Exploring Dance Around the World

Ahead of LDIF 2018 in May, we invited Sam Warren of Serendipity to tell us about the films screening at Phoenix for the festival.

Let’s Dance International Frontiers (LDIF) is celebrating its eighth year. Over the last eight years we’ve had the opportunity to present a number of innovative dance films, exploring the stories behind the dance from Memphis Jookin’ to Krump in California, and this year we have two more documentaries to share.

LDIF has the privilege of screening From the Streets to the Stage: The Journey of Frederick Davis on 3rd May and Tango Negro: The African Roots of Tango on 4th May.

From the Streets to the Stage: The Journey of Frederick Davis explores the social and artistic journey of Frederick Davis, a ballet dancer who overcame all odds to achieve his dream of dancing across the world. Frederick travels from New York to New Jersey, North Carolina and Virginia and lastly Chattanooga, Tennessee where he discovered his love for dance.

For Frederick, dance became not only a passion but a safe space where he felt supported in his creativity and talent. “The moment I got in dance, life changed. It changed me so much. That person that came out when I started dancing, I’d kept it locked inside for so long.

“It felt like it was a new life. I could relax. I didn’t have to live in a car or on the street anymore,” he says. “There was this whole other home in the ballet world.”

Tango is a style of dance that instantly makes you think of South America, particularly Argentina and Uruguay. To many Tango enthusiasts, the notion that the style has African roots is a controversial subject. Tango Negro: The African Roots of Tango delves into the history of Tango and explores the relationship between a dance style with African roots and a country that is proud of their European heritage.

Dom Pedro, the writer and director of Tango Negro was inspired to research this subject while watching the 1990 World Cup. He was curious why the Argentinian national team had so few black players compared to other South American teams.

From the Streets to the Stage: The Journey of Frederick Davis is screening at Phoenix on Thu 3 May 7pm and Tango Negro: The African Roots of Tango on Fri 4 May 7pm. Tickets are available online or at box office.