Tinuke Oyediran

In 2015, Tinuke Oyediran trained to perform in Starlight Express. She describes training days running from morning to late afternoon: learning to skate, working on the ramp and building choreography. The dancer was discovering a discipline she had never practised before.

After the show, she returns to London and goes to roller disco nights to improve her jam skating. Her circus training also allows her to combine skates with hula-hooping and aerial disciplines.

During lockdown, Tinuke turned her training into Guinness attempts. Cartwheels on roller skates put weight through the arms; spins on e-skates call for a different movement.

She explained at the time that she spaced out her cartwheel attempts: her arms and shoulders were under heavy strain from the weight of her body and the skates.

In 2018, she co-founded Play Tone. The studio offers roller skating, hula-hooping and skipping, among other activities, through classes, workshops and events. Teaching extends her work beyond performing. Having learned the demands of skating herself, she now shares the practice with people trying it for the first time, women and men alike.

Her adventures also take her outdoors and into Survivor UK. Born and raised in London, Tinuke keeps ties with Nigeria, which she discusses on the Tough Girl Podcast in June 2025.