Black History Month Teacher Feature | Tony Mills

Every week throughout Black History Month, we will be interviewing just some of the incredible Black dance artists and teachers we work with year-round. First up: Dance Base’s own Artistic Director, Tony Mills. 

Briefly tell us about who you are and what brought you to dance? 

My name is Tony Mills (a.k.a Tony Thrills) and I’m the Artistic Director of Dance Base and teach Hip Hop, Pop & Lock with the irrepressible Ashely Jack on Fridays.

What’s your favourite thing about teaching your style?

My background in hip hop has been as a bit of an all rounder, doing breakin’ as well as stand up styles. This class is an opportunity for me to combine my favourite stand-up styles (locking and popping) with the grooves and principles of hip hop. It’s also a chance to talk a little bit about the roots and context of these styles. In this way I hope it provides participants a little information about old to nu skool hip hop and the moves to go with it.

What’s your favourite move? 

Too many to mention, but I think a fundamental move to grasp and one I love is the kick ball change (but hip hop style right!). Once you grasp the ‘and-1-and-2’ there’s a whole other flavour that opens up.

What does Black History mean to you?

From a wider standpoint, I see it as bringing to light stories and perspectives that have been unseen and unacknowledged, and to recognise the impact and activity already taking place. Personally, it means finding out more about my father and his history and attempting to build my own connection with his homeland through my eyes.

Could you tell us a little about how your culture and heritage are connected to and/or impact your dance practice? 

I think growing up between two cultures it felt perhaps like being in limbo. Not fully part of one side, but not fully accepted by the other. When I found breakin’ and the community associated with it, it was a chance to establish my own identity and what I wanted to be a part of. And as my dance practice developed, and I was making work, looking back I can see that much of it was an exploration of identity and often set in a void. And this probably reflected the feeling of being in limbo to a degree. So I would say the challenges I might have had around identifying with a particular culture or heritage were maybe worked out in the process of being an artist and indirectly influenced my practice. And now that I have more of a grasp on my relationship with my heritage, I’m quite happy with where my practice is. A blend of interests that I have been drawn to naturally where there will always be at least a trace of the history I am a part of, in the work that I’ve done or will do.

Catch Tony all around Dance Base in his role as our Artistic Director, and every Friday at 17:25 in his Hip Hop Pop and Lock classes.

Biography: Tony got into hip hop back in 1999 and repped with his crew, Random Aspekts, from 2001 – 2017. Tony mixes it up with hip hop, breakin’, locking and popping but also teaches contemporary dance and ran his own dance company, Room 2 Manoeuvre, from 2007 – 2021 performing from Shetland to Shanghai. Tony is an experienced teacher, with a groovy playlist and a penchant for a croissant.

Photo credit: Ian Georgeson.