A new dance show exploring the experience of black British men is being performed at Tramway by young Glasgow dancers and a leading hip-hop artist.

Born To Manifest was created by Just Us Dance Theatre, based in East London, by Joseph Toonga.

Creating the show partly based on his own experience as a black British man as well as interviews that he conducted with various men from the ages of 17-45, he has added his own Glaswegian twist on the Scottish shows by collaborating with talented young dancers from Glasgow.

Ahead of the main show, 12 members of local dance crews, Goblynz, The Dimestop and AKO - many of which can be seen dancing on Buchanan Street and Sauchiehall Street - will present a routine they created in Tramway workshops led by Joseph and Glasgow-based choreographer Divine Tasinda.

"It has been a pleasure to work with the young people at Tramway and to learn and share experiences to curate from" said Joseph.

"The piece exposes their personal journeys, highlighting the struggles of living in modern society at their age and the pressures and presumptions that they battle."

In Born To Manifest, Joseph's muscular, twisting choreography physicalises those experiences, addressing stereotypes but also portraying “support and vulnerability between young black guys”, Joseph adds.

The result is a poignant, responsive piece that simultaneously champions cultural identity and challenges racial stigmas.

The double-bill consists of a solo by Joseph Toonga and a duet performed with fellow hip-hop artist Dani Harris-Walter. The dance sequences are set to an original score by renowned producer, composer and DJ Michael “Mikey J” Asante, co-artistic director of Boy Blue Entertainment and a fixture of the UK urban music industry.

Divine Tasinda said: “I am very happy to have worked with Joseph and all the young dancers from Scotland. This journey has been special for us all and the show will be very special too. I look forward to seeing all the dancers shine.”

The curtain-raiser will be performed on the main stage of Tramway 1 on Friday, 7 February 7, opening the double bill performance of Born To Manifest.