Come, Let Us Reason Together: Welcome to Talent Agency

Hi! This is Talent Agency, the newsletter accompanying my thoughtwork service of the same name. I’m Ajani, a maker and teacher currently living in Los Angeles. I am, variously, an extremely nosy dancer; a musician specializing in movement; a writer who composes with more than just words; and a teacher who works both in and beyond conventional classrooms. Everything you read here will be informed by my experience as a performer, dance studies professor, working artist, and cultural enthusiast.

This space, like all of my work, is an opportunity to reflect on how culture gets imagined, embodied, and practiced. The things people think up are endlessly fascinating to me, as are the ways they figure out how to make those ideas a reality. The topics I cover will range far and wide, and (so far) they include such curiosities as

• links between experimental concert dance and professional wrestling

• the accidental cautionary tale of recent trends in music production

• (social) media as nervous system

• reality TV’s unique vision of ‘talent’ and ‘skill’

It’s incredibly fun to write about ideas. However, I’m ultimately asking what it means to create just, life-giving culture. These scrappy essays will live up to the original meaning of the word: they will represent an ongoing attempt to understand how people ‘do’ culture — and how we might do it otherwise.

I plan to share a new installment of this newsletter near the beginning of every month. The first one drops on January 7, 2022, and (like all issues) it’ll come directly to your inbox when you subscribe. But you need not wait until then to get involved! As much as I love to teach and write, I most enjoy helping people practice these ideas in their daily lives. To learn more about my offerings, and to book a session with me, click here.

Thanks for stopping by!