“Life often has a way of rewriting our stories, sometimes in ways we never expect. Mine began with abuse, homelessness, and the daily fight to survive. Between the ages of six and eight, I ran away from home to escape violence. I walked for miles, day and night, through cities and streets in Tanzania. Sometimes I hid beneath the chassis of buses, hoping they would take me far enough to never be found. For more than ten years, the streets became my home. That time left me feeling invisible, broken, and unsure of where I belonged. Dance became a way to reclaim control of my story, transform pain into strength, and envision a future I never thought possible.”

Samwel Japhet is a Tanzanian choreographer, storyteller, and social entrepreneur. He tells stories at the intersection of body and memory, using movement, text, sound, and visual storytelling to explore human relationships and social and political realities. Samwel found his voice through dance after a childhood marked by homelessness and abuse, an experience that continues to shape his return to the body as a site of memory and witness. Through his work, he builds artistic relationships between Africa and the rest of the world, using performance to expand public understanding and imagine new possibilities for individuals and communities.

His work has been presented in more than 30 countries across Africa, Europe, Asia, Oceania, and North America, at festivals and theatres including the Let’s Dance International Frontiers – Serendipity Institute for Black Arts and Heritage (Leicester, UK); Vancouver International Dance Festival (Canada); Tempo Dance Festival (New Zealand); Seoul, Sejong & Cheonan International Dance Festivals (South Korea); Zürcher Theater Spektakel (Switzerland); Battery Dance Festival (New York, USA); KINANI – International Platform for Contemporary Dance × Biennale de la Danse en Afrique (Mozambique); ICAF Rotterdam International Community Arts Festival & Afrovibes Festival (Netherlands); Germany: Mainfranken Theater Würzburg, Frankfurt LAB, Internationale Tanzmesse NRW, and Theater Kiel; KUYUM Tanzplattform & Platform 14 at Uferstudios; Co-Festival – Kino Šiška (Slovenia); East African Nights of Tolerance – EANT Festival (Rwanda); Tel Aviv International Dance Festival – Suzanne Dellal Centre (Israel); MBMS: Public Arts Festival (South Africa); Adey International Dance Festival (Ethiopia); LAKSDEJOT Festival (Latvia); Africa SIMPLY THE BEST – Pan-African Solo Choreography Competition (Burkina Faso); Africa Moment International Performing Arts Meeting (Spain); Marafiki Arts Festival, National Museum of Tanzania, and Time2Dance Festival (Tanzania).

Recent works include: 

BECOMING: From the Streets to Now (2025) – Dance solo · The Net We Carry – Wavu Tuliobeba (2026) – Dance duet with Tadhi Alawi · YIN-YANG (2024) – Dance duet with Tadhi Alawi · A Moment – Wakati (2021) – Dance duet with Tadhi Alawi · In Between Time (2021) – Commissioned by Afrovibes Festival · HUMAN: Life in a Rapidly Changing World (2023). These works use movement, physicality, text, voice, sound, music, objects, and visual storytelling to explore lived experience, memory, relationships, and social and political realities. Samwel approaches the body as a space to see, reflect, heal, and respond to the world.

Awards, Fellowships & Residencies

Salzburg Global Fellow and serves on the Salzburg Global Advisory Council on Culture and Arts.

2026 – Frankfurt Moves! Fellow, an international artist residency and scholarship programme by KfW Stiftung in cooperation with Frankfurt LAB.

2024-2026 – Global Fellow, The Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics, Georgetown University.

2021 – Seed Award, Prince Claus Fund for Culture and Development.

2019 – Asia-Africa-Latin America Dance Exchange – Five-month international residency in South Korea | Hosted by the Seoul Section of the International Dance Council (CID-UNESCO) as part of the Cultural Partnership Initiative, supported by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of South Korea (MCST) and the Korea Foundation for International Cultural Exchange (KOFICE).

Education & Training

MUDA Africa Dance Institute – Dar es Salaam, Tanzania – Diploma in Contemporary Dance, Choreography & Tanzanian Traditional Dances | 2013-2016

École des Sables / P.A.R.T.S. Dance Exchange – Senegal & Belgium – International dance exchange between 10 young African choreographers and P.A.R.T.S. master’s students | Jan-Feb 2020

GoDown Arts Centre – Nairobi, Kenya – Certificate in Creative Economy | May-July 2015

Haba Na Haba Dance Training – Dar es Salaam, Tanzania – Certificate in Contemporary Dance | May-June 2014; Training with Nora Chipaumire (Zimbabwe/USA), Robert Ngoroma (Tanzania), and Kefa Oiro (Kenya)

Makini Organization – Dar es Salaam, Tanzania – Certificate in Traditional Dances & Community Theatre | 2009-2013

Convene: Artistic Projects, Platforms & Cross-Cultural Collaborations 

Producer · Co-Curator · Project Manager · Mentor

Beyond his choreographic work, Samwel Japhet produces performance tours, curates artistic platforms, capacity-building initiatives and manages international exchanges, strengthening the Tanzanian dance ecosystem and building artistic relationships between Africa and the world. He also teaches and mentors emerging artists, supporting their creative development and professional growth. 

UMOJA Residency Program (2021-2022) – Co-managed 

A fully funded, five-week multidisciplinary residency promoting gender balance and social cohesion through the arts, uniting East African and European artists in Tanzania. Supported by EUNIC through the European Spaces of Culture initiative, with partners including Nantea Dance Company, Muda Africa, Nafasi Art Space, Chi Temu Management, CityLAB/Ardhi University, the Department of Creative Arts at UDSM, the National Arts Council (BASATA), and the Embassies of Spain, France, Poland, and Italy, Alliance Française, Goethe-Institut, the EU Delegation to Tanzania, and the East African Community.

Co-founder and Producer, Nantea Dance Company (2015-present) 

Samwel co-founded Nantea Dance Company with Tadhi Alawi to produce touring performances, social projects, and platforms supporting emerging dancers across Tanzania and East Africa. The company has built a strong presence locally, regionally, and internationally, and has produced several key initiatives, including: 

A Nest of Dance (Kiota cha Dansi) (2025-ongoing) – Co-curator / Co-producer 

An inclusive dance platform, launched with Goethe-Institut Tanzania, enabling Tanzanian dancers to showcase Tanzanian and African dance works through curated performances, artist talks, and open discussions.

Contemporary Dance Night (2018-2020) – Co-curator / Co-producer 

A bi-annual platform that showcased emerging contemporary dance artists from Tanzania and East Africa, supported by the Embassy of Switzerland, British Council, Prince Claus Fund, Alliance Française, and others.

Nje Ndani – Outreach Dance Program (2018-present) – Co-curator / Co-producer 

A training, mentorship, and entrepreneurship initiative supporting artistic growth and international networking for dancers in Tanzania.