Signatures and the Black British Dance Platform are two internationally recognised performance platforms that celebrate the creativity, innovation and artistic excellence of emerging and established choreographers and dancers from the UK and across the global African diaspora.
Audiences will experience a dynamic mixed-bill programme of bold and original works, spanning local, national and international perspectives. The evening champions experimentation, technique and artistic integrity, presenting choreography that pushes boundaries and engages audiences with fresh ideas, powerful storytelling and distinctive creative voices.
Produced by Serendipity Institute for Black Arts and Heritage, with support from FABRIC and the Northern School of Contemporary Dance, the programme offers a compelling insight into the future of contemporary dance, spotlighting artists whose work reflects urgency, resilience and cultural depth.
Programme
SIGNATURES
Quilt
CDT Jamaica
Choreographed by Renée I. McDonald (Jamaica)
Quilt explores three interconnected stories: love, trust and abandonment; isolation, identity and the journey towards self-love; and emotional release through freedom of movement. Choreographed by Jamaican artist Renée I. McDonald, the trio takes audiences on an intimate journey through contemporary dance, dynamic music and minimalist lighting.
Sending Up My Timber
Choreographed by Alexandria Davis (USA)
Drawing from Black American blues and gospel traditions, Sending Up My Timber reflects on spiritual communion, faith and collective survival. The work considers how historic practices of belief and connection have supported Black communities, and how they might continue to shape collective futures when access to one another is restricted.
Firefly
By Tebandeke Joseph (Uganda)
Firefly is a solo dance performance rooted in the lived experience of Ugandan artist Tebandeke Joseph, a disabled Black performer navigating the intersections of body, identity and society. The work transforms personal experience into a political declaration of resilience, empowerment and self-definition.
Mares
Perspectives Collective
Choreographed by Amari Webb-Martin and Roshaan Asare (UK)
Emerging from a shared anger and unease at global injustice, Mares reimagines the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse through four female-identifying dancers. The work channels urgency and resistance through fierce unison, physical intensity and intricate musicality, navigating the space between despair and hope.
BLACK BRITISH DANCE PLATFORM
together
Choreographed by Douglas Thorpe (UK)
Performed by Imogen Wright and Kadafi Mulula
An explosive contemporary duet driven by pulse, endurance and emotional intensity. Two bodies circle one another with animal alertness, testing strength and vulnerability through dense, highly crafted movement. Moments of exhaustion, dark humour and quiet humanity emerge as breath becomes audible and effort exposed.
Douglas Thorpe, founder and director of the platform, trained at The Place London and built his career in Leeds. Over three decades with Phoenix Dance Theatre, he has worked extensively as a dancer, choreographer and educator, creating work for companies including ACE Dance and Music, Verve, Mobius, and Staatstheater Braunschweig.
Image credit: Kadafi Mulula, photograph by Mary Ball
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