WHEN THE WORLD DANCES | DANCE & STORYTELLING FOR KIDS

Roger Jenkins and Justine Devisse return with a new bi-lingual storytelling show for families, When the World Dances.

Last year’s programme, Ocean Commotion, was hugely successful (and even returned for a second run!) thanks to its highly visual and very interactive way of telling. Much of the feedback also praised the way the script switched back and forth between both languages, keeping mono- and bi-lingual audience members thoroughly engaged.

When the World Dances features three traditional stories from India, Zimbabwe and Panama:

• Peacocks Bring Rain: an Indian myth tells how peacocks dance to summon the monsoon... and how a girl learns a small act of kindness can make a big difference.
• Sipo and his Drum: a delightful tale form Zimbabwe of a young boy's unexpected encounter with a strange three-headed creature, and how his drum comes to the rescue!
• Conejito: it means little rabbit in Spanish, and this story from Panama is about a surprising summer holiday spent with Conejito’s aunt - and a very happy ending that will have the audience on its feet dancing!

To help tell the stories, Roger and Justine are collaborating with dancers from Apsaras Arts, one of Singapore’s most renowned Indian Classical dance academy and company. Live music accompaniment is provided by the remarkable Raghavendran Rajasekaran on flute and percussion.

Duration: 1h
Location: Alliance Française, Theatre
Tickets are limited—reserve your spot today!

Roger Jenkins is a Singaporean who has been a professional storyteller since 1998.

Winner of the BEST STORYTELLER AWARD at the 16th Kanoon International Storytelling Festival, he is a popular performer/trainer in schools, libraries and at community events thanks to his spontaneous, comedic, and often participatory, style of telling. In 2015, he founded the 398.2 Storytelling Festival Singapore, which continues to this day as our leading platform for local tellers. He has performed at Festivals and schools from Bahrain, Bangkok and Beijing to Nairobi, Penang and Shanghai. He is a founding Director of FEAST – the Federation of Asian Storytellers (2018 – present)

He won the 1995 Singapore Literature Prize for a collection of poems, From the Belly of the Carp, a dramatic celebration of the history of the Singapore River. In 2012 he self-published two collections of mostly traditional stories, Stories for Moral Education (Juniors and Teens) currently in their 17th edition.

Justine Devisse Mezraniis originally from northern France and the mother of three young children. She arrived in Asia nearly 20 years ago, living first in Taipei and Shanghai before settling in Hong Kong, where she launched an online children’s bookstore specializing in French-language books.

While in Hong Kong, Justine rekindled her passion for theatre, performing in several French-language productions. Like Roger, she has a love for improvisation—though in French—and has taken part in numerous improv cabarets and shows. She also co-wrote and was the production director of a musical for the French May festival in Hong Kong.

In 2022, she moved to Singapore with her family. There, she continues her theatre journey with The Theatre Ensemble and performed in a French-language play at the Alliance Française. She still practices French-language improv—most recently winning the LIFA competitionin Hanoi with her team in May 2025—and has begun musical theatre at Sing’theatre.

Raghavendran Rajasekaran, fondly known as Ragha, is a Singaporean composer, improviser, and performer whose work spans symphony orchestras, experimental ensembles, theatre, dance, and interdisciplinary arts projects in Singapore and abroad.

A graduate of LaSalle College of the Arts Singapore with a Bachelor’s Degree with Honours in Music (Jazz Performance), he studied under Australian jazz virtuoso Dr. Tim O'Dwyer and British jazz composer Gregg Lyons. He also received advanced training from Grammy-nominated Indian flute virtuosos Pandit Ronu Majumdar and Sri Ravichandra Kulur through grants awarded by the National Arts Council Singapore.

Alongside his artistic practice, Ragha is actively involved in arts education and community outreach, collaborating with cultural groups and institutions across Singapore while continuing to develop projects that bridge traditional and contemporary musical forms.

This is Ragha’s second collaboration with Roger at the Alliance. He performed in 2024’s The Mountain that Loved a Bird.

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Host or Publisher Alliance Française de Singapour