Diane Alison-Mitchell and the dance artist known as Paradigmz started their careers in the 1990s. They went on to become accomplished dance artists. Between 1993 and 2003 the independent dance sector expanded in terms of activity yet there was very little training in Higher Education for a career as a dance artist in the Dance of the African Diaspora (DAD) as a sector. Furthermore, the administrative debate over the definition of Black Dance at a peak made career definition difficult. Produced through a combination of narrative and critical inquiry, this paper looks at how Diane Alison-Mitchell and Paradigmz developed careers during this period, through on-the-job learning and self-directed professional development projects and engaging with events organised by dance industry professionals. The DAD sector is posited as a community of practice that brings into view ways that the dance practitioners during this time generated discourses to create a context for professional practice. The career journeys of Alison-Mitchell and Paradigmz display how their critical engagement with a range of activities and dance discourses in the UK and abroad enabled them to develop a dance practice with a hybrid but specific identity from a range of dance forms, techniques, modes of dance making and performance.

Diane Alison-Mitchell 和被称为 Paradigmz 的舞蹈艺术家于 1990 年代开始了他们的职业生涯。他们后来成为有成就的舞蹈艺术家。1993 年至 2003 年间，独立舞蹈部门在活动方面有所扩展，但在高等教育中却很少有培训可以在非洲侨民舞蹈（DAD）这一部门担任舞蹈艺术家。此外，关于巅峰时期黑人舞蹈定义的行政辩论使职业定义变得困难。本文通过叙述性和批判性探究相结合，通过在职学习和自我指导的专业发展项目以及参与由舞蹈行业专业人士组织的活动，探讨了 Diane Alison-Mitchell 和 Paradigmz 在此期间如何发展事业. DAD 部门被假定为一个实践社区，它将这段时间的舞蹈从业者生成话语的方式纳入视野，以创造专业实践的背景。Alison-Mitchell 和 Paradigmz 的职业生涯展示了他们如何批判性地参与英国和国外的一系列活动和舞蹈话语，使他们能够从一系列舞蹈形式、技巧和模式中发展出一种具有混合但特定身份的舞蹈练习舞蹈制作和表演。