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THE UGLY DUCKLING
About Me
The Ugly Duckling is a contemporary dance piece inspired by the well-known story about a black duck who experiences rejection, loneliness, self-discovery, and eventually finds acceptance and belonging.
The piece is being developed by Tanzanian contemporary dancers selected through an audition as part of the Marafiki Festival 2026 – Dance and Music Exchange Training Program. After coming together, the artists researched the story through online resources and consultations with different stakeholders, and worked with a dance facilitator from Denmark to transform the story into movement and performance.
The dance piece explores themes of identity, acceptance, belonging, transformation, and self-discovery, and will be presented at the Marafiki Arts Festival 2026.
The project is a one-year Tanzania–Denmark cultural exchange program (2026–2027), supported by the Embassy of Denmark, focusing on artist training, knowledge sharing, professional development, and cultural exchange between Tanzanian and Danish artists.
The piece is being developed by Tanzanian contemporary dancers selected through an audition as part of the Marafiki Festival 2026 – Dance and Music Exchange Training Program. After coming together, the artists researched the story through online resources and consultations with different stakeholders, and worked with a dance facilitator from Denmark to transform the story into movement and performance.
The dance piece explores themes of identity, acceptance, belonging, transformation, and self-discovery, and will be presented at the Marafiki Arts Festival 2026.
The project is a one-year Tanzania–Denmark cultural exchange program (2026–2027), supported by the Embassy of Denmark, focusing on artist training, knowledge sharing, professional development, and cultural exchange between Tanzanian and Danish artists.