Czech Jazz WorkShop Prague 2023

Student's comments:

Andy Ninvalle (NL)

beatbox

Andy Ninvalle aka Stewlocks is a Guyanese born hiphop artist. He is the first rapper in Guyana and pioneer of rap as an artform in his country. He is one of the first breakdancers and pioneers of dancing in the street in the early 80s. Later on with his rap group Smooth "n" Easy he created the first ever hiphop commercial for a new beverage named FIVE "O". Andy was personally summoned and congratulated by His Excellency President Desmond Hoyte for his passionate and relentless contribution to urban art in Guyana and was regularly asked to perform on many presidential and diplomatic events. Andy has also won an award for the best dance group in his country. His name and break dance group is mentioned as one of the most popular and influential hiphop moments in Guyana in the novel "GUNSHOTS IN MY COOKUP RICE" by the chief editor of the famous American hiphop magazine, The Source.

In Europe Andy has been an urban dance teacher and educator at Amsterdam Dance Center, Rotterdam Dance Academy (CodArts), Nederlands Dans Theater, Arabesque Dance Studio in Belgium, Terpischore Dance Studios in Belgium, Kunst Humaniora in Belgium, Penn State University in Pennsylvania USA, University of Troyes in France, Kielce Dance Academy in Poland, LAG Muzik in Germany and has also done extensive dance programs at high schools in Norway. He is one of the first hiphop dancers to be invited to teach at the The Royal Academy of Ballet. As a rap artist Andy has performed at most major festivals worldwide and toured with different formations and artists including Saskia Laroo, Damian Marley, Candy Dulfer, India Arie, Michal Urbaniak and Earth Wind and Fire. With his R&B group Tasta Flava he was offered a 2.7 million dollar contract with Interscope Records in USA to record and be part of the sound track for the Will Smith movie WILD WILD WEST, which he refused because it didn't "feel" right. Andy prefers to be in an environment in which he can inspire and connect people using positive energy. He believes that money could be a dangerous motivation for being an artist (!)

Andy is the winner of a few notable awards including "Best Soloist" in the International Big Band competition. He has also won the first prize in the WANTED R&B competition for live bands, De Grote Prijs Van Nederland (Prestigious Award Of Holland) and Best New Band by the Dutch Pop Institute. On invitation of her majesty Queen Maxima of Holland he was personally greeted and congratulated for his passionate contribution to music and dance for the Dutch youth. To increase his vision on art education he has collaborated with a few organizations including the John De Witt school group in South Holland to help create new curriculum for art education and The Dutch Institute for Sport and Movement to initiate new innovative forms of teaching teachers how to teach using creative mind sets and concepts.

Over the last decade Andy has branched out from the field of educator to influencer/motivational speaker, and has done numerous lectures and presentations at LKCA (National Knowledge Institute for Cultural Education and Amateur Art), Oxford University in England, Krakow Academy for Jazz in Poland and Penn State University in USA to name a few. Andy loves art and believes that everyone is an artist, unconsciously improvising new choreographies and presentations daily. He wishes that people would be more aware that art and normal life could be very much the same thing, especially since art generally copies normal life.

workshop@czechjazz.org
Partners: Partneři