African Routes 2025: Equal Measures – day 1

Alan Kaishin Crawford

Alan is a Counsellor / Psychotherapist, Lecturer, Healing Circle Facilitator and Community Activist of Irish and Afro-Barbadian heritage. He draws on over 15 years’ professional experience in addiction recovery, mental health and the therapeutic arts, alongside a rich spiritual practice rooted in Haitian Vodou, Zen Buddhism, Reiki and Catholicism. Founder of the Ubuntu Black Wellbeing Collective and Legba’s Gate, Alan weaves together therapy, ritual and ceremony, music, and culturally affirmative arts to create spaces of transformation and remembrance. Guided by the principle that healing is both personal and collective, his work invites people to remember their worth, step into their power and towards an authentic and unapologetic expression of who they are.

Marlon D Simms

Artistic Director at the National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica
He was appointed Artistic Director in 2018 and has done several works for the Company’s annual Season of Dance and Morning of Movement and Music as well as with other dance companies and groups locally and overseas. His last work to have received critical acclaim was Beres on Love (2016) in tribute to reggae superstar Beres Hammond.

Simms has travelled and performed extensively with the Company and as a solo performance artist to England, Canada, USA, the Caribbean and South America.

Between performing and directing the Company, he co-produces the NDTC journal and oversees the Company’s trainee programme and Education arm. He is also the current Dean of the School of Dance at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts.

Lavelle Smith Jr

LaVelle Smith Jr is an American choreographer and dancer. Known for his work in the music videos of singers such as En Vogue, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson and Beyoncé Knowles, Smith has won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Choreography five times. LaVelle’s participation is made possible through Miguel Doforo of MD Productions.

Miguel Doforo

Miguel Doforo is a powerful, self-taught choreographer, performer, and social entrepreneur whose work fuses culture, creativity, and community. As Creative Director of MD Productions and See You See Me CIC, Miguel has dedicated over two decades to using dance as a vehicle for self-expression, healing, and social change—empowering individuals and communities through movement.

Dr. Leona Vaughn, PhD

Dr. Leona Vaughn is a sociologist/social policy expert with almost 30 years’ experience working as an equalities and social justice practitioner in the UK and internationally within higher education, civil society and government. Leona is co-founder of the Barriers to Black Academia initiative which advocates for improving representation of postgraduate researchers of Black African descent, as a form of reparative justice for university links to slavery.

Jennifer John

After arriving in Liverpool from East London in 1983, studying for a 2-year Diploma in Jazz piano and voice, Jennifer quickly immersed into the fabric of Liverpool’s music scene by forming bands, releasing records, touring with iconic club collective G-Love and spear-heading the creation of the all-female award-winning singing organisation, Sense of Sound.

In 2015 Jennifer John Music (JJM) was established. The company promotes Jennifer’s many talents as an award-winning composer, vocal arranger, singer, songwriter, vocal coach and music mentor and boasts an ever-expanding catalogue of impressive clients and collaborators including, Modern Sky Entertainment UK, Cream Classical and The Voice UK

Contact: sing@jenniferjohnmusic.com

Steph Walker

Stephanie Walker is a qualified psychotherapist, Educator, Transformation Manager, and co-founder and trustee of the Anthony Walker Foundation. A mother of three and expert by experience on racial trauma, I aim to weave together personal truth and professional insight and expertise to champion healing, empowerment, and racial justice. My work is rooted in liberation-focused practice, community upliftment, and creating spaces for collective healing and growth. Through my roles in mental health, advocacy, and leadership, I aim to bring a powerful voice to conversations on race, identity, and emotional wellbeing—supporting others to heal, rise, and thrive.

Natasha Sackey, MA RDMP FRSA

Natasha is a Registered Dance Movement Psychotherapist and Somatic Body Mapping Practitioner who specialises in embodied movement for healing and transformation. She lectures on embodiment, race, body, and race trauma, and her work explores how movement can be a powerful pathway to repair, restoration, and embodied liberation.

Lisa Shoko

Lisa Shoko is a consultant, strategist, and advocate for equity and justice, specialising in race, inclusion, and leadership. As Co-Chair of the Liverpool City Region Race Equality Panel and founder of Venekai, she drives systemic change in organisational culture, healthcare, and leadership practice. Known for turning challenging conversations into meaningful action, Lisa works with leaders, communities, and institutions to dismantle structural barriers and create lasting, equitable change.

Ithalia Johnson

Ithalia Johnson, an artist, leader, and coach from Liverpool, is a passionate advocate for African diaspora dance and culture. Her diverse heritage, blending African, Caribbean, and Irish roots, informs her artistic vision and community engagement efforts. As a Clore Leadership Fellow, she aims to make a meaningful impact in the arts.

As a qualified ADHD coach certified by the ADDCA (ADD Coaching Academy), she empowers individuals to identify their strengths and potential. Passionate about creating spaces for joy and empowerment.

IRIE! dance theatre

Britain’s leading dance theatre company working in the field of African & Caribbean dance fusion. Founded in 1985 by Beverley Glean with the principal aim of heightening the profile of Black dance in Britain, the company set out to create a repertory of works reflective of the African Caribbean influence on the Black British cultural experience.

https://www.iriedancetheatre.org/

Anna Loy

Anna is an artist based in Liverpool was named Portrait Artist of the Year, 2023. The Liverpool based Output art gallery reached out to Anna to be included in their painting exhibition that was in January 2023. In 2019 she began posting her portraits to TikTok for fun. Since then, Anna has achieved over 2.2 Million likes, 60K followers and was headhunted by the Tate Art Gallery to work with their social media team as an artist for the ‘Draw January’ Campaign in 2022. A very successful series of videos that reached over 1 million people!

Karen Gallagher

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.