Groovin' Griot

Azsaneé Truss and OreOluwa Badaki

Groovin’ Griot is a podcast about how we use dance to tell stories. The term “griot” comes from the West African tradition of oral and embodied storytelling. Griots are traveling poets, musicians, genealogists, and historians who preserve and tell stories via a variety of modalities. On Groovin’ Griot, we are centering the African Diaspora, honoring the legacies of the griot by talking to the storytellers in our communities who help us understand the role of dance in remembering and reimagining the lessons embedded in these stories. We’ll talk roots, rhythm, rituals, recommendations, and much more. Episodes released bi-weekly. Email us at groovingriot@gmail.com and follow us on Instagram @groovingriot!

  1. Groovin' Griot Season 2 Finale

    Apr 4

    Groovin' Griot Season 2 Finale

    We've come to the end of Season 2 and it's been a great ride. In this finale episode, we recap some of the major themes from this season and thread all the interviews together.   Thanks to all of our amazing guests this season, and to all you for listening.  Catch you in Season 3! Produced & Edited by OreOluwa Badaki and Azsaneé Truss with support from the Digital Futures Institute at Teachers College, Columbia University.  Theme music: Unrest by ELPHNT on Directory.Audio  Licensed under a creative commons attribution 3.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/  Email us at groovingriot@gmail.com and follow us on Instagram @groovingriot

    28 min
  2. Bridging dance and ecology

    Mar 6

    Bridging dance and ecology

    Who knew movin' and groovin' could be such a great way to learn about the environment? Well...Dr. Jamē McCray did! On this episode we chat with her about how she combines her work as an ecologist and as a choreographer to design innovative education and policy initiatives. She takes us behind the scenes of some of the movement-based work she has done with the Schuylkill River, and shares insights from a project on the future of agriculture in light of climate change. Dr. McCray is also a seasoned salsera, so for this movement break we take you along with us to a local salsa night. Make sure to bring your dancing shoes! Find episode resources hereFind episode transcript here Produced & edited by OreOluwa Badaki and Azsaneé Truss with support from the Digital Futures Institute (DFI) at Teachers College, Columbia University. Check out more DFI podcasts here. Don't miss the latest episodes from Season 2 of the Curriculum Encounters podcast with Drs. Jacqueline Simmons and Sarah Gerth van den Berg!  Theme music: Unrest by ELPHNT on Directory.Audio  Licensed under a creative commons attribution 3.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/  Follow us on Instagram @groovingriot

    39 min
  3. Echoes that orient us

    Feb 16

    Echoes that orient us

    Africa in Stereo: Modernism, Music, and Pan-African Solidarity is a book that's been really influential for how we think about Diaspora on this podcast. Among other important contributions, the book uses the metaphor of echolocation (the process of orienting oneself by emitting sounds and listening to the echoes that come back) to describe diasporic experiences. On this episode, we get to talk with the book's author, Professor Tsitsi Ella Jaji, and hear the behind the scenes scoop on the music and movement experiences that led her to this work, as well as on the multimodal projects she has been pursing since the book's publication. We reflect on our time with Professor Jaji while perusing Hakim's Bookstore; credited as the first Black-owned bookstore in Philadelphia and on the East Coast. A special thanks to owner of Hakim's, Ms. Yvonne Blake, for showing us around. For our movement break, we take you to a rehearsal session for a piece OreOluwa is part of called "Echoes of the Diaspora." The piece traces rhythms from the African diaspora and will be performed by a dynamic ensemble brought together by Baba Kala Jojo. Don't forget to clap, sing, or dance along if you feel so moved! Find more episode resources hereFind episode transcript here Produced & edited by OreOluwa Badaki and Azsaneé Truss with support from the Digital Futures Institute (DFI) at Teachers College, Columbia University. Check out more DFI podcasts here. Don't miss the upcoming launch of the Black and Asian Solidarity Collective's podcast with co-hosts Dr. Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz and Dr. Judy Yu!    Theme music: Unrest by ELPHNT on Directory.Audio  Licensed under a creative commons attribution 3.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/  Follow us on Instagram @groovingriot

    29 min
  4. Mapping diasporic rhythms

    Feb 1

    Mapping diasporic rhythms

    Travel with us across the Black Atlantic with Deirdre Molloy, a dancer, ethnographer, and multimedia artist who specializes in Afro diasporic rhythms. We'll take you behind the scenes of Deirdre's Unity Map, unpack what rhythm codes are, and trace popular rhythms like tresillo across the globe...all while hanging out at our new favorite record store in Philly. Special thanks to Rashid Amon for showing us around Sook Vinyl and Vintage For our movement break, we'll take you to an event at Congo Square, New Orleans, hosted by the Congo Square Preservation Society. Buckle up, it's gonna be an exciting ride! Find more episode resources hereFind episode transcript here Produced & edited by OreOluwa Badaki and Azsaneé Truss with support from the Digital Futures Institute (DFI) at Teachers College, Columbia University. Check out more DFI podcasts here. Don't miss the latest episodes from Season 2 of the Curriculum Encounters podcast with Drs. Jacqueline Simmons and Sarah Gerth van den Berg!  Theme music: Unrest by ELPHNT on Directory.Audio  Licensed under a creative commons attribution 3.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/  Follow us on Instagram @groovingriot

    33 min
  5. Indigeneity in dance pedagogy and performance

    Jan 16

    Indigeneity in dance pedagogy and performance

    "Behind-the-scenes" on this episode means calling back the ancestral and indigenous practices that are integral to both dance pedagogy and performance. We talk with Dr. Ojeya Cruz Banks, who specializes in the unique intersections between African diasporic and indigenous Pacific dances. Dr. Cruz Banks share insights on the role of ethnography in dance research, what to make of "ancestral currency", and how altar making can support performance and practice. She even graces us with a beautiful song from a recent performance piece, which we play during our movement break. Find episode resources hereFind episode transcript here Produced & edited by OreOluwa Badaki and Azsaneé Truss with support from the Digital Futures Institute (DFI) at Teachers College, Columbia University. Check out more DFI podcasts here. Don't miss the latest episodes from Season 2 of the Curriculum Encounters podcast with Drs. Jacqueline Simmons and Sarah Gerth van den Berg!  Theme music: Unrest by ELPHNT on Directory.Audio  Licensed under a creative commons attribution 3.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/  Follow us on Instagram @groovingriot

    27 min
  6. Dancing with the camera

    12/13/2025

    Dancing with the camera

    On this episode, we dive into the world of screendance with Professor Gabri Christa. She shares how her multidisciplinary beginnings as a mover and a filmmaker in Curaçao, as well as her embodied research into her Surinamese roots, helped her find innovative ways to merge her cinematographic and choreographic work. We talk through what it means to take the moving body seriously within the moving image medium, and how both spirituality and technology play important roles in this process.    For our movement break, we take you to a Media Movement Salon hosted by the Movement Lab at Barnard (which Professor Christa helped found). Special thanks to Tatiana Vasquez and Evelyn Chen for helping to record the audio! Find the episode transcript hereFind episode resources here Produced & edited by OreOluwa Badaki and Azsaneé Truss with support from the Digital Futures Institute (DFI) at Teachers College, Columbia University. Check out more DFI podcasts here. Don't miss the upcoming launch of the Black and Asian Solidarity Collective's podcast with co-hosts Dr. Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz and Dr. Judy Yu!   Theme music: Unrest by ELPHNT on Directory.Audio  Licensed under a creative commons attribution 3.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/  Follow us on Instagram @groovingriot

    29 min
  7. The dramaturgy of “village on the stage”

    11/24/2025

    The dramaturgy of “village on the stage”

    The theme this season is "behind the scenes" so this episode we're talking dramaturgy; a field of practice that deals with how an idea goes from the page to the stage. We sat down with Dr. Margit Edwards to unpack "village on the stage"; a popular dramaturgical structure behind many neo-traditional and contemporary African dance performances. Dr. Edwards shares how her early beginnings as a dancer and actor led her to Orixá dance and other Afro-Brazilian dance forms with specific storytelling structures, and how these forms influence her work as an ethnographer and educator. And for our movement break, we take you to the Peoplehood Parade; a Philadelphia tradition that centers participatory theater and brings together performance, pedagogy, and politics. Find the episode transcript hereFind episode resources here Produced & edited by OreOluwa Badaki and Azsaneé Truss with support from the Digital Futures Institute (DFI) at Teachers College, Columbia University. Check out more DFI podcasts here. Don't miss the upcoming launch of the Black and Asian Solidarity Collective's podcast with co-hosts Dr. Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz and Dr. Judy Yu!   Theme music: Unrest by ELPHNT on Directory.Audio  Licensed under a creative commons attribution 3.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/  Follow us on Instagram @groovingriot

    27 min
  8. Seeding stories of diaspora

    10/10/2025

    Seeding stories of diaspora

    Get the behind the scenes scoop on a show Ore worked on called seed & sound. Hear how themes of diaspora and echolocation helped guide the choreographic approach, and how a dance called Kuku, as well as Manjaco rhythms, were incorporated into the piece. Special thanks to Urban Movement Arts and Philadelphia Dance Projects, and especially to Vince Johnson, Terry Fox, Kayliani Sood, and Allison Smith, for helping bring seed & sound to Philly audiences. Find the episode transcript hereFind episode resources here Produced & Edited by OreOluwa Badaki and Azsaneé Truss with support from the Digital Futures Institute at Teachers College, Columbia University.  Theme music: Unrest by ELPHNT on Directory.Audio  Licensed under a creative commons attribution 3.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/  Check out our website: https://www.tc.columbia.edu/digitalfuturesinstitute/media/groovin-griot/ Email us at groovingriot@gmail.com and follow us on Instagram @groovingriot

    19 min
See All (16)

Trailers

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Groovin’ Griot is a podcast about how we use dance to tell stories. The term “griot” comes from the West African tradition of oral and embodied storytelling. Griots are traveling poets, musicians, genealogists, and historians who preserve and tell stories via a variety of modalities. On Groovin’ Griot, we are centering the African Diaspora, honoring the legacies of the griot by talking to the storytellers in our communities who help us understand the role of dance in remembering and reimagining the lessons embedded in these stories. We’ll talk roots, rhythm, rituals, recommendations, and much more. Episodes released bi-weekly. Email us at groovingriot@gmail.com and follow us on Instagram @groovingriot!

Information

  • Creator
    Azsaneé Truss and OreOluwa Badaki
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    16
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Azsaneé Truss and OreOluwa Badaki