‘You see people diversifying the curriculum and teaching ‘African dance’,” says Pawlet Brookes incredulously. “What does that mean? Africa is a continent! We’re talking about a huge place.” If you want to know about the wealth of dance styles and choreographers coming out of Africa, Brookes is a good person to talk to. She is the founder of Let’s Dance International Frontiers (LDIF), an annual festival in Leicester that showcases dance from the African and African-Caribbean diaspora, and has been bringing some of the world’s most interesting dance artists to the Midlands for the last 11 years.
She has got an eye for talent. Brookes was the first person to bring African-American choreographer Kyle Abraham to the UK in 2015, and now he’s made a piece for the Royal Ballet. Brookes also gave a UK platform to Germaine Acogny from Senegal, who will be performing at Sadler’s Wells in London this summer. And she introduced us to Haitian choreographer Jeanguy Saintus, who went on to create work for Phoenix Dance Theatre.
