The BCE family lit up Walthamstow’s Big Penny Social this week with colour, creativity and community spirit as we hosted our annual Love Is Love celebration—an event dedicated to honouring identity, expression and belonging.
‘Love is Love’ is an EDI event created to celebrate love in all its forms. Open to the entire BCE community, the event welcomed performers from every corner of the organisation—students and staff alike—each bringing their own artistry and individuality to the stage.
The themes this year were “love of self” and “love of others”, be it romantic, platonic, or through showing compassion and respect.
Organised and run by tutors Jhene Debuse and Jake Hight, the event showcased an extraordinary range of talent from all departments across BCE. Their leadership created a professional, high-energy environment where participants could shine in front of students and industry guests.
The showcase featured an exciting mix of performances in singing, dancing, rapping, poetry and live instrumental music. Each act brought something unique, and together they formed a powerful celebration of identity, joy and community expression.
Jake Hight said: “Love is Love showcases staff and students from all departments and gives them an opportunity to perform in a professional environment. It’s all part of creating a professional portfolio.”
To make the event even more special, all performances were professionally filmed by Fusion Club—our student-led production programme. This meant every performer walked away with a high-quality live recording of their piece.
There was a real sense of togetherness in the room as performers supported one another, staff and students shared the stage as equals, and the audience embraced every moment with enthusiasm. It was a vivid reminder of BCE’s commitment to inclusion and the belief that creativity flourishes when everyone feels empowered to be themselves.
