Reimagining Tomorrow: New Work, Afrofuturism and Technology

The conference for LDIF26 Reimagining Tomorrow: New Work, Afrofuturism and Technology is inspired by the spirit of Sankofa, a reminder to look back and honour the past to build the future. The conference features the voices of pioneers who have paved the way for Black dance and Black dancers internationally, whether that is through being the first to train, perform, teach or lead within mainstream dance institutions whilst ensuring they are not the last, or through forging new work and new spaces that holistically embrace and define Diaspora dance practice today.

Afrofuturism encourages the exploration of the unique aesthetics of the African and African Caribbean Diaspora, celebrating the rich movement culture whilst healing communities and to look towards tomorrow with innovation and creativity. The consideration of technology applies not just to the digital tools that have revolutionised dance practice, but also the codified techniques, somatic praxis and movement pedagogy that have supported both the training of emerging dancers and innovative performative practice whilst honouring history, heritage and legacy. Ultimately, the conference theme is one of hope, a reminder to reclaim, reaffirm and reimagine.

Contributors include:

Pawlet Brookes MBE
(UK)
Brookes is the Founder, CEO and Artistic Director of Serendipity Institute for Black Arts and Heritage, a Leicester-based organisation committed to championing Black arts, heritage and cultural equity in the UK and internationally. A curator, producer and advocate, Brookes established Let’s Dance International Frontiers, an annual festival bringing global dance practitioners to Leicester, and has spearheaded major initiatives including the Living Archive, preserving Black British arts and heritage for future generations. She has published extensively through Serendipity’s imprint, creating platforms for Black British and international voices across dance, performance and cultural history.

Brookes is the Chair of the Midlands Area Council of Arts Council England, contributing her expertise to funding policy and sector strategy, and is a regular speaker on equity and representation in the arts. In recognition of her contribution, she was awarded an MBE for services to the Arts and Cultural Diversity in 2022. She was conferred with an Honorary Fellows from Northern School of Contemporary Dance in 2023, an Honorary Doctor of Arts from De Montfort University in 2025, and an Honorary Fellowship from Falmouth University in 2025, marking her impact as both a cultural leader and an alumna of UK higher education.

Brenda Dixon Gottschild
(USA) – Keynote
Gottschild is the author of Digging the Africanist Presence in American Performance: Dance and Other Contexts, Waltzing in the Dark: African American Vaudeville and Race Politics in the Swing Era (winner of the 2001 Congress on Research in Dance Award for Outstanding Scholarly Dance Publication), The Black Dancing Body – A Geography from Coon to Cool (winner, 2004 de la Torre Bueno prize for scholarly excellence in dance publication), and Joan Myers Brown & The Audacious Hope of the Black Ballerina: A Biohistory of American Performance.

A self-described anti-racist cultural worker utilising dance as her medium, she is a freelance writer, consultant, performer and lecturer; a former consultant and writer for Dance Magazine; and Professor Emerita of dance studies, Temple University. As an artist-scholar she coined the phrase, “choreography for the page”, to describe her embodied, subjunctive approach to research writing.

Julie Felix MBE
(UK)
Felix was born in Ealing, London. In 1974, she began training at the Rambert Ballet School, where she gained a Diploma in Dance. In 1977, Felix was offered a contract with the renowned Dance Theatre of Harlem in New York City. A highlight of her career was dancing at the closing ceremony of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games alongside Lionel Richie. Returning to the UK in 1987, Felix became company teacher and remedial coach for Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet, which later became Birmingham Royal Ballet. In 2002, Felix was appointed Head of Dance at St Martin’s School and her autobiography, Brickbats and Tutus: Britain’s First Professional Black Ballerina was published in 2015. Felix was made an Honorary Fellow of Falmouth University in 2022 and in 2024 she was awarded an MBE in the King’s New Year Honours for her services to Dance.

Marlène Myrtil
(Martinique/France)
Myrtil, a performer since 1991, has a rich tapestry of training in contemporary dance, including with Bill T Jones and the Cunningham School, alongside hip-hop, African dance and instant composition with Julyen Hamilton. Her collaborations with diverse choreographers such as Germaine Acogny and Maurice Béjart have been pivotal in her career. From 2003 to 2014, she co founded the LMNO collective, a choreographic street theatre, and in 2020 established Kolectif 13 in Martinique. She founded Compagnie Kaméléonite in 1998 and has produced 18 dance pieces reflecting her Caribbean vision. Her work is a dialogue on heritage, ecology and post-colonial impacts, focusing on marginalised communities. Certified in Shiatsu, Vinyasa yoga and Qi gong, she also integrates therapeutic practices into her art.

Shamel Pitts
(USA)
Pitts, a celebrated Brooklyn-based artist and 2024 Doris Duke Artist Award recipient, embodies the richness of diverse artistic expressions. Trained at LaGuardia High School and The Ailey School, Pitts excelled early, winning the YoungArts National Arts Competition. A Juilliard BFA graduate honoured with the Martha Hill Award, his career soared with Batsheva Dance Company under Ohad Naharin. Pitts’s BLACK Series, crafted with his TRIBE collective, exemplifies his multidisciplinary prowess and has captivated global audiences since 2016. Recognised with accolades including the Princess Grace Award and a Guggenheim Fellowship, Pitts also enriches academia as an adjunct professor at The Julliard School and guest faculty member at Princeton University, New York University and Wesleyan University.

Quentin Sledge
(USA)
Sledge is a dancing artist, medium, teacher, writer and intellect grounded in the African cognoscape. A child of the Diaspora, he is heavily influenced by ancestral wisdom and inspired by modernising ancient power. Sledge began his training in 2009 under the watchful eye of Homer Hans Bryant who danced with the Dance Theatre of Harlem. In 2014, he began dancing commercially in Atlanta with Daryl Foster, Cici Kelley, Juel Lane and Stephan Wilson, all while training at Gotta Dance Atlanta. After a year of intense training, he joined the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company (DCDC) in 2014. He has performed at the Joyce Theatre, the David H. Koch stage in New York City’s Lincoln Center and also the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, Russia. Sledge was a featured soloist in the 2016 revival of Donald McKayle’s Rainbow ’Round My Shoulder, which was awarded a Bessie for Most Outstanding Revival of a Modern Classic.

Kenneth Olumuyiwa Tharp CBE
(UK)
Tharp’s journey in dance began at the London Contemporary Dance School. His illustrious 25-year performing career spans companies such as London Contemporary Dance Theatre and Arc Dance Company. Beyond performance, Tharp has enriched the dance community as a choreographer, teacher and director with institutions such as The Royal Ballet School and National Youth Dance Company. His leadership roles, including Chief Executive of The Place and Director of the Africa Centre, underscore his commitment to fostering cultural understanding and artistic collaboration. Tharp was awarded an OBE in 2003 and a CBE in 2017 in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list, celebrating his influence and contributions to dance, championing voices from the African and African Caribbean Diaspora. In September 2023, he joined Haringey Council, London Borough of Culture 2027, where he serves as Director of Culture and Communities.

Image Credit: Quentin Sledge by Scott Robbins, GeekWithALens