Draft:Samwel Japhet

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Samwel Japhet is a Tanzanian dance artist, choreographer, and social entrepreneur who found his voice through dance after experiencing a challenging childhood marked by homelessness and abuse. He uses dance as a form of artistic expression and storytelling, encouraging transcendence and critical reflection on the socio-political world and contemporary issues. For nearly a decade, Japhet has explored the intersection of dance, storytelling, and social issues, with a focus on human relationships and the connections between individuals and society. His work expands traditional choreographic practices by combining dance with visual storytelling, real-life experiences, text, music, and dialogue.

Early Life and Education

Samwel Japhet ran away from home between six and eight due to child abuse and lived as a street child for over 10 years in Tanzania. In 2009, he joined MAKINI, a Tanzanian non-profit for street children, where he first trained and performed in traditional dance and theater.

Later, graduated from MUDA Africa Dance School in Tanzania with a Diploma in Dance and Choreography. This marking the beginning of his artistic journey. His experiences as a street child continue to influence his work, and he draws inspiration from his past to create socially conscious performances.

Awards, Fellowships, and Residencies

2021 Seed Award: Prince Claus Fund for Culture and Development (Netherlands).

Global Fellow (2024-2026): The Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics, Georgetown University (USA).

2025: Lifetime Fellow with the Salzburg Global's Culture, Arts and Society.

2021-2022: Co-managed UMOJA, a multidisciplinary artistic residency exchange program between East African and European artists in Tanzania.

2019: Participated in the Seoul International Dance Festival Residency, focused on dance exchanges among artists from Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

Company and Leadership

Nantea Dance Company is a Tanzanian-based non-profit dedicated to performance, cross-cultural collaborations, artistic development, and community outreach. Co-founded by Samwel Japhet and Tadhi Alawi, the company presents internationally acclaimed works and runs Nje Ndani, a program supporting emerging Tanzanian dance artists. The company also organizes a bi-annual contemporary dance night, showcasing Tanzanian and East African dance.

Principal choreographic works

Japhet’s choreographic works explore themes of societal imbalances, dignity, conflict, and equality, combining dance, real-life experiences, visual storytelling, text, and music.

YIN-YANG, a collaborative dance duet performance with Tadhi Alawi, exploring power dynamics and societal struggles through the contrast between black and white.The production has been showcased in Germany, New Zealand, Italy, and Tanzania. WIth international tour 2025-2027 and beyond.

A MOMENT–WAKATI, shows in images, dance, and music how we can find support, care, and comfort in our shared experiences in the moments we share with others in our daily lives. This performance toured in The Netherlands, Israel, Latvia, USA, Germany, Belgium, Sweden, Kenya, the UK, Tanzania and beyond.

ON THE OTHER SIDE OF BEING, a solo performance addressing societal perceptions of mental illness in Tanzania. The work has been presented in festivals across Africa, Europe and Asia, including Let’s Dance International Frontiers (UK, 2020), TanzTangente Dance Festival (Berlin, 2020), Sejong International Dance Festival (South Korea, 2019), My Body My Space Public Arts Festival (South Africa, 2019, with support from prestigious institutions like Goethe-Institut and Pro Helvetia Johannesburg.

VURUGU/VIOLENCE, a collaboration performance with dancers and choreographers from Mexico, Vietnam, Rwanda and Tanzania as part of the Asia, Africa & Latin America's SIDance Exchange 2019, produced by the Seoul Section of the International Dance Council CID-UNESCO and Cultural Partnership Initiative by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korean Foundation for International Culture Exchange (KOFFICE).

ONYESHA THAMANI – SHOWING VALUE is a thought-provoking exploration of gender equality and the complexities of gender relations in Tanzania. The piece has been presented in public spaces across Dar es Salaam and has also toured internationally, including notable performances at the 2023 International Community Arts Festival (ICAF) in Rotterdam. This project was commissioned with the support of the Feel Free Grant, funded by the Embassy of Switzerland in Tanzania and implemented by Nafasi Arts Space.

International Recognition and Participation in Festivals

Japhet's work has been presented in major festivals and theaters around the world, including: AfroVibes Festival (Netherlands), New Zealand’s Tempo Dance Festival, TanzLabor Roxy Ulm (Germany), Tel Aviv Dance Festival - Suzanne Dellal Centre (Israel), Battery Dance Festival (New York, USA), My Body My Space: Public Arts Festival (South Africa), SIDance (Seoul International Dance Festival, South Korea), East African Nights of Tolerance Dance Festival (Kigali, Rwanda), MEXE International Community Arts Festival (Portugal), Cheonan Int'l Dance Festival (South Korea), Dance Festival LAIKS DEJOT (Latvia), Marafiki Arts Festival (Tanzania), Time2Dance Festival (Tanzania), BATALO EAST Festival (Uganda), Adey International Dance Festival (Ethiopia), To Be Antwerp (Belgium). Africa SIMPLY THE BEST: a solo pan-African choreographic competition, initiated in 2015 by Burkinabe choreograpger Serge Aime Coulibaly and ANKATA laboratory (Burkina Faso)

Featured Projects and Collaborations

Japhet has also been involved in various collaborative projects, including:

The Creative Bubble Project: A collaboration with Freestyle Phanatix and the Swedish Arts Council (Sweden), The EAST AFRICAN BOLERO Choreographed by Wesley Ruzibiza - Amizero Compagnie, Performed at Théâtre Paris-Villette, France, with tours across East Africa and the Netherlands.16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence: A collaboration with Gibney Dance Company (USA), MUDA Africa (Tanzania), and NGO Engender Health, funded by the U.S. State Department. Kampnagel International Summer Festival/Bismarck-Dekolonial LIVE=FORUM/Curated by Yolanda Gutiérrez (Germany)

References

1. Prince Claus Fund. "Samwel Japhet – Seed Award." Prince Claus Fund for Culture and Development. https://princeclausfund.nl/awardees/samwel-silas. Accessed March 5, 2025. 2. Salzburg Global. "Samwel Japhet." Salzburg Global. https://www.salzburgglobal.org/people?userID=55753&eventID=11473. Accessed March 5, 2025. 3. DAP Festival. "Samwel Japhet." Danza in Arte a Pietrasanta - DAP Festival. https://www.dapfestival.com/speaker/samwel-japhet/. Accessed March 5, 2025. 4. Prince Claus Fund. "Samwel Silas." Prince Claus Fund. https://princeclausfund.nl/awardees/samwel-silas. Accessed March 5, 2025. 5. Brandeis University. "Samwel Japhet Silas." Peacebuilding and the Arts. https://www.brandeis.edu/peacebuilding-arts/publications/newsletter/2023/samwel-japhet-silas.html. Accessed March 5, 2025. 6. Africa e Mediterraneo. "Samwel Japhet: From Childhood on the Streets of Tanzania to Dance." Africa e Mediterraneo. https://www.africaemediterraneo.it/blog/index.php/samwel-japhet-dallinfanzia-nelle-strade-della-tanzania-alla-danza/. Accessed March 5, 2025. 7. Samwel Japhet. "Official Website." Samwel Japhet. https://samweljaphet.com/. Accessed March 5, 2025. 8. Nantea Dance. "Nantea Dance Company." Nantea Dance. https://nanteadance.wixsite.com/mysite/home. Accessed March 5, 2025. 9. Internationale tanzmesse nrw. "Nantea Dance Company - A MOMENT WAKATI." https://www.tanzmesse.com/en/programme/2022/Nantea-Dance-Company-A-MOMENT-WAKATI/. Accessed March 5, 2025. 10. The East African. "From the Streets of Tanzania to Success on the Dance Floor." The East African, 2021. https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/magazine/from-the-streets-of-tanzania-to-success-on-the-dance-floor-3285364. Accessed March 5, 2025.