic designer before landing in Philly and starting his professional career on stage at the age of 30! Currently one of only two Professors in Practice [Hip Hop] at USC’s Gloria Kaufmann School of Dance, Moncell is as published author, educator, lecturer, researcher, and historian - what Gamble calls a Dance Anthropologist.

In this episode, Celtic shares tea/coffee with famed dancer and scholar Moncell "Ill Kozby" Durden as they discuss the influence of Buddha Stretch and Moptop, the power of women in the dance world, the false hierarchy of dance in academia, the progression of Hip-Hop education at USC, gender roles/identity in Lindy Hop, the evolution of Black dance throughout generations, white dancers cosplaying Blackness, dance as a means of speaking the truth of the times, competitions being a waste of time, the real definition of technique, how to break down the foundation and fundamentals of Hip-Hop, the Disciples of Funk, the necessity of honest self expression, writing a book on Hip-Hop dance, and the story of a dream deferred which lead to the forging of his own path. Celtic realizes his time in higher education was wasted.

In this Medea Vox episode, we talk about hip-hop, cultural appropriation and being h-u-e-m-a-n: Dance is more than physical exercise. Dance is learning about cultures and getting to know yourself. Dance educator and Afro-diasporic dance expert Moncell Durden says that “Teaching dance is teaching empathy – dance is everywhere, it comes from everyone.”

Episode 114 of DanceSpeak is here. Hold on tight to those jazz slippers as we whisk you away to the origins of jazz dance. Not the ballet-based lyrical, not the thrash thrash to the Britney Spears, but the roots... the lesser known story. You might have met Moncell on episode 103 as I interviewed him more broadly on his background as a professor of dance who's been on faculty at some of the top universities in the country (Please know that he would probably cringe at my emphasizing his being a professor, he'd probably say something like "I'm just a person"). One of the ideas that we spoke about after was interviewing him on the origins of jazz dance. I always wondered why I didn't learn jazz dance to jazz music. Where was there a disconnect? Did the two art forms happen to have the same name? These questions and more are answered here. In this episode we start digging into the past, honoring those who came before us... especially to my dancers, dance educators, and choreographers, let our appetites to learn who came before us be an insatiable one.

Many of us are missing a big slice of the pie when it comes to jumping in the freestyle circle… we are missing a big slice of dance history in general!  We are missing the CONTEXT. Leave it to my guest, Moncell Durden, to give you the full 360, and then some.  We are kicking off Black History Month, by going below the surface.   Moncell is a dance educator, choreographer, ethnographer, embodied historian, author and assistant professor of practice at University of Southern California Glorya Kaufman International School of Dance.  In this episode we focus on Hip Hop as a vernacular form of dance, meaning it is indigenous to a particular community and lifestyle.  Moncell stresses the importance NOT ONLY of techniques, vocabularies, pioneers, pioneers and innovators, but of the deep-rooted structures, behavior characteristics, and cultural identity as well.  Long story short.  If you are a dance educator, especially if you are someone who teaches or offers Hip Hop training, this episode is essential listening.

Dance educator, choreographer, enthnographer, embodied historian, and author E. Moncell Durden joins the Feeding the Starving Artist podcate. Join Rick and Ron as they have a enlightening and riveting conversation with Marcell.

On this episode, guest host Travis Knights sits down with Professor Moncell Durden for a discussion that opens up about jazz dance, hip hop, history, and the 2023 Intangible Roots Professional Development Intensive.

Welcome to episode 103 of DanceSpeak with Moncell IllKozby Durden. Moncell is currently on faculty at the widely respected USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance. Not only does he teach at USC, but some of the universities where he has taught include Drexel, Yale, Princeton, NYU, The New School, and Temple University. What is even more impressive is that Moncell did not gain a degree from college, rather he has lived the culture, learned from the elders, read continuously, and has never stopped learning. The topics we explore in this episode span from an eye-opening perspective on how a teacher can go above and beyond to serve his/her students, to Moncell's entry into academia, to his cultural perspective as an African-American sharing a heritage that many have not lived (but want to participate in)... Moncell is inspiring in his unapologetic love for dance and the absence of needing approval. One of my favorite aspects of this episode is the information that Moncell shares on different dances that I have barely heard about before. He begins to answer my question: who are the teachers of my teachers and how do I find their teachers?