The One Thing Every Student Needs
with OSKAR ODIAKOSA
About this episode
Professional Latin dancer, coach, adjudicator and Black in The Ballroom founder Oskar Odiakosa joins Marius Iepure for a candid conversation about belonging, gatekeeping, and the future of DanceSport. From saving lunch money as a boy in south-east London to judging at Blackpool and touring on Viva Carnival, Oskar opens up about access, conformity, and why technique should be a guide not gospel.
An honest, funny, and thought-provoking first part on staying in love with a world you also want to change.
Chapters
- PART 1
- 00:00Intro
- 00:52Welcome Oskar Odiakosa
- 02:21Judging Blackpool and a Second Career
- 03:09An Accountant Who Counts Past Eight
- 04:07Why Every Dancer Should Volunteer
- 05:32Too Many Divided Directions in Britain
- 07:09Teaching Associations and Freedom of Choice
- 09:35Barriers to Entry in Ballroom
- 10:30Strictly Versus Real Competition Technique
- 11:21Why the Public Stays Away
- 13:07Marketing DanceSport to New Audiences
- 14:33Getting Into a Position of Power
- 16:22Black in The Ballroom and WDSF Access
- 17:20Staying Neutral in the Blackpool Split
- 19:11Speaking Out to Spread Awareness
- 21:13Technique Is a Guide Not Gospel
- 23:36Malitovsky Versus Ricardo Debate
- 26:03UK Panels Lack International Voices
- 29:03If I Don't Judge I Don't Teach
- 30:52The Training Camp and Panel Problem
Reels from this episode
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Transcript
The full conversation, 912 passages
Welcome to a new episode of Break the Routine. We have a very very special guest today and he is not only a dancer, a coach and adjudicator and the founder of Black in the Ballroom, but he was also on tour with us which we loved so much. We had the best best time. Um, his journey to Ballroom started as a kid in southeast London when he was saving lunch money to pay for lessons and traveling across the city um, just to get to a class. Since then, he's built a very serious career inside the dance world, becoming world and European artistic Latin champion, South African Open Latin champion, British national professional finalist. He's also become an important voice uh for representation, belonging, and the future of ballroom culture. Welcome,
Oscar Ola Kosa.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. That's such a nice introduction. I don't think I've ever had such a such a beautiful introduction before. So, thank you very much.
Well done, Alex.
No, no, no. I
Man, I I wanted to add a few more more things because you do so many things. You are so involved in not only in doing the black in the borum, uh competing, uh teaching, uh judging all type of of events, uh being involved in education in in different associations, you know, uh still having lessons and and having funny. We have to talk about the the Shirley videos, man. Those ones are so funny.
Uh you guys brilliant.
You guys are just
Transcribed automatically from the episode audio, so some names may be misspelled. Tap a time to play that moment.