We caught up with esteemed community artist and NSCD graduate Bobak Champion about his eclectic career and the origins and important messaging behind his recent work, I’m Muslamic Don’t Panik.
From flicking past an audition advert in a magazine to selling out theatres across the UK, Bobak’s journey is anything but ordinary. Rooted in breakin’, sharpened by NSCD's no-nonsense discipline, and fuelled by humour, community and cultural pride, his time at NSCD did not just train a dancer, it shaped an artist unafraid to take risks and speak honestly through movement. Now touring I’m Muslamic Don’t Panik, Bobak reflects on how NSCD gave him the tools to turn lived experience into dialogue, using dance to challenge narrow narratives and create space for empathy, warmth and connection at a time when such conversations feel more urgent than ever.
Looking back after graduating from NSCD, how do you reflect on your time at the school, and in what ways did it shape your artistic and professional journey?
I came across the audition advert for NSCD in a magazine I was flicking through and never looked back. Coming from a breakin’ background, I didn’t know anything about contemporary dance, but I’d come into contact with hip-hop pioneer Benji Reid and knew that his time at Northern had been pivotal.
During my time on the Foundation course (now CertHE), the no-nonsense regular routine and discipline were really great for me. The course created the access and experience I needed to go on to the BA performance degree. At the same time, moving from Bristol to Harehills, then Chapeltown, was a really rewarding experience. For anyone who hasn’t been, it’s a really vibrant and unique place. For me, Northern and the area it sits in are intertwined, and it’s great that the school is diving back into its local roots.
As well as sweating it out in the studio, the banter and jokes were always there. I think it's important not to take ourselves too seriously the whole time. Once we walked into ballet and instead of placing bottles of water under the bar, we all placed cans of Stella on the floor - filled with water (our teacher didn’t know) - he managed to keep a straight face, but I could see the corner of a huge grin as he turned away - different decade, times have really changed.
Can you take us through your career path since leaving NSCD, including key moments, challenges and turning points that helped define you as a dance artist today?
It has been an amazingly varied journey across community, education and professional settings, covering both commercial work and theatre. Direct from my degree, I landed a job with Yorkshire Water, creating a one-man show called the S Cool Project and touring hundreds of primary schools. Cheesy but great fun, the brief was to encourage children to drink more water and make it cool to do so. It was so successful that they ran it for three years beyond the original plan, reaching thousands of young people across Yorkshire. At the same time, I built a strong relationship with a commercial agency, starting as a dancer and becoming their lead choreographer, creating shows for clients including Phones 4U, Bench Clothing and Ford Motors. I remember watching the Bench show and thinking how cool it was to cast dancers I had grown up watching on VHS tapes, seeing them perform movements I had made.
Community work has been just as important. I have taught in many settings, with adult jail work being especially memorable and rewarding, where humour and banter helped build trust and reminded me of the privilege I hold. Alongside this, I continued to develop my practice through organisations such as Jabadao, exploring play and developmental movement, delivering commissions and assisting companies, including Protein Dance, training with Benji Reid, Robert Hilton and Breakin Convention deepened my understanding of the UK’s hip hop theatre history. More recently, peer support around my own work has been incredibly affirming, from selling out shows at Leeds Playhouse and taking work to the Edinburgh Fringe, to rural touring and positive national press, moments that help quiet that doubting voice on my shoulder.
Your current touring work, ‘I’m Muslamic Don’t Panik’, has resonated with audiences across different communities. Can you describe the core themes of the piece and the conversations you hope it opens?
I wanted to open up a more nuanced positive conversation around the Middle East, Iran and Muslimness. It’s often all portrayed in a singular negative narrative by the media, when of course it’s a more nuanced reality. One audience member described the show as "A love letter to Iran".
What inspired you to create ‘I’m Muslamic Don’t Panik’, and was there a particular moment or experience that sparked the work?
The Muslim Travel Ban implemented in 2017 by President Trump, which banned travel to the United States for 90 days from seven predominantly Muslim countries, sparked something in me. After the fallout from that, I became somewhat angry and depressed. Then I reached a point where I had a word with myself, “Do something Bobak, you’ve got the toolkit as an artist, use it.” I turned down other work and basically shut myself in the studio for a few weeks and started to create.
How does your Iranian heritage influence your movement language, storytelling and artistic choices within your practice?
It’s the warmth I’ve experienced over there. Also props to my mum. I remember her dancing to Iranian music from when I was little. Despite the world wanting to label her a belly dancer or some kind of social dancer, she always insisted that what she was practising was on a par with contemporary dance, not something to be fetishised or orientalised. Warm spirited but not to be laughed at. There’s a line I also have to tread carefully in some of my work. If I play the humour wrong, it has the potential to be more Borat, less Bobak! I want culture and difference to be celebrated and respected.
Faith and culture play a central role in your work. Why is it important for you to celebrate and express these identities through dance?
As a kid, my mum and I were on the receiving end of some bullying and abuse in our neighbourhood. As a result, I began to shy away from my identity. I would shorten my name to Bob. When we went to visit family, I told friends we were visiting Spain, not Iran. It seems strange now, I couldn’t be prouder and love hearing about other people’s differences too.
Touring such a personal and politically charged piece can be powerful but demanding. How do audiences respond, and what moments have stayed with you most?
Imagine that from all angles, all you ever get are images of hate and negativity about a country and people you love. To create a space full of people of all backgrounds sharing overwhelmingly positive experiences really is magic. Instead of a regular Q&A, I felt like after an hour of the show all about me, why not flip it and start by asking the audience - what about them? What positive experiences can they share in relation to Muslims or Iranians? Even in the spaces I was worried we’d be stuck in silence, there have always been stories audiences have shared. Medics whose patients' families have brought them home-made pastries, people who have been invited to traditional weddings. One that I remember well was at Sadler's Wells, Jonzi D hosting on the mic, a French lady raised her hand and was really animated about a group of her female friends who went off to Morocco. They had consistently been told to watch out for how badly men would treat them. When they arrived, it was two Moroccan Muslim men who hosted them, and they were “The most friendly, respectful, thoughtful guys who totally made our trip”.
The other moment in the show that really sticks is with the two guest dancers; I’ve been linking with two dancers in each city where the show goes, and these locals have a guest slot in the show. We’ve really tried to make a concerted effort about who we spotlight, often going out of our way to invite dancers who have been marginalised. It’s been amazing to see how many of them used it as a jump-off point and are now back in the arts again, working with the theatres that we introduced them to. I’m in a debt of gratitude to the breakin’ community and to Arts Council England for helping to make that happen. Dancing the finale of the show together, waiving our ‘Muslamic Rayguns’ high in the air in solidarity and defiance. Every single time it verges on the surreal, like is this really my job?!
What advice would you give to current NSCD students who are navigating their identities while building sustainable careers in the dance industry?
Stay curious. If something gets your back up, can you explore it creatively? Can you channel it into your creative process? Look everywhere, travel, and you can take an essence of something, extrapolate it. That could be anything from a conversation with a friend, a poem, a graphic novel or a family event. In the same way dance is good for us, writing and singing are too, so it can be really great to stay open to other creative forms in addition to your dance. Let it spill over to your life away from NSCD. It might be easy to flow and motivate yourself when you are surrounded by artists, but how about when you are not? Hip-hop is good for that; there’s no register, you need to show up for yourself.
The world needs more party starters right now. We’ve all got the uncle, aunt or friend who has that infectious feel-good energy. I’d love NSCD students to channel that and take it into the non-arts world.
When it comes to navigating identity, I’m still really figuring a lot out myself, but if you can debate, create and discuss it with people in person, then that can only help. Art is a great medium for this.
As you continue to tour and create new work, what excites you about the future, and how do you hope your practice will continue to evolve?
Connecting with other artists - there’s a fellow established NSCD alumni artist I’m excited to be plotting away with, as well as a well-known beatboxer. I’ve met a designer/maker who is such a humble/talented guy making beautiful art that suits my work. I’m super excited about what we have in store. Outdoor, joyful and more of bringing Iranian culture out from behind closed doors.
You can catch I’m Muslamic Don’t Panik on tour from Saturday 21 February. Tickets can be found here.
