On May 28, 2026, the Peter London Global Dance Company, or PLGDC, will present the Afro-Diaspora Soul Dance at the Miami Beach Bandshell — an immersive, narrative-driven performance where culture speaks through movement.
The company, founded in 2011, is celebrating its 15th anniversary with a performance of cutting-edge modern dance works influenced by American classical dance, ballet, jazz and Native American, South American, West African and Caribbean dance forms.
The company has been in residence at the Little Haiti Cultural Complex (LHCC) since its inception and an arts partner at the Adrienne Arsht Center of the Performing Arts since 2013. Over the years, it has become South Florida’s leading professional multi-cultural contemporary dance company.
Clinton Harris is a Miami native.
(Courtesy of Peter London Global Dance Company)
PLGDC is an extension of founder Peter London’s work since 1987, training and mentoring dancers at New World School of the Arts, many of whom have achieved success in major companies. London’s own company has awed audiences for years, bringing a high level of dance and choreographic excellence to the stage.
“Dance allows artists to speak clearly about their experience — how they’re experiencing life at the time that they’re living it,” said London. “Because it’s movement, it’s more easily transferable into feeling, regardless of what your culture is or what your dance language is. The body can transmit information from body to body through movement.”
The upcoming performance also includes a work by Jamar Roberts, entitled “A Folk’s Tale.”
“I consider the work by Jamar Roberts to be a masterpiece,” said London. “It speaks about the African American experience, and it talks about resilience in spite of the setbacks, in spite of the struggle. It’s a beautiful duet, a man and a woman moving through that life of struggle and supporting each other, falling and standing again, and moving forward.”
Another program called “Women’s Choreographic Voices,” which London started more than a decade ago, will feature solos by female dancers. This iteration will feature choreography and performance by Stephanie Franco, Kayin Knighton, Mar’Kayla Michel and Abria Pegues.
Stephanie Franco, Yanil Pabón and Sierra Taylor will perform original choreography for the Women’s Choreographic Voices performance.
(Courtesy of Peter London Global Dance Company)
Franco, for one, has been dancing with PLGDC for nearly three years. She focuses on expression, change and maintaining curiosity by constantly asking questions and taking risks on the stage. During the Women’s Choreographic Voices program, she will be premiering and performing her original piece, “Woman of Many Dreams.”
“My choreography represents the raw woman’s artistic body with its many layers and visions,” said Franco. “I represent the divine feminine with deep emotion and embodiment of different rhythms through risk-taking. Women’s voices are complex, deeply rooted and multilayered, and I am representing that.”
This vibrant showcase of original works by emerging and visionary choreographers brings a unique perspective and a medley of artistic voices to the stage, aiming to uplift women and create a more inclusive space within dance.
“The program is very dear to my heart,” said London. “It gives the young up-and-coming women in our company an opportunity to explore their creative work through choreography. This year, four of those solos will be performed at the Bandshell. It’s their choreography, it’s their voice, it’s how they want to speak their story.”
Aaron Lopez is trained in both classical and modern dance.
(Courtesy of Peter London Global Dance Company)
Other dancers featured in the event at the Bandhsell include Carlos Realegeno, Clinton Harris, Aaron Lopez, Ethan Telfort and Jerome Hawkins.
Realegeno grew up in Miami and studied under London at the New World School of the Arts, where he pursued a BFA in dance.
Aaron Lopez and Clinton Harris have performed on multiple stages throughout South Florida.
(Courtesy of Peter London Global Dance Company)
“Peter tells me a lot that dance is freedom,” said Realegeno. “He always tells me that, and he always connects dance with the journey that you go through as a human on earth. He gives me all these wise words and enlightens me with all these different ideas, and he’s just such a great mentor.”
One of the most anticipated aspects of the upcoming performance for Realegeno is the world premiere of “Trade and Reclamation,” a full company piece choreographed by London.
“Specifically for the night for this performance, I’m presenting a remembrance of the experience of slavery or being enslaved — whether it’s the Atlantic slave trade, whether it’s being enslaved in other ways that one might find themselves in, whether it’s a societal experience — and so we see the dancers moving through that struggle and then their experience of escaping that,” said London.
The program will close with a celebration of West Indian Carnival Fete, a choreographed piece by London entitled “Caribbean Suite” and accompanied by a commissioned score from award-winning Trinidadian jazz trumpeter and composer Etienne Charles. “Caribbean Suite” is a vibrant work that encourages the audience to join the performers in celebration.
Ultimately, London and his dancers want the audience to see some aspect of their own lives in the choreography, giving inspiration and even a feeling of catharsis. After 15 years, the PLGDC’s goal of multi-cultural mentorship, learning and expression remains strong. For the dancers, they want to see it continue to grow.
“I would like the company’s impact to be to bring the culture, the community and the diaspora together,” said Realegeno, “to keep their legacy and to keep doing what dance does for the dancers and for the people watching.”
Tickets can be purchased online at www.plgdc.org.