To mark International Dance Day and the launch of Let’s Dance International Frontiers 2026 (LDIF26), Serendipity Institute for Black Arts and Heritage presents two powerful new works alongside an opportunity to learn more about the organisation’s vision for dance over the next decade.
BECOMING
Samwel Japhet (Tanzania)
BECOMING: From the Streets to Now is an autobiographical work reflecting on the ten years since Samwel Japhet’s journey from living on the streets of Tanzania to performing on stages around the world. The performance explores emotion, memory and personal growth, examining what it means to develop in challenging environments, confront societal expectations and find belonging.
The work stands as both a personal record of resilience and a broader reflection on identity and transformation. Japhet is co-founder of Nantea Dance Company, which builds artistic relationships between Africa and the wider world through intersectional dance practice.
A contributor to BlackInk Issue 1 and previous LDIF online editions, this event marks Japhet’s live UK debut at Serendipity.
Sonje
Lauryn Pinard (Haiti/France/UK)
Sonje is described as an intimate excavation of embodied eloquence. Lauryn Pinard allows movement to speak and listen, drawing inward reflection into outward expression. The performance explores intention, presence and the communicative power of the body.
Image credit: Samwel Japhet. Photograph by Jimmy Mathias | EyeFilms.
More Leicester Listings MORE
Scrap It, Revamp It: 100 Years of Black History Commemorations (1926–2026)
In the early twentieth century, Black communities in the United States marked the February birthdays of social reformer…
International Women’s Day: We The People and In Conversation with Leila Hassan Howe
International Women’s Day is an opportunity to celebrate women’s achievements, reaffirm commitments to gender equality, and call for…
Paul Simon’s Graceland Reimagined By The London African Gospel Choir
Prepare to be uplifted and inspired as the sensational London African Gospel Choir brings its acclaimed reimagining of…
Let’s Dance International Frontiers 2026 Launch
To mark International Dance Day and the launch of Let’s Dance International Frontiers 2026 (LDIF26), Serendipity Institute for…
Océan Brun – Compagnie Kaméléonite
In 2011, the once-clear waters of the Caribbean began to change colour as vast quantities of sargassum seaweed…
Signatures and the Black British Dance Platform (2026)
Signatures and the Black British Dance Platform are two internationally recognised performance platforms that celebrate the creativity, innovation…
Annual Windrush Day Lecture 2026
Windrush Day, officially recognised by the UK government since 2018, is commemorated annually on 22 June to mark…
Reel Histories 2026: Black Classics
Reel Histories 2026: Black Classics is a bold film programme for Black History Month 2026, amplifying the cinematic…