Jazz artist and Frost School of Music professor Etienne Charles and Miami choreographer Peter London connect in many ways: their shared Trinidadian heritage, the way they blend Afro-Caribbean culture with contemporary American jazz and modern dance, and their dedication to education.
The concert they will present on Feb. 5 as part of the Frost Music Live series not only promises to be a thrilling showcase of original music and dance, but also a powerful demonstration of the legacy of artistic mentorship and the expanded possibilities created through collaboration and community engagement.
“There is a lot of great stuff happening in Miami,” said Charles. “I wanted to bring this to the Frost School to show we’re engaged with the community and with other partners and players in town.”
“What Etienne is looking at is global education,” said London, a revered longtime dance teacher at Miami’s renowned New World School of the Arts, which offers conservatory training within a public high school program. “How many universities in this country have that opportunity to create a global experience not just in music, but in dance and history? Etienne is doing the finest thing he can as an educator, not just for his students, but for the community and the institution.”
The concert features the Peter London Global Dance Company (PLGDC) performing original dances to musical works by Charles, several of which were commissioned by London. Two were choreographed by Jamar Roberts and Lloyd Knight, former students of London who have become acclaimed dance artists. The music will be performed by the 20-member Frost Studio Jazz Band (FSJB), which Charles directs. Four Frost School dance program students and one faculty member—also a former student of London’s—will join the nine professional dancers in London’s troupe for two pieces.
“A big part of what we do at the Frost School is create unique, unforgettable experiences for students and audiences,” said Charles. “When is the last time you had a jazz big band playing original music by the composer and director for a dance performance?”
London first choreographed to music from Charles’ album “Creole Soul” for an online, pandemic-era concert. “It was phenomenal music,” London said. “It had all the rhythms you have in Trinidad that I grew up with. It opened a floodgate of creativity.” He was thrilled when he heard Charles would be joining the Frost School in 2022. “I’m like ‘the gods set us up,’” London said. “It’s a match made in heaven.” He asked Charles, a fellow Trinidadian native, to compose music for a new work inspired by Trinidad and Tobago Carnival, the giant annual celebration at the heart of the country’s culture. Named “Bacchanal Tuesday,” it invokes Carnival’s delirious street parties and African-rooted rhythms, and was presented at the PLGDC’s annual concert at Miami’s Adrienne Arsht Center in 2023.
London followed with two more music commissions for Charles for works by his former New World students, which PLGDC performed in 2024 and 2025. (He was also inspired to commission music from Frost School jazz professor and pianist Martin Bejerano, whose sister-in-law is a dance teacher at New World.)
“I thought it would be a great thing for my American kids to work with a Caribbean composer, using their contemporary modern dance blended with contemporary Caribbean and Afro-Caribbean dance, to music that is a mix of Afro-Caribbean and American jazz,” London said.
One was the solo “Deeply Rooted” by Lloyd Knight, a leading dancer with the Martha Graham Dance Company—founded by the godmother of modern dance, and the troupe where London was a principal dancer for many years. The other was a group work by Jamar Roberts, who was a longtime star dancer at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the hugely popular and influential modern dance company, before becoming an acclaimed choreographer; he is currently a guest faculty member at The Juilliard School—which both Charles and London attended.
Roberts’ piece, “As an Offering,” is a tribute to his former teacher. “Jamar said it was in honor of me, in honor of mentors and the future,” London said. “He created a ritual dance of honoring, of celebration, of unity. The music is just phenomenal, and the piece is mesmerizing and powerful. People love it.”
Last year, Charles proposed bringing their collaborations to a Frost School stage, while adding the FSJB and the school’s dance program.
Charles was recently commissioned by the Ailey company to compose the score for “Jazz Island,” a new dance by Maija Garcia inspired by a book by the legendary Trinidadian dancer, choreographer, and actor Geoffrey Holder—also a mentor to Charles— which premiered at the company’s New York season in December. It was an expansion of his experience collaborating with London, and of his own instincts as a composer from a culture where dancing is second nature.
“I always write [music] with body movements in mind,” Charles said. “Working with Peter prepared me for understanding the story in a dance, understanding what a choreographer wants.”
Working with Charles has been equally inspiring to London, who hopes this concert will capture the excitement and value of their collaboration. “People will get a firsthand look at how we can come together, from different experiences and different groups, to produce the highest level of excellence in the arts,” he said.
If you go: The Peter London Global Dance Company and Frost Studio Jazz Band directed by Etienne Charles perform at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 5, at Gusman Concert Hall, 1314 Miller Dr. on the Coral Gables Campus. Tickets and information here.
