Photo credit: ©David Levene
Led by Artistic Director and Choreographer Jeanefer Jean-Charles MBE, and produced by Festival.org, the Tideway Blackfriars Project was a site‑specific outdoor performance marking the completion of London’s new sewage tunnels—engineered beneath Blackfriars Bridge, where Bazalgette’s pioneering 1858 system first began.
Staged within a newly unveiled public space of sculptures and landscaped gardens, the event brought together 20 dancers alongside 10 Tideway volunteers.
Through a blend of movement, music, and poetry, the performance illuminated the hidden world beneath the city and paid tribute to the engineering achievements that shaped London’s growth.
This intimate piece was shared with an invited audience ahead of the site’s public opening.
Led by Artistic Director & Choreographer Jeanefer Jean-Charles MBE and produced by Festival.org, the Tideway Blackfriars Project was a site-specific outdoor performance that celebrated the completion of London’s new sewage tunnels—built beneath Blackfriars Bridge where Bazalgette’s original 1858 system once began.
Set in a striking new public space of sculptures and gardens, the event featured a cast of 20 dancers and 10 Tideway volunteers.
Through movement, music and poetry, it uncovered the hidden world beneath our feet and honoured the engineering legacy that shaped the city.
This intimate performance was presented for an invited audience ahead of the space’s public opening.
Photo credit: ©David Levene
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.
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
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.
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.