‘Dance Your Life Around.’
TEDx Phnom Penh
In February 2011, Cambodia held its first ever TEDx in Phnom Penh and as the Manager of NGO Tiny Toones, the first and only hip hop centre for street kids in Cambodia, I was asked to present.
Of course I said yes but I wanted Tiny Toones founder ‘KK’ to speak with me. I knew he would certainly say “no.” KK is a humble and shy man. I did however manage to convince him to be recorded on video which we shot on my balcony over endless laughs (the offcuts could make a video on its own!). This was my way of bringing him to the TEDx stage.
Those that know me know I would never go anywhere without ‘my kids’ – the beloved staff and students of this hip hop centre for street kids – Tiny Toones. When asked to perform, my first question was, “Can I bring my kids up on stage?” which was initially met with silence. After explaining who they were and that they were not little children but teens and older… I was given permission.
Above is the TEDx presentation we did. ‘Dance Your Life Around.’
The performance by ‘my kids’ was choreographed by them under the guidance of KK.
… and yes I did write a story about the lead up to Tedx: the fear, anxiety, excitement and the ultimate performance. Sections can be read in imprint 14: ‘A Perfect Statue’ or for those who can’t be bothered reading, you can watch it in the blog video from when I performed the written story at open-mic in Thailand.
- My memoir Hip Hop & Hope of my life in Cambodia deeply intertwined with Tiny Toones – KK and my kids, will be released in 2023.
Kha’s unbelievable solo.
Kha and Slick’s ‘dance fight’
The team
And I couldn’t have done it without Shhort…
