Jeanefer Jean-Charles MBE is bringing together dance companies from across Wandsworth to launch Wandsworth's year as The Mayor of London’s London Borough of Culture in April 2025.

Known for its vibrant and diverse communities, Wandsworth has a proud cultural history as home to Battersea Arts Centre, Tara Theatre, Tooting Market, the Clapham Grand, the Royal Academy of Dance and much more.

From Roehampton to Battersea, Tooting to Putney, every corner of Wandsworth will come alive in an explosion of creativity.

Wandsworth's cultural programme is being created with local people and organisations, with free events for everyone, from Jeanefer's mass dance event to a choral spectacular.

To find out more, visit the Welcome to Wandsworth London Borough of Culture website.

Jeanefer Jean-Charles MBE will be presenting extracts from her show Black Victorians next month (February 27).

All Shades of Brown is an empowering one-day event designed to connect, inspire, and elevate black and brown creatives.

As well as the various Workshops & Breakouts, Panel Discussions, Stalls & Exhibitions, and Art Showcases, Jeanefer's Dance and Expression workshop (and special performance) will explore the choreography behind the show guiding participants through her creative process.

To find out more, visit Opal22.

An extract of Jeanefer Jean-Charles's Black Victorians will air on BBC Four and BBC Two Wales at 8pm this Sunday (3rd November) as part of Dance Passion Swansea.

Inspired by 19th century photographs of pre-Windrush Britain, Black Victorians calls attention to previously hidden figures and has inspired tens of thousands of audiences since it was commissioned by Festival.org and premiered at Greenwich+Docklands Festival (GDIF) in 2019.

Black Victorians is produced and co-commissioned by FESTIVAL.ORG, Brighton Festival, Hatfair and Without Walls and is currently touring across the UK.

For more information and bookings, please visit the Black Victorians page.

Jeanefer Jean-Charles MBE was interviewed by JD Douglas for JDTV about her latest show Patois, which was performed at the National Theatre River Stage on London's South Bank as part of Greenwich+Docklands International Festival 2024.

As well as the London show, Patois toured to several locations during the festival with performances in Greenwich, Woolwich, Abbey Wood, and Stratford.

Jeanefer spoke to the channel about the inspiration behind the show.

JDTV Network's JD Douglas meets Jeanefer Jean-Charles MBE

This year's annual celebration of free outdoor dance on 7 September showcases a host of amazing outdoor spaces across Stratford.

With stunning staging and a huge variety of dance styles, this year’s Dancing City showcases some exceptional homegrown and international talent. 

Don't miss out on Patois at East Bank waterfront...

'a new show that takes a Caribbean dialect and explores hidden voices and stories from generations past. Jeanefer Jean-Charles MBE created the dance theatre work to celebrate her St Lucian heritage – coinciding with St Lucia’s first Olympic gold medal!' - Neandra Etienne, Newham Voices

Photo: Claire Leach

*Photo credit: Claire Leach

Fred Waine from Unhinged Music joined Jeanefer Jean-Charles MBE for her performance of Patois at Brighton Festival in May 2024.

He wrote:

"Along with a sizeable audience seated on the floor and benches on Brighton’s pedestrian boardwalk, opposite the Victorian-era Metropole Hotel, I find myself before a low stage, adorned only with a pair of flags and several stacks of tartan suitcases, all coloured in vivid blue, yellow and black. The sense of removal to an exotic destination is therefore present even before the five-strong dance troupe emerge through the crowd, announcing that ‘we’re off to Saint Lucia’, the eastern Caribbean island whose national colours are represented onstage. The dancers’ cheery, childlike tone, exaggerated movement and breaking of the fourth wall contrast the serious, academic tenor that the piece’s title and description might have suggested (and delight the numerous families in the audience).

Read the full review here.

*Photo credit: Claire Leach

On Saturday 13 July, two of Jeanefer's shows will appear in an exciting outdoor double bill at London's South Bank. First off is Black Victorians from 2.15pm - 2.45pm followed by Jeanefer's new show Patois, from 5.45pm - 6.15pm.

It’s on at the National Theatre’s River Stage as part of Greenwich+Docklands International Festival 2024.

"Jeanefer's Black Victorians delves into the hidden history of black people in Victorian England, earning widespread acclaim for its compelling portrayal of this overlooked narrative. With Patois, Jeanefer Jean-Charles promises another immersive experience that challenges audiences to reflect on the significance of linguistic diversity in our world today" Ralph Kennedy, Without Walls

For more information, visit River Stage 2024.

Location

National Theatre

South Bank, London SE1 9PX

Get directions

Black Victorians is back for its 4th year of touring thanks to the support of producer FESTIVAL.ORG.

Inspired by nineteenth-century studio photographs of black men, women and children, Black Victorians explores a complex and often forgotten Black presence in pre-Windrush Britain.

★★★★ THE STAGE

2024 TOUR DATES

SUN 2 JUN, 1.30PM - Taliesin Dance Days Festival (Swansea)
SAT 13 JUL, 2.15PM - National Theatre River Stage part of Greenwich+Docklands International Festival (London)
FRI 26 JUL - Latitude Festival (Suffolk) - Time to be confirmed

To find out more, visit the Black Victorians show page.

Jeanefer Jean-Charles MBE (Eurovision 2023, London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony, the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Pageant) has been appointed Visiting Professor at Middlesex University in the faculty of arts and creative industries. 

To kick-start her relationship with Middlesex University, Jeanefer rehearsed her new show Patois at the University’s studios with support from Middlesex University's Senior Lecturer in Dance and Professional Practice, Dr Helen Kindred.

Patois - which celebrates St. Lucian Patois - a language Jeanefer grew up with, understands, but rarely speaks, has already delighted audiences in their hundreds at Norfolk & Norwich Festival where the show premiered, and at the Brighton Festival last month (May 2024).

Blending captivating traditional Caribbean choreography with exhilarating contemporary dance and an original music score with a Caribbean flavour, Patois reawakens cultures, stories and generations of the past.

To find out more, visit the Patois show page.

As a globally respected Creative Director and Producer with a passion for nurturing and developing creative talent, Jeanefer Jean-Charles MBE has trained and mentored teachers, artists and producers for over 20 years.

Find out more about Jeanefer Jean-Charles MBE



Patois

Duration: 30 minutes 

Patois explores what happens when two unwritten languages meet.

British-Caribbean choreographer Jeanefer Jean-Charles MBE reawakens the unwritten language of St.Lucian Patois, telling a story of culture, lost languages, longing and belonging. Of the movement of people across continents and the dialect which is at risk of being lost forever.

Blending captivating traditional folk dance with exhilarating contemporary choreography and an original musical score, Patois celebrates cultures, stories and generations of the past.

"Jeanefer Jean-Charles promises another immersive experience that challenges audiences to reflect on the significance of linguistic diversity in our world today"

Without Walls,

Ralph Kennedy

Download the Show Pack

2024 TOUR DATES

SUN 12 MAY, 11.30AM & 2PM - NORFOLK & NORWICH FESTIVAL (Norwich)

SAT 18 & SUN 19 MAY, 1PM & 3.15PM - BRIGHTON FESTIVAL (Brighton)

SAT 6 JUL, 4PM & 6.15PM - HAT FAIR (Winchester)

SAT 13 JUL, 5.45PM - NATIONAL THEATRE RIVER STAGE (South Bank, London) - Hosted by Greenwich+Docklands International Festival (GDIF)

SAT 24 AUG, 1PM & 3.30PM - GREENWICH+DOCKLANDS INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL (GDIF) (Cutty Sark Gardens, Greenwich) 

THURS 29 AUG, 1PM & 3.30PM - GREENWICH+DOCKLANDS INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL (GDIF) (General Gordon Square, Woolwich)

SUN 1 SEPT, 1PM & 3.30PM - GREENWICH+DOCKLANDS INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL (GDIF) (Abbey Wood Park Playground, Abbey Wood)

SAT 7 SEPT, 2.45PM & 5PM - GREENWICH+DOCKLANDS INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL (GDIF) - as part of Dancing City (Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, BBC Waterfront, Stratford)

SAT 12 OCT, 1PM & 3PM - BELL SQUARE 2024 (Hounslow High Street, London)

Cast & Creative Team

Choreographer: Jeanefer Jean-Charles MBE

Producer: Alison Holder

Composer: Danilo DJ Walde

Designer: Marsha Roddy

Dramaturg: Hassan Mahamdallie

Creative Consultant: Martha Stylianou

Rehearsal Director: Cherilyn Albert

St.Lucia & Patois Consultant: Pearl Jordan

Stage Manager: Cynthia Chika Franklin

St.Lucian Folk Dance Workshop: Kenneth Mathurin & Olicia Jean-Charles

Saint Lucian Voices: Auntie Jane, Uncle John, Mr Remy

Songwriter & Vocalist: Lorna Jean-Charles

Costume Assistant: Yunhye Choi

Runner: Lauren Schofield

Creative Dance Artists: Melissa Bravo, Dani Harris-Walters, Oluwaseun Olayiwola, Nosiphiwo Samente, Duja Sinada, David Bennie

Photo credit: Claire Leach

Supported by

Patois is supported by Without Walls and commissioned by Greenwich+Docklands International Festival (GDIF), Norfolk & Norwich Festival and Brighton Festival.

For more information and bookings, contact alison@festival.org

Two performances of Black Victorians will be take place at the British Museum on 4 November 2023, one at 1:30pm to 2:05pm and another at 3:30pm to 4:05pm.

Black Victorians by Creative Director and Producer Jeanefer Jean-Charles MBE is inspired by nineteenth century studio photographs of black men, women and children.

Exploring a complex, but often forgotten black presence in pre-Windrush Britain, this performance calls attention to previously hidden figures and challenges historical and contemporary perceptions.

Picture dancers dressed in restrictive Victorian costumes, shedding them in rebellion as they dance in African, contemporary and hip-hop styles re-imagining a moment in history.

This is an opportunity to experience history as told through choreography.

Creative Director and Producer Jeanefer Jean-Charles MBE is a globally respected creative artist. Since starting her journey as Co-Founder and Artistic Director of Bullies Ballerinas Jazz Dance Company, her work has taken her to over 21 countries and has gone down in the Guinness Book of Records. Her unique creative process aims to bring to life the talents, strengths and shared stories of local communities and artists in inspiring and unforgettable ways.

Two performances of Black Victorians will be take place at the British Museum on 4 November 2023, one at 1:30pm to 2:05pm and another at 3:30pm to 4:05pm.

Black Victorians is back for its 3rd year of touring this summer thanks to the support of FESTIVAL.ORG. And this year, as well as some UK dates, we have some International dates in Aveiro (Portugal) and Antwerp (Belgium).

We are thrilled to be extending the cast of Black Victorians in Summer 2023 with new dancers Rudzani Moleya and Stefano Addea who will join the original cast on some of the Tour Dates.

2023 TOUR DATES

FRI 14 JUL - SUN 16 JUL - Festival Dos Canais (Portugal) 
THURS 27 JUL - SUN 30 JUL – Gratis Festival (Antwerp)
SAT 12 AUG – Kensington + Chelsea Festival (Kensington, London)
FRI 29 SEPT – SUN 1 OCT – Bournemouth Arts By The Sea Festival Bournemouth, Dorset) - More info to come, please check the website.

Watch This Space For More Dates Coming Soon.

  • FESTIVAL.ORG is one of the UK’s leading outdoor arts producing organisations. Collaborating with artists and arts organisations around the world to create extraordinary productions, they commission, re-imagine, produce and showcase a growing repertory of work that brings public spaces to life and is engaging and inspiring large, diverse audiences.
  • Beyond the flagship Greenwich+Docklands International Festival, FESTIVAL.ORG’s year-round programme encompasses Global Streets, a national touring programme that through a distinctive free programme of international outdoor arts is transforming communities in 10 English towns and cities in some of the least-arts engaged areas the country. FESTIVAL.ORG is also a founding member of the Without Walls and Stomping Ground commissioning consortia.

Produced by Jeanefer Jean-Charles & Associates and Northern Town

Date: Monday 1st May 2023
Location: Thomas Steers Way, Chavasse Park, Liverpool, UK

On 1st May 2023 1,000 volunteers came together to celebrate Eurovision, Ukraine and Liverpool.

Jeanefer Jean-Charles MBE from Jeanefer Jean-Charles & Associates and local choreographers; Lisi Perry and Grace Goulding invited local communities from across Merseyside and beyond to come together to create a vast human artwork - a giant Ukrainian flag and the iconic Eurovision heart, right in the centre of Liverpool at Chavasse Park documenting an unforgettable moment in Liverpool’s history.

Edward Morgan, Executive Director, and Alison Grist, Broadcast Director from Northern Town Film company, captured this mass spectacle using drones and up close cameras to create a 2-minute film which forms part of EuroFestival - celebrating Liverpool as the host city for Eurovision 2023.

With a specially commissioned soundtrack by DJ Walde, and lyrics by Pete Wylie - the message is bold and simple; by standing together in the heart of Liverpool, we welcome the world to the Eurovision Festival 2023.

"We wanted to create a unique, warm welcome to all Eurovision-comers to celebrate Eurovision, Ukraine and Liverpool" 

Jeanefer Jean-Charles & Associates

Jeanefer Jean-Charles MBE

Photo credit: David Edwards

Team

Paul Doyle - Co-Choreographer

Kirsten Peters Roebuck - Recruitment Manager

Natasha Khamjani - Show Support

Chloe Robinson - Assistant Dance Artist

Tomo (Christopher) Tomlinson - Movement Assistant

Daz Scott - Jeanefer's Projects Assistant

Julie Karlsen - LIPA Movement Volunteer

Kathryn McEvilly - Movement Volunteer

Mary Lamb - Design Consultant

Molly Lacey Davies - Design Consultant Assistant

GROUPS

Along with 500 individuals from all over the UK, 22 local groups took part in the film, including:

OOMOO - Open Door Charity

The Choir with No Name Liverpool

Men!Dancing! & 50 Moves

Gods Dance Group (Growing Older Disgracefully)

Daisy Inclusive UK

Anchor Women’s Club

The Hammond Dance School Powered by Hip Hop (UC Crew)

Barbara Johnston Stage School

LIPA 6th Form Dance & Musical Theatre

The Dance Depot Theatre School

Batala Mersey

Merseyside Polonia

Jan Williams Theatre School & Christopher Linzie School of Dance

Gateacre School

Create Dance Wirral

7th Liverpool Boys Brigade and Girls Association

Stagecoach Wilmslow

Natalie Green School of Dance

Off The Ground Youth Theatre

George Ferguson School of Irish Dance

LIPA Core Group

For further information about EuroFestival please visit the EuroFestival website.

“The whole team have been incredible”

Jeanefer Jean-Charles & Associates

Jeanefer Jean-Charles MBE

Produced by Jeanefer Jean-Charles & Associates and Northern Town

The People's Flag, a brand new, mass participation film, led by Mass Movement Director Jeanefer Jean-Charles MBE and local choreographers Lisi Perry and Grace Goulding presents an unforgettable moment in Liverpool’s history with over 1,000 people from local communities coming together to create a unique, warm welcome to all Eurovision-comers in the centre of Liverpool.

For more information visit the Visit Liverpool website.

Do you want to be part of the EuroFestival celebrations in Liverpool?

Do you want to be part of our cast in a mass participation film?

Are you available on the 1st May?

If so, we’d love you to join us for this large scale community project, a mass movement film to welcome the world to Liverpool in the run up to Eurovision. 

This powerful spectacle will be led by Mass Movement Director Jeanefer Jean-Charles MBE with local choreographers Lisi Perry and Grace Goulding. It will be filmed by Northern Town production company

This opportunity is open to individuals aged 18+

No experience necessary.

Come and get involved!

How can I get involved as an individual?

Applications are now CLOSED.

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO APPLIED TO BE PART OF OUR FILM TO WELCOME THE WORLD TO LIVERPOOL IN THE RUN UP TO EUROVISION. 

FAQ's

Do I need to be a performer? 

Absolutely not! You just need enthusiasm, community spirit and be available for the rehearsals & filming! 

Where will the film appear? 

The film will be shown on Culture Liverpool’s digital platforms as part of the Eurovision welcome. Given the scale of the project, it also has the potential to engage national press and/or Eurovision coverage.

Do participants get paid? 

No, this is a voluntary project bringing the community together for a very special celebration. 

Can people under 11 get involved? 

Unfortunately not. Our age range is 11+ to ensure that everyone taking part can meet the demands of the filming day and the logistical requirements of mass movement. 

Those aged 11-17 must participate with a Community Group and have appropriate permissions and chaperones.

Can friends & family come along to watch? 

This is a mass movement film. This involves specific camera equipment and filming logistics such as drones and a cordoned off performance space. There won’t be a live audience for the filming day, but as soon as the film is released you can share it anywhere you like!

What is mass movement?

Mass movement is a large group of people coming together as an ensemble to move and create imagery. It’s most often seen at opening ceremonies like the Olympics or the Jubilee celebrations.

Movement Director

Quiet Rebels

Autumn 2022

Written and directed by Julie McNamara and Hassan Mahamdallie, Quiet Rebels is based on the true life but forgotten stories of white working-class women who fell in love with men of the Windrush generation. A drama-noir, with film, music and movement, set in a dystopian, authoritarian state England where people who marry across the race lines are considered traitors.

The cast included Lottie Bell, Joe Conteh, Deni Francis, and Fiona Whitelaw.

Quiet Rebels premiered at the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry on 10 September and completed its run at The Albany in London on 11 November.

For more information, please click here.

Creative Team

Simon Kenny, Designer

Gabriel Finn, Lighting Designer

Stephen Rudder, Filmmaker / Visuals

Mohammed Ali, Digital Artist

Jeanefer Jean-Charles MBE, Movement Director

Awate Abdalla, Composer / Sound Designer

Troi Lee, Deaf Rave

Paul Burgess, Creative Captions Designer

"This is a slice of history, a great story that needs to be told..."

The Reviews Hub

Anna Ambelez 

Belgrade Theatre, Coventry, September 2022. Photos by © Rehan Jamil.

Jeanefer Jean-Charles MBE was among a cast of contributors appearing in an ITV documentary.

Our Jubilee, an alternative social history of Britain told through the personal stories of Black Britons in the Queen’s Jubilee years was first broadcast on ITV on 16 Oct 2022.

Jeanefer’s involvement in the documentary came about after filmmaker Jason Osborne (recipient of the Netflix Documentary Talent Fund and co-founder of Project Must Entertainment), heard about Jeanefer’s work on The Thank You Dance in this year’s Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Pageant.

Our Jubilee is told through the prism of the Queen's Jubilee years and how the experience of being Black and British changed over the 70 years of her reign. The documentary was filmed in 2022 before the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

Our Jubilee is available to watch on the ITV Hub.

Jeanefer Jean-Charles MBE is bringing her show Black Victorians to Derby Festé on Saturday, 24 September as part of a national tour.

The dance performances at 12.45pm and 3.30pm will form part of day 2 of Derby Festé, which will feature music, dance, performance and large-scale installation.

Exploring a complex, but often forgotten black presence in pre-Windrush Britain, this performance calls attention to previously hidden figures and challenges historical and contemporary perceptions.

Black Victorians is inspired by nineteenth century studio photographs of black men, women and children.

“Inspired by formal portrait photography of black Victorian Britons, Jeanefer Jean-Charles’s sensual dance work restores life and humanity to its forgotten subjects.”

The Guardian,

Sanjoy Roy

Jeanefer Jean-Charles MBE from Jeanefer Jean-Charles & Associates is working as Creative Consultant with Liverpool Choreographer Grace Goulding on a mass movement dance piece celebrating Knowsley’s rich sporting heritage.

The piece will form part of the grand finale of a week-long Sporting Legends Relay, which will feature walking, cycling, horse riding, running, and toddling, celebrating both sporting legends and grass-roots sports heroes from the borough. 

The final dance piece will take place outdoors at Liverpool Football Club, and will tell the borough’s stories through movement, fusing sports and arts, and bringing together local dance schools, sports people, and sporting audiences in a celebration of Knowsley.

For more information, visit the Knowsley Borough of Culture 2022 website.

Creative Consultant 

Client: Knowsley Borough of Culture 2022

Date: Saturday 23 July 2002

Location: Eddie McCardle Playing Fields, Knowsley, Merseyside

Jeanefer Jean-Charles MBE worked as Creative Consultant with Liverpool Choreographer Grace Goulding on a mass movement dance piece celebrating Knowsley’s rich sporting heritage. The piece formed part of the grand finale of a week-long Sporting Legends Relay, which featured walking, cycling, horse riding, running, and toddling, celebrating both sporting legends and grass-roots sports heroes from the borough. 

The final dance piece took place outdoors as the finale of a week-long Sporting Legends Relay and told the borough’s stories through movement, fusing sports and arts, and bringing together local dance schools, sports people, and sporting audiences in a celebration of Knowsley, spearheaded by celebrity and local sports heroes including Katerina Johnson Thompson, John Conteh, and Steve McMahon.

“Knowsley Sporting Legends Relay was a fantastic week of events, and it was great to see so many people get involved"

The Knowsley Borough of Culture 2022


Jeanefer Jean-Charles has been awarded an MBE in this year’s Queens Birthday Honours List.

Creative Director and Producer Jeanefer Jean-Charles from Jeanefer Jean-Charles & Associates is among well-known faces from the arts recognised in the Platinum Jubilee Queen’s Birthday Honours.

Jeanefer, with over 20 years’ experience devising, creating, facilitating, and directing dance and movement for performance, receives an MBE for services to dance.

For over 20 years Jeanefer has designed and delivered artistic solutions for some of the world’s most iconic events including a section for the Queens Platinum Jubilee Pageant, the Coronation Festival at Buckingham Palace, all four of the London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremonies, The F.A. Cup Final 2016 Opening Ceremony at Wembley, and the first-ever Big Dance – which broke a world record.

HM The Queen’s Jubilee Birthday Honours List 2022 marks the public service of individuals across the UK in celebration of Her Majesty’s 70 years of service.

“It means a lot to be able to champion dance at this level and knowing it was the people I have worked with over the years who nominated me is just brilliant. It’s the biggest and best endorsement from the dance world and I am delighted.”

Jeanefer Jean-Charles & Associates,

Jeanefer Jean-Charles MBE

Joint Artistic Directors & Producers – Jeanefer Jean-Charles MBE & Ali Pretty

The Thank You Dance

Date: Sunday 25th June 2022
Location: Port of Tilbury

Taking place from the 2 – 25 June, T100 People featured a series of events, walks, talks and community celebrations along the Thames Estuary, including the return of The Thank You Dance to Thurrock, a section of The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Pageant created by artistic directors and producers Jeanefer Jean-Charles MBE from Jeanefer Jean-Charles & Associates and Ali Pretty from Kinetika and featuring Thurrock key workers, volunteers and community members. 

T100 People culminated on Sunday 25 June with a spectacular finale at the Port of Tilbury, as The Thank You Dance came home to Thurrock.

"I was delighted to bring back this very special extract from The Thank You Dance in celebration of our key workers."

Jeanefer Jean-Charles & Associates,

Jeanefer Jean-Charles MBE

Joint Artistic Directors & Producers - Jeanefer Jean-Charles MBE & Ali Pretty

The Thank You Dance

Date: Sunday 5th June 2022
Location: Westminster and along The Mall past Buckingham Palace, London, UK

Jeanefer Jean-Charles MBE from Jeanefer Jean-Charles & Associates and Ali Pretty from arts organisation Kinetika were commissioned to create a section for the Queens Platinum Jubilee Pageant.

The Platinum Jubilee Pageant, as part of an extended Bank Holiday Weekend, took place on Sunday 5th June 2022.  It provided an opportunity for everyone to celebrate this historic milestone of Her Majesty the Queen as the first British monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee with 70 years of service.

The Thank You Dance was a spectacular, visually stunning and animated movement section beautifully adorned with the designs by Ali Pretty, artistic director at Kinetika and danced to the amazing composition by DJ Walde (composer, musician, consultant, DJ and performer).

It featured over 250 performers drawn from across generations in Thurrock, London and Milton Keynes adorned in silk. 

The Thank You Dance was the finale of Act III: Let’s Celebrate.

The section took inspiration from the work of:

*Our key workers – and the essential role they have played throughout the pandemic

*Our volunteers who have stepped up with kindness to look after their neighbours

*Our young people who are actively taking responsibility for the future of our planet

The Thank You Dance joined The Pageant which wound through the streets of Westminster and along The Mall past Buckingham Palace telling the story of Her Majesty’s record reign and our transforming society over this period.

"The Thank You Dance was really about thanking our key workers, not only those working during the pandemic but the people who have dedicated their lives to helping us in our communities."

Jeanefer Jean-Charles & Associates,

Jeanefer Jean-Charles MBE

Photo credit: Matt Crossick/PA Wire

Team

There was a huge and dedicated team behind the Thank You Dance, including artists, costume makers, partners including IF: Milton Keynes and The Stables MK alongside associate choreographers working with performing arts groups from Thurrock (South Essex College) and Milton Keynes (Arts One), as well as dancers from Impact Dance.

Jeanefer Jean-Charles & Associates Extended Teams

Kloe Dean – Associate Choreographer with Jeanefer Jean-Charles for the Thank You Dance

Charlene Low – Associate Choreographer and Assistant with Jeanefer Jean-Charles

Melanie Joseph – Associate Choreographer and Assistant with Jeanefer Jean-Charles

Hakeem Onibudo – Choreographer for Impact Dance and Associate Choreographer with Jeanefer Jean-Charles

Kate Taylor – Lead Choreographer for Milton Keynes and Associate Choreographer with Jeanefer Jean-Charles

Lucy Heale – Lead Choreographer for Thurrock and Associate Choreographer with Jeanefer Jean-Charles

For further information about The Queens Platinum Jubilee Pageant please visit the Pageant website.

“I wanted to go the extra mile for this once in a lifetime occasion”

Jeanefer Jean-Charles & Associates

Jeanefer Jean-Charles MBE

Black Victorians

Duration: 35 minutes 

This powerful and moving dance performance by Artistic Director and Choreographer Jeanefer Jean-Charles MBE is inspired by nineteenth-century studio photographs of black men, women, and children. Exploring a complex, but often forgotten black presence in pre-Windrush Britain, this performance calls attention to previously hidden figures and challenges historical and contemporary perceptions.

“Inspired by formal portrait photography of black Victorian Britons, Jeanefer Jean-Charles’s sensual dance work restores life and humanity to its forgotten subjects.”

The Guardian

Sanjoy Roy

Download the Show Pack

2024 TOUR DATES

SUN 2 JUN, 1.30PM - Taliesin Dance Days Festival (Swansea)

SAT 13 JUL, 2.15PM - National Theatre River Stage part of Greenwich+Docklands International Festival (London)

FRI 26 JUL, 12.50PM & 5.05PM - Latitude Festival - The Waterfront Stage (Suffolk)

SAT 14 SEPT, 1PM & 5PM - Streets of Cov - Coventry Cathedral (Coventry, West Midlands)

SUN 29 SEPT, 12.30PM - Journeys Festival of Dance (The De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill-On-Sea)

SAT 26 OCT, 11.30AM & 1:30PM - Braithwaite Hall (Croydon)

SUN 27 OCT, 11.45AM & 3:25PM - Braithwaite Hall (Croydon)

2023 TOUR DATES

FRI 14 JUL - SUN 16 JUL - Festival Dos Canais (Portugal) 

THURS 27 JUL - SUN 30 JUL – Gratis Festival (Antwerp)

SAT 12 AUG – Kensington + Chelsea Festival (Kensington, London)

SAT 30 SEPT – SUN 1 OCT – Bournemouth Arts By The Sea Festival (Bournemouth, Dorset)

SAT 4 NOV - The British Museum (Great Court, London)

2022 TOUR DATES

FRI 24 JUN - SUN 26 JUN, VARIOUS TIMES - Birmingham International Dance Festival

SAT 2ND JUL - SUN 3RD JUL, VARIOUS TIMES - Handsworth Park (North Birmingham)

SAT 30 - SUN 31 JUL - Merchant City Festival (Glasgow)

SAT 13 - SUN 14 AUG - Kensington and Chelsea Festival (London)

FRI 26 AUG - The Big Feast (Stoke-On-Trent)

SAT 27 AUG, 2.15PM & 6.15PM - Greenwich & Docklands International Festival 2022 (London)

SUN 18 SEPT, 2PM & 4PM - Lancashire Encounter (Preston)

SAT 24 SEPT 12.45PM & 3.30PM - Derby Festé 2022 (Derby)

SUN 16 OCT, 1PM & 3PM - Wilderness Street (Ilford)

2021 TOUR DATES

29 MAY - Brighton Festival         

30 & 31 MAY – Salisbury (Wiltshire Creative)     

27 JUN - 101 Outdoor Arts        

3 & 4 JUL - Hat Fair (Winchester)

24 & 25 JUL – Milton Keynes International Festival        

31 AUG – 2 SEPT - City Of London         

10 & 11 SEPT – Greenwich+Docklands International Festival  

25 & 26 SEPT - Birmingham Dance International Festival

Cast & Creative Team

Artistic Director and Choreographer: Jeanefer Jean-Charles

Producer: Alison Holder

Designer: Marsha Roddy

Composer: Danilo DJ Walde

Poet: Anthony Anaxagorou

Rehearsal Director: Annie-Lunnette Deakin-Foster, Cherilyn Albert

Dramaturg: Hassan Mahamdallie

Creative Consultant: Martha Stylianou

Stage Manager: Cynthia Chika Franklin

Creative Dance Artists: Melissa Bravo, Dani Harris-Walters, Oluwaseun Olayiwola, Nosiphiwo Samente, Duja Sinada

Reserve Dance Artists: Rudzani Moleya, Stefano Addea

Supported by

Black Victorians is produced and co-commissioned by FESTIVAL.ORG, Brighton Festival, Hatfair and Without Walls and is currently touring across the UK.

Black Victorians is inspired by Black Chronicles – The Missing Chapter, an ongoing archive research programme led by Autograph focused on unearthing nineteenth-century photographs of black presences in Britain.

Black Victorians is accompanied by a display of the Black Chronicles’ Exhibition In A Box presented in association with Autograph, London.

Black Victorians is produced and co-commissioned by FESTIVAL.ORG, Brighton Festival and Without Walls and is available for touring in 2024.
Black Victorians is produced and co-commissioned by FESTIVAL.ORG, Brighton Festival, Without Walls and HatFair and is available for touring in 2024.

Download the Show Pack

For more information and bookings, contact alison@festival.org

Mass Movement Director

Jeanefer Jean-Charles worked alongside long-term collaborator Walk The Plank as Mass Movement Director for the 2011 Commonwealth Youth Games opening ceremony in the Isle of Man. Following a series of workshops leading up to the event, Jeanefer visited the Isle of Man to direct the mass choreography, which included a cast of over 300 dancers and 20 parkour artists.

"I'm delighted that the Isle of Man is hosting a major international sporting event. Thank you for welcoming the Commonwealth family to your shores"

Isle of Man 2011 Opening Ceremony,

HRH Prince Edward, Vice-Patron

Artistic Director

Haus of Kraft: Beneath the Seams 

Client: Coventry UK City of Culture

Date: 26 April 2022

Location: Queen of Flanders, Assembly Festival Garden, Coventry

Haus of Kraft: Beneath the Seams was a spectacular sustainable fashion show and the culmination of the Haus of Kraft fashion program.

The programme highlighted the damage that fast fashion does and invited 10 women from Coventry to team up with women from commonwealth countries, to learn and share sustainable fashion skills, and to design their own sustainable clothes, taking them from rags to runway. 

These designs were then showcased and brought to life in a fashion show that fused dance, mass movement, music, spoken word, and upcycled design.

The event brought together artists, dancers, and writers from Coventry and beyond, with different professional and community dance groups bringing each design to life.

The show told the incredible stories of the designers, of fast fashion, of hope for the future, and of the threads that connect people all over the planet.

Creative Team

Artistic Director: Jeanefer Jean-Charles

Designer & Collection Design Director: Marsha Roddy 

Composer and Sound Designer: DJ Walde

Listen again on BBC Sounds (available for over a year)

"A show celebrating the city’s movers and makers of all ages, abilities and ethnicities"

BBC CWR,

City of Culture reporter

The Thank You Dance for the Platinum Jubilee Pageant created by Jeanefer Jean-Charles from Jeanefer Jean-Charles & Associates and Ali Pretty from Kinetika

Jeanefer Jean-Charles & Associates and arts organisation Kinetika were commissioned to create a section for the Queens Platinum Jubilee Pageant.

The Platinum Jubilee Pageant, which was part of an extended Bank Holiday Weekend, took place on Sunday 5th June 2022. 

Jeanefer Jean-Charles & Associates and Kinetika presented The Thank You Dance in the Pageant - a visually arresting spectacle made up of over 200 performers drawn from across generations covered in hand-painted silks and holding vibrant flags designed and made by community groups.

Inspiration was taken from Her Majesty to thank key workers and the essential role they have played throughout the pandemic, volunteers who have stepped up with kindness to look after their neighbours and young people who are actively taking responsibility for the future of our planet.

The Thank You Dance as part of The Pageant wound through the streets of Westminster and along The Mall past Buckingham Palace telling the story of these incredible people who have transformed lives through their kindness.

Photo credit: Matt Crossick/PA Wire

Don't miss this ground-breaking celebration of Coventry, Haus of Kraft: Beneath The Seams, directed by world-renowned Creative Director and Producer Jeanefer Jean-Charles from Jeanefer Jean-Charles & Associates and designed by Designer Marsha Roddy.

WHEN: TUE 26 APR 2022 @ 19.30

WHERE: QUEEN OF FLANDERS, ASSEMBLY FESTIVAL GARDEN, LITTLE PARK STREET, COVENTRY, CV1 2UR

Fusing arts, movement, music and spoken word, their upcycled creations go from rags to runway using only waste textiles and sustainable materials. Much more than a fashion show, this spectacular event is layered with stories about the threads that connect people, places and the planet.

In response to the global impact of fast fashion, the Haus Of Kraft Coventry collective team up with artists and writers from commonwealth countries to create a catwalk like no other.

Artistic Director 

Date: 16 October to 17 October 2021

Location: London Borough of Newham

Client: Rosetta Arts

Newham Unlocked Festival: Plaistow and Green Street was a month-long celebration of unity and community with two landmark events on the weekend of October 16 and 17.

The weekend programme included a specially commissioned Mass Movement parade of 60 dancers from six community groups accompanied by a live band and a fun-packed programme on the outdoor stage in Plaistow Park with performances by singers, poets, dancers, DJ’s and more.

The powerful dance parade in the centre of Queen’s Market was inspired by Green Street as a celebration of the local community.

"Community is a key part of what makes Newham great and at Rosetta Arts, we’re proud to have been able to work with ours so closely to produce this spectacular event. A huge thank you to the festival’s artistic director Jeanefer Jean-Charles and to all those that came along and enjoyed the programme we put together"

Chief Executive, Rosetta Arts,

Sanaz Amidi

Creative Partner

As part of a 2019 exchange project with the city of Norwich and the town of Tilbury, Jeanefer Jean-Charles worked with Norwich City Council and Kinetika to deliver an integrated public engagement programme, culminating in a spectacular procession, part of a city-wide celebration.

Performance Director 

People Power Passion was a five month-long programme, part of Luton's Pilot Year of Culture bringing Luton's communities and cultures together. This was part of the city's strategic vision for the arts, culture and creative industries which includes plans to bid for UK City of Culture 2025.

Commissioned by Luton Town Council, Jeanefer Jean-Charles worked as Performance Director for The People's Launch, an explosive immersive performance outside the Town Hall, looking back on the 1919 riots in Luton.

Movement Director

Jeanefer Jean-Charles was commissioned by the Greater London Authority and The Mayor's Office, to create a Human Shamrock featuring 200 volunteers in Trafalgar Square. The piece was rehearsed in secret to kick off London's St. Patrick’s Day 2019 celebrations with Tourism Ireland.

"200 people and a dog make a giant human shamrock in London"

Irish Central


Speaker at the One Dance UK Choreographers Conference

‘How do you find work and how do you navigate your way through the wilderness?’

Jeanefer Jean-Charles's talk was focused specifically for freelance choreographers and dance artists and Jeanefer ensured there was an opportunity for the attendees to discuss and reflect on this engaging and highly relevant question.  

Performance Director

In March 2018 Jeanefer Jean-Charles stood once again alongside the Paralympic flame, this time as Performance Director for the Paralympics Flame Ceremony in Stoke Mandeville.

Working as part of the Walk the Plank team, Jeanefer coordinated the performance that accompanied the iconic moment the flame was passed from Stoke Mandeville to Seoul in Korea.

This experience built on Jeanefer's previous role as Mass Movement Coordinator for the Opening Ceremony at the London 2012 Olympics.

See a video of Channel 4's coverage of the event.

Jeanefer was Mass Movement Co-ordinator for all four of the London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremonies.

"On one of the coldest days of the year, the important sporting heritage of the Paralympic movement was given the recognition and sense of occasion that it so rightly deserved with a flame lighting ceremony at Stoke Mandeville, the birthplace of the Paralympic movement"

- Walk The Plank


Creative Consultant for Artist Development Day

In February 2018, Jeanefer Jean-Charles held a creative development day for local artists from Norwich and Great Yarmouth. The embryonic development workshop was essential ahead of the celebration surrounding 250 years of circus in the UK and culminated in a carnival extravaganza in June and July 2018 with events in both Great Yarmouth and Norwich.

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Special Guest Speaker

Jeanefer Jean-Charles was invited to speak at Out Door Arts UK (formally ISAN) Making Waves: Critical Mass 2017 National Outdoor Arts Conference, a two day event in Milton Keynes. 

Her presentation explored the impact of her involvement in Outdoor Arts with a particular focus on the Manchester Day Parade, which Jeanefer has worked on for several years, with Walk the Plank and Dance Manchester.   

Creative Partner

Working as a Creative Partner with Kinetika to oversee the mass movement for a large-scale outdoor event in Tilbury, commemorating The SS Empire Windrush at Tilbury Cruise Terminal. The event was part of an exchange project with the Lord Mayor's Parade in Norwich and featured a parade with over 300 local artists and young people, showcasing Kinetika's beautiful carnival costumes.

Mass Movement Director

Jeanefer Jean-Charles was appointed Mass Movement Director for a new musical theatre production, The Silk Road in Beijing, China, October 2017.  It was produced by UKCI, and was a training & performance project attached to the Beijing University, featuring 100 schoolchildren.

the-silk-road

"The powers that be have decreed Silk excellent and very successful!"

CEO - UKCI,

Ian Kellgren

Creative Consultant

Jeanefer Jean-Charles was invited to lead a training session on pitching in 2017, part of OffSite - an Outdoor Arts development programme produced by Déda. Artists gained support in both verbal and written pitching. Other guest speakers were Phil Hargreaves, Creative Producer for Déda and a freelance producer and Graham Callister, Director of Creative Programmes at Birmingham Hippodrome.

Jeanefer led a successful follow up session in March 2018 at the New Vic Theatre in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

Choreographer

Jeanefer Jean-Charles choreographed the original and iconic handshake featured in the 1998 Walt Disney film, The Parent Trap. Jeanefer worked with a young Lindsay Lohan and actor Simon Kunz who played Martin, the family butler.

Creative Director

Jeanefer Jean- Charles was appointed Creative Director for Newcastle’s New Year’s Eve Parade in 2014, an event to celebrate the Rugby World Cup arriving in the city the following year. Together with her carefully selected team, consisting of Assistant Director Vicki Igbokwe and Creative Assistant Helen Wilson, Jeanefer guided a group of local artists, leaving behind a meaningful legacy.

Performance Director

Jeanefer Jean-Charles created the first-ever Big Dance, which took place on Saturday 22nd July 2006 in Trafalgar Square, London. This large-scale dance event was the centrepiece to Big Dance week and an exhilarating finale to BBC One's Dancing in the Streets.

"I hope that by seeing ordinary people doing something so extraordinary, audiences won’t feel so shy about taking up dance. And I hope that, if we can do another Big Dance, they’ll all want to take part!"

Jeanefer Jean-Charles & Associates,

Jeanefer Jean-Charles MBE

Movement Director / Co-Director (2012)

Jeanefer Jean-Charles was Movement Director and Co-director for Dancing Voices, a public art commission produced by East London Dance in partnership with Westfield Stratford City.

Dancing Voices captures the multitude of dance ‘languages’ set against a backdrop of iconic East London locations, celebrating the changing landscape of the area and featuring over 100 local dancers.

Film Maker: Jevan Chowdhury
Music: danbeats
Assistant Artists: Martha Wilkinson and Franqui Radford-Mathurin
Creative Projects Manager: Emma Kerr

 

Mass Movement Director (2015-2019)

Jeanefer Jean-Charles was appointed Choreographer for the Manchester Day Parade (2015) produced by Walk The Plank in partnership with Dance Manchester.

In 2016, Jeanefer delivered masterclasses with local artists and group leaders, ahead of Manchester Day Parade 2016. Jeanefer shared her methods for approaching mass choreography, preparing and empowering the artists and group leaders to create spectacular parade choreography.

Jeanefer has returned every year since, working as Mass Movement Director for the People's Parade.

Creative Consultant

As Creative Consultant, Jeanefer Jean-Charles facilitated a Dance to Health Review Day with Aesop (Arts Enterprise with a Social Purpose).

As the sole representative of the Arts industry, Jeanefer was invited to respond publicly to the ideas proposed in BOP Consulting and Aesop's first joint paper, 'Active Ingredients'. The event took place at King's College London in September 2018 to mark the launch of the paper. The aim of the Active Ingredient's report, is to deepen the understanding of the ways in which arts interventions in health and social contexts actually work - and to improve the ways these are designed and their impacts measured.

Dance to Health has been developed as a sustainable social enterprise. Six pilots in London, Cheshire and Oxfordshire have been underway in partnership with dance organisations and Age UK, health and wellbeing centres, housing associations and Jewish Care. An evaluation team is studying the process, quality assurance, health/artistic/social outcomes, health economics, and the best social enterprise model for Dance to Health to grow successfully.

IMAGE: Dance to Health performance at Aesop's First Arts and Health Conference in partnership with East London

"I came home refreshed and newly inspired!"

Dance to Health Project Manager - Aesop,

Karen Hamilton

Creative Consultant

Jeanefer Jean-Charles produced a choreographic framework for a Big Dance commission in Liverpool. Appointed by Merseyside Dance Initiative, Jeanefer collaborated with Lisi Perry, the North West Big Dance Coordinator Mira Balchandran Gokul and 25 artists. This framework was rolled out across Big Dance hubs in the North West of England.

Merseyside Dance Initiative were the North West hub lead for Big Dance 2012, which provided the opportunity to celebrate community dance across the nation.

Choreographic Consultant for Voodoo Rising

Artistic Director Sonya Moorhead and outdoor arts experts Walk the Plank, presented a collaboration with Mr Wilson's Second Liners - New Orleans meets 90s club classics rave band.

Drawing upon a rich tapestry of cultural references, Voodoo Rising is a euphoric fusion of music, movement, fire and pyrotechnics; inspired by the Louisiana Bayou and hedonism of 90’s clubland.

As Choreographic Consultant, Jeanefer Jean-Charles joined the team for the R&D period, which included a spectacular performance at Arts by the Sea Festival in Bournemouth, October 2016.

Voodoo Rising was designed by world-renowned designer Dan Potra and Graham Massey - Pioneer of Electronic Music for the first phase of the R&D, supported by Arts Council England.

Creative Consultant for Tavaziva

Jeanefer Jean-Charles is delighted to be Creative Consultant for Tavaziva, a national touring dance company and National Portfolio Organisation led by Bawren Tavaziva. His choreography is a unique synthesis of Contemporary, African and Ballet.

Jeanefer has delivered ongoing consultancy, advising on the strategic planning of Tavaziva's Learning and Participation Projects, specifically their boys dance programme. She has delivered training days for their teaching team and joined Bawren in leading the recruitment of a new cohort of male dance artists.

Creative Consultant

Jeanefer Jean-Charles was appointed Creative Consultant, 2015/2016 and 2016/2017 for the Dance Enterprise Ideas Summit with East London Dance.

The Dance Enterprise Ideas Fund was established in 2015 to enable dance creatives to research, test and/or launch new artistic and entrepreneurial ideas.

Jeanefer collaborated with Cultural and Creative Consultant Anamaria Wills for the first year of the programme and continued for the Ideas Summit in March 2018.

Jeanefer and Anamaria guided applicants through practice pitches and feedback before their projects were pitched to a panel of dance experts.

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