A Peckham-based British-Jamaican woman, who works at Elim House by day and champions women by night, hosted a free taster session for her dancehall classes which offer a safe space for women of any age to express themselves.
Natalie Worgs, a stylist, blogger and university lecturer – has lived in Peckham ‘for a long time’ and has always been passionate about where she lives.
But she said the ever-changing area has led her to want to celebrate cultures that risk getting ‘pushed out.’
In 2018, she started Girls about Peckham – a photography project that celebrates fashionable women in her neighbourhood. It was also a response to the changes she was seeing in the area.
“Girls about Peckham celebrates the then-and-now element of girls in Peckham,” Natalie said.
“It’s always been a diverse community – but it’s easy for others to be pushed out.
“So it’s important to keep our cultures alive.
She said in most of her images you can recognise something that has now closed or is due to change into something else.
“I don’t want the original girls of Peckham to be forgotten.”
Along with her creative projects, she started dancehall classes in October – something that encompasses her views and culture all in one.
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Dancehall is a type of dance and music that branched off of reggae in 1970s Jamaica.
“It’s a very male-driven industry – so I was always inspired by the dancehall queens who are able to express themselves and own it.
She said this is why she makes it a female-only space.
“Jamaican culture gets hyped up a lot but it also has a stigma around it in the UK, especially dancehall.”
“People say its over-sexualised, because of how some of the women who do it dress. But at the end of the day most music is like that.
“And not all of them are provocative,” she added.
Natalie said growing up, her mum and aunt would import the dancehall videos from Jamaica – sometimes waiting for weeks for them to arrive.
“It was a way for them to stay connected to what was going on in Jamaica whilst being here in the UK.
“The music, the fashion, the dance.
“When the videos arrived everyone would congregate and watch them together.”
This week, she put on a free taster session to mark the end of the year at Peckham Levels.
From January, the classes will be just £5 and will be held at Elim House: “It’s a community class – and I know right now no-one has much extra money so I want all women to be able to come along.”
She’s very passionate about offering a service of substance – “not just hype.” So in a bid to do just that, the classes involve an open discussion for women to share their experiences.
“I’ve incorporated female wellbeing into it. We have open chats and in the new year we’ll be getting guests in too, to empower the people at the class.
Natalie also works at Peckham daycare centre, Elim House – which offers facilities, advice, support and more to Southwark’s elderly community.
As an outreach worker, she said there are a lot of crossovers in the work she does. “Elim House is the only daycare centre in Southwark that specifically caters towards minority ethnic groups – especially Caribbean, by making sure to keep up the traditions they are used to.”
She said she wouldn’t rule out adapting the dancehall classes for members at the centre. “I feel I could bring it to Elim House older community for sure.
“They would recognise some of the music as what we listen to now started from our elders.”
The dance classes are for girls aged 18+
For updates on classes in the new year, check their website. Or follow them on Twitter.