Choreographer, theatre director and presenter Arlene Phillips joins Oti Mabuse to talk about her career highlights and her dancing inspiration.

Arlene founded the popular dance troupe Hot Gossip, and she choreographed music videos for artists including Whitney Houston and Duran Duran. Her career has spanned more than fifty years, but Arlene pays homage to a choreographer she was inspired by right at the beginning of her work – Alvin Ailey.

Ailey’s production Revelations has been performed all over the world and has been seen by millions. His dance company, founded more than sixty years ago, is still running today.

Arlene and Oti explore Ailey’s life and remarkable career with the help of archive clips and expert knowledge from professor and author Thomas F DeFrantz.

Oti wants to connect to the dancing legend Alvin Ailey further, and she joins dancer Jazmine JT in the dance studio to learn about Ailey’s modern contemporary style.

Presenter: Oti Mabuse
Producers: Emily Knight and Candace Wilson
Production Team: Rema Mukena
Editors: Kirsten Lass and Chris Ledgard
A BBC Audio Bristol production for BBC Radio 4 Show less