Black British Dance Platform is in collaboration with Serendipity Institute for Black Arts and Heritage to support and nurture dance artists from the African and African Caribbean Diaspora, who are based in England, and who desire to present work internationally.
Through the Black British Dance Platform, Serendipity and Fabric showcase independent artists/companies as part of Let’s Dance International Frontiers supported through Fabric’s Dance from England programme.
The Black British Dance Platform is part of Serendipity and Fabric’s joint commitment to affect long-term change in dance through the leadership of both organisations. This collaboration supports their aims to cultivate a sector that is representative of contemporary Britain, broadens the presence of independent artists internationally and enriches international perspectives into England’s dance ecology
Previous years
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Together by Douglas Thorpe
An explosive contemporary duet driven by pulse, urgency and relentless intensity. Two bodies circle each other with animal alertness, testing strength and endurance through dense, highly crafted movement. Visceral and emotionally charged, the choreography shifts between dark humour, exhaustion and fleeting moments of innocence and simplicity. Breath becomes audible, effort exposed, humanity revealed in small gestures.
Choreographed by Douglas Thorpe (UK) Performed by Imogen Wright and Kadafi Mulula
Douglas Thorpe, founder and director, trained at The Place London, and returned to Leeds to build his career. He worked with Phoenix Dance Theatre over three decades, dancing, choreographing and teaching. He has created work for Staatstheater Braunschweig, ACE Dance and Music, Mobius, Phoenix Dance Theatre and Verve.
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Let Freedom Ring by Djoe Tomakloe (UK)
28 August 2023 marked the sixtieth anniversary of Dr Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have a Dream” speech during the March on Washington for jobs and freedom. As one of the poignant moments of the civil rights movements, the piece reflects the passion heard in King’s voice, as he calls for civil and economic rights but to also end racism in the United States of America. The piece is an artistic fusion of dance forms: ballet, contemporary dance, hip-hop and electric boogie/body popping, which reflect on the artistic generic expression of personal character.
The historic period of the civil rights past and present is a stark reminder of social indifference and stagnation of dreams for social change for the African Diaspora. Set against the backdrop of the famous “I have a dream” speech, this performance provides a poignant reflection on Martin Luther King Jr’s words and the continuing struggle for civil rights and what this means today.
Negus Genesis by Toussaint to Move (Jamaica/UK)
The beginning, the primordial existence of the concept before it becomes formed. In a space before the coronation of the Negus, there is a space of spirit and ritual that brings forth the physical. The incantation of Negus evokes: devotion, discipline, leadership and glory triumphantly. Negus Genesis exposes this space where the chosen is decided and what no longer serves falls away to make space for new modes of being. Negus, believed by many scholars to be an ancient Ethiopian word meaning emperor or king, seems to have been shifted into becoming another N word of derogative nature. This work is a means to rewrite what has been done and bring to light the true power of the sound of Negus.
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Closer to My Dreams by Chad Taylor
The journey of two young Black brothers, Chad Taylor and Ziggy Taylor from inner-city Hulme, describing their trials and tribulations to pursue their artistic dreams. Will they succeed with the odds stacked against them? With hip hop choreography, poetry and rap Closer to My Dreams is a playful, heartfelt and unique take on family and friendship it explores universal questions of how we respond to the trials and tribulations that life throws at us, what path to take, when to hustle and when to let go.
NOIR by Rose Aida Sall Sao
Identity is the strongest force in human personality. But why do we have the need to stay consistent with how we define ourselves? There is an alchemical moment when the shadow becomes illuminated. The “golden shadow” appears. When we face our shadowsides, we rekindle with our strength. NOIR speaks of integrating all of the parts of ourselves, to then allow ourselves to change from one thing to another. We are ever shapeshifting.
Melanin Migration Brothers in Arms: The Journey by Blake Arts
In the wake of economic disruption, Black Lives Matter and the lingering impact of COVID-19, six Black male professional dancers forge together in a journey of self, identity, gender and brotherhood. Born out of conversations around the immigrant experience, sustainability and their future as artists, Melanin Migration Brothers in Arms, was created.
