The University of Johannesburg, in collaboration with the Jamaican High Commission, Pretoria, will welcome L’Acadco: A United Caribbean Dance Force to the UJ Arts Centre for a once off Johannesburg performance of 1 LUV on 8 September at 18:00 at the UJ Arts Centre. Through dance and movement, this cultural encounter brings one of Jamaica’s leading contemporary dance companies into conversation with South African artists, students and audiences in a programme that invites artists and audiences to encounter shared histories, recognise distinct identities, and imagine new forms of collaboration across the Global South.
Jamaican-based, L’Acadco was originally founded in Miami in 1978 by Jamaican dancer, choreographer and scholar Dr L’Antoinette Stines, OD and relocated to Jamaica in 1982. For more than four decades, the company has pursued its mission of presenting Caribbean rhythms on the world stage and “building bridges through the arts”. Its work combines Caribbean folklore, contemporary themes, live rhythm and storytelling, with a movement language shaped by African diasporic histories and Jamaican cultural traditions.
The UJ event follows L’Acadco’s participation in the 28th JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience in Durban, where the company presents 1 LUV on 1 and 2 September 2026. The programme celebrates Black creativity, spirituality and resilience through works by Dr. Stines and company artists, drawing together dance, music and social commentary.
At the centre of L’Acadco’s practice is L’Antech, the Caribbean contemporary dance technique created by Dr. Stines. The technique brings classical structures into dialogue with indigenous and traditional movement forms, including Kumina, Bruckins, Nyabinghi, Tambu, Yanvalou, Piquet, Arara, Bambosche and Dancehall. Its emphasis on body, mind and spirit offers participants an embodied encounter with the cultural memories and movement traditions that travelled across oceans and took new form in the Caribbean.
The staging of the show is a reflection of the Jamaican High Commission’s remit to further strengthen Jamaican/South Africa relations through culture and the arts. The L’Acadco show forms part of the celebrations of Jamaica’s 64 years of Independence.
For UJ Arts & Culture, hosting L’Acadco is an opportunity to deepen cultural dialogue between Africa and the Caribbean. These regions are connected through histories of movement, resistance, creativity and cultural survival, yet exchange between their contemporary arts communities is not always given sustained public space.
“This engagement reflects UJ’s commitment to meaningful international cultural exchange while remaining firmly anchored in Africa and the Global South. By bringing Caribbean and African artistic practices into conversation, we create opportunities for audiences, students and artists to engage with our shared histories, distinct cultural identities and contemporary creative voices. Through performance, learning and dialogue, the programme demonstrates the power of the arts to build bridges, deepen understanding and inspire new possibilities for collaboration across the Global South,” says Pieter Jacobs, Head of UJ Arts & Culture.
Dr. Stines is a dancer, choreographer, actor, lecturer, author and cultural scholar. She holds a PhD in Cultural Studies from the University of the West Indies, Mona, and has lectured internationally on Jamaican traditional dance forms and Caribbean contemporary dance. L’Acadco’s touring company includes dancers, drummers, creative and technical personnel, reflecting the ensemble’s integrated approach to movement, music, and theatre.
Date: 8 September 2026
Time: 18:00 for 18:30
Venue: Keorapetse William Kgositsile Theatre, UJ Arts Centre, Auckland Park Kingsway Campus
Tickets: Free
Click here to book your free ticket
About L’Acadco
L’Acadco: A United Caribbean Dance Force is a Jamaican contemporary dance company founded by Dr L’Antoinette Stines in Miami in 1978 and based in Jamaica since 1982. Widely regarded as one of Jamaica’s leading contemporary dance companies, it presents Caribbean culture internationally through performance, education and its distinctive L’Antech technique. The company has appeared at platforms including CARIFESTA, DanceAfrica at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Panafest in Ghana, the Kennedy Center and international cultural events in Europe, the Caribbean and beyond.
About UJ Arts and Culture
UJ Arts & Culture, a division of the Faculty of Art, Design & Architecture (FADA) produces and presents world-class student and professional arts programmes aligned to the UJ vision of an international university of choice, anchored in Africa, dynamically shaping the future. A robust range of arts platforms are offered on all four UJ campuses for students, staff, alumni and the general public to experience and engage with emerging and established Pan-African and international artists drawn from the full spectrum of the arts.
In addition to UJ Arts & Culture, FADA (www.uj.ac.za/fada) offers programmes in eight creative disciplines, in Art, Design and Architecture, as well as playing home to the NRF SARChI Chair in South African Art & Visual Culture, and the Visual Identities in Art & Design Research Centre. The Faculty has a strong focus on sustainability and relevance, and engages actively with the dynamism, creativity and diversity of Johannesburg in imagining new approaches to art and design education.