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Let's Dance International Frontiers 2023 Preview
2 9 A P R I L – 6 M A Y 2 0 2 3
For 2023, Let's Dance International Frontiers will explore the theme of Uncovering the Dance Within: Origins and Authenticity.
The festival will feature a range of dance techniques and practice, examining their history and heritage as well as honouring their legacy.
To launch the week and celebrate International Dance Day and International Jazz Day, we present a new commission that explores the shared history of tap and jazz, where the lines blur between dancer and musician as they meet in conversation. This world premiere will bring together Soweto Kinch, respected saxophonist, composer, poet and MC, Lee Payne and Annette Walker, two leading figures in a new generation of British tap dancers, Freddy Houndekindo, accomplished movement director and choreographer based in Sweden and Cameron McKinney, founder of Kizuna Dance, based in the US.
Book now for the World Premiere
The programme also offers opportunities to participate in dance and discussion. Our annual conference and the Dance Dialogues series includes contributions from Gladys M Francis, Thomas Talawa Prestø, Antoine Hunter, Alexandria Davis, Anita Gonzalez and Tia-Monique Uzor.
Tickets now available online
As the finale to LDIF23, we are delighted to present the UK Premiere BLACK HOLE: Trilogy and Triathlon a multidisciplinary performance choreographed by the award-winning movement artist Shamel Pitts. Co-created and performed by his Brooklyn-based arts collective TRIBE, they aim to bring the audience and community into experiences that humanise Black bodies and share the colourfulness within Blackness that allows us to be multiplicitous.
Access the full LDIF23 programme
MASTERCLASSES
For LDIF23 we are delighted to be working in partnership with Zinnema and Tabanka Dance Ensemble as part of an exchange programme.
This year's masterclasses cover a range of techniques rooted in the richness of the African and African Caribbean Diaspora.
THOMAS PRESTØ
MASTERCLASSES AND THEORY SESSIONS Sunday 30 April- Saturday 6 May
SHAMEL PITTS
Wednesday 3 May, 1.00pm – 3.00pm
FREDDY HOUNDEKINDO
Wednesday 3 May, 3.30pm – 5.30pm
CAMERON MCKINNEY
Friday 5 May, 11.15am – 1.15pm
ANTOINE HUNTER
Friday 5 May, 2.00pm – 4.00pm
Full details online
SERENDIPITY UPDATE
PAWLET BROOKES MBE
We are so proud of Pawlet who received her MBE on Wednesday 16 November at Windsor Castle in recognition of her services to the arts and cultural diversity.
THE SERENDIPITY TEAM
AMY GRAIN
Administrator
ASHLY STANLY
Administration Assistant
JUDY LIPSEY
Publicist
SYDNEÉ THOMPSON
Events Coordinator
ADERONKE OMOTOSHO
Heritage Project Manager
GEORGINA PAYNE
Digital Innovation Project Manager
BENOY MATHEW
Finance Officer
HEATHER SAUNDERS
Membership Coordinator
EVENTS
PERCEPTION: THE COUNTEES OF LEICESTER
LEICESTER MUSEUM, LEICESTER, UK TUESDAY 10 JANUARY 2023 – FRIDAY 21 APRIL 2023
Migration, diversity and Leicester heritage are a recipe for a rich explosion of culture all of which is showcased in this enlightened exhibition that highlights difference, belonging and place. Perception: The Countees of Leicester explores the fascinating history of a local family against the backdrop of Victorian, Edwardian and post-war Leicester, using photographs, ephemera and documents to create a more complete picture of life in the Midlands. This exhibition reveals a performing arts dynasty that can be traced back to Methodist preacher Reverend Francis Nelson Countee and his son and daughter-in-law, Charles and Eliza Countee, music hall stars known as “The Two Countees” .
Full details
BLACK WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP SYMPOSIUM
NORTHERN SCHOOL OF CONTEMPORARY DANCE THURSDAY 23 AND FRIDAY 24 FEBRUARY 2023
Two days of inspiring and insightful conversation, exploring how we can collectively increase and support diversity in leadership today. Focusing on actionable change, this symposium is for aspiring leaders, those currently in leadership roles and individuals interested in diversity & inclusion, in any sector. Including panel talks and roundtable discussions on a range of themes including health & wellbeing, allyship and creative activism, with guest speakers and contributions from individuals across the worlds of business and the arts.
Full details
INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BLACKS IN DANCE FESTIVAL
WEDNESDAY 25 - SUNDAY 29 JANUARY 2023 ONTARIO, CANADA
In partnership with Dance Immersion, the International Association for Blacks of Dance (IABD) presents the 33rd annual international conference and festival. This year's theme is GLOBALLY CONNECTED: WHAT DOES OUR TOMORROW HOLD? Bringing together Black Dance professionals, agents, artistic directors, artists, choreographers, company managers, executive directors, historians, presenters, scholars and teachers, this event promises a diverse environment to share ideas, cultures and experiences.
Full details
CHANGO AFRO-LATINE SHOWCASE
24 FEBRUARY 2023 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM CRAMTON AUDITORIUM, HOWARD UNIVERSITY, WASHINGTON DC, USA
This event is meant to celebrate Afro-Latine culture on a grand stage here at Howard University. The program will include dance performances, a runway to display pieces from Afro-Latine designers, musical guests, and more.
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BALLET BLACK: PIONEERS
WEDNESDAY 8 - SUNDAY 12 MARCH 2023 BARBICAN THEATRE, LONDON, UK
Now in their 21st year, this acclaimed ballet company presents award-winning choreographers Will Tuckett and Mthuthuzeli November in a captivating double bill of new and original work.
Following regular sold-out runs, Cassa Pancho’s Ballet Black returns to our stage with this thrilling and imaginative double bill. Will Tuckett's Then Or Now, originally created in 2020, blends classical ballet, music and the poetry of Adrienne Rich to ask the question: in times like these, where do we belong?
Full details
BREAKIN' CONVENTION - INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF HIP HOP DANCE THEATRE
SATURDAY 30 APRIL - SUNDAY 1 MAY 2023 SADLER'S WELLS, LONDON, UK
Sadler’s Wells’ annual festival of hip hop dance theatre is back for its 19th year! Platforming cutting-edge street dance, rooted in the streets and represented on stage, from around the world and around the corner.
Expect astounding dancers, banging beats and an atmosphere unlike anything else in the theatre, with a friendly and inclusive vibe that will excite and entertain the whole family.
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LET’S DANCE INTERNATIONAL FRONTIERS 2023 LAUNCH DANCE INSIDE THE MUSIC – WORLD PREMIERE
SATURDAY 29 APRIL, 7.00PM MERCURE LEICESTER – THE GRAND HOTEL, LEICESTER, UK
Let’s Dance International Frontiers 2023 returns with another unique launch event to celebrate International Dance Day (29 April) and International Jazz Day (30 April) and embracing this year’s theme Uncovering the Dance Within: Origins and Authenticity.
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LDIF23 - UNCOVERING THE DANCE WITHIN: ORIGINS AND AUTHENTICITY CONFERENCE
TUESDAY 2 MAY, 10.00AM – 5.00PM CURVE THEATRE, LEICESTER, UK
The theme for both the festival and conference for Let’s Dance International Frontiers 2023 is Uncovering the Dance Within: Origins and Authenticity, focusing on dance techniques coming out of the African and African Caribbean Diaspora, their connections to geography, location, heritage, history and people. The conference will celebrate artists and practitioners who have reimagined and provided vision and reflection to little known techniques, forms and approaches to dance. What do we mean by embodied practice? What does it mean to be authentic in dance? How do we map dance practice within and beyond the confinements of geography? How do we recognise African and African Caribbean Diaspora influences?
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COCKTAILS AND CONVERSATION WITH GLADYS M FRANCIS
SATURDAY 6 MAY, 5.00PM – 6.30PM MANHATTAN 34, LEICESTER, UK
Gladys M Francis is Associate Dean for Academic Student Affairs and the Humanities in the College of Arts and Sciences at Howard University. In this role she establishes infrastructures to support experiential learning to ensure that all the students in the College of Arts and Sciences benefit fully from Howard’s location in the nation’s capital, as well as globally.
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