Dance Consortium is delighted to present Nigeria’s celebrated QDance Company, as the company of 10 dancers and 2 musicians explode onto the stage with their exuberant production Re:INCARNATION.
These introductory notes are designed for everyone: the public, students and teachers to learn more about Onikeku, The QDance Company and Re:INCARNATION. Featuring background information and resources for formal and informal learning, these notes can be read alongside the free show programme
About Qudus Onikeku and The QDance Company
Target groups, age guidance and theatre visits About Re:INCARNATION
Re:INCARNATION Trailer
Show programme and further links
Re:INCARNATION UK tour dates 2024
Q&A with Artistic Director Qudus Onikeku
Style Spotter
Let’s Talk - Conversation prompts around the show About Nigeria and Yoruba Culture
Previous Dance Consortium Tours and Further Resources
Further info
ABOUT QUDUS ONIKEKU & THE QDANCE COMPANY
QUDUS ONIKEKU - FOUNDER & ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Qudus Onikeku is a Nigerian choreographer born in and based in Lagos. At the age of 5, he found his love for acrobatics, and dance at age 13 whilst in high school After high school he worked at the Lagos state dance troupe, leaving for France at the age of 20 to work with Algerian choreographer Heddy Maalem and enrolling in circus arts training at age 22.
Between 2006 and 2009, he received a scholarship of the French Embassy Abuja, to study at the prestigious Ecole Superieur National Des Arts Du Cirque in France. Upon graduation he started his first company, YK Projects in Paris, an international production and touring company, and was named the ‘New Choreographic Talent’ in 2012 by the French society of authors SACD.
QUDUS ONIKEKU -
“I want the world to feel of the level of thoughts on art & aesthetic beauty, that showcases the depth of our youth culture, as well as the pure & uncompromising joy, which inhabits present day Nigeria ”
THE QDANCE COMPANY
The QDance Company is a contemporary dance company with an international outlook, working with dancers from different cultures and background. The Company operates under the banner of The QDance Center Lagos, a creative incubator using artistic and creative programmes as a tool for sociocultural development, and showcasing Nigerian culture to the world. In less than a decade of creative entrepreneurial activities, the company has managed over 100 projects internationally. Re:INCARNATION was premiered in France in 2021 and has toured extensively since then
The QDance Center delivers its work through a six-pronged approach, QDance CREATE: Community, Research, Education, Artistic excellence, Technocultural advancements, and Entrepreneurship.
In 2023, the company opened TheQSchool, which is tailored to nurture the next generation of artists. The one-year intensive programme is tutored by local and international mentors and facilitators with experience in a range of creative fields. Graduates have the opportunity to join the QDance Company or other areas of The QDance Center, contributing to the growth of the local and international performing arts scene
In 2024, the company is undergoing a significant expansion, investing in a permanent structure dedicated to creatives on Lagos Island: The QDance Hub, which will enable the organisation to strengthen and expand their socio-cultural development projects for the community.
See the show programme for biographies for the wider QDance team.
In 2014, Qudus returned to the hustle and bustle of Lagos and creating The QDance Center, a social enterprise and performing arts hub to kick-start the professional careers of creative young Nigerians. The QDance Company was formed in 2014. Qudus has danced and toured widely with renowned choreographers (such as Jean Claude Gallota, Sidi Larbi Charkaoui and Boris Charmatz), and has collaborated with visual artists, architects, musicians, poets, multimedia artistes, technologists and scientists. His work embraces an artistic vision which both respects and challenges Yoruba artistic tradition, contemporary dance, and Afro diaspora dance forms, and which explores new performance forms that are not based in Eurocentric approaches.
Qudus was a visiting professor of dance at the University of California, Davis in 2013 and Columbia College, Chicago in 2018, and a research professor at the College of The Arts and the first “Maker in Residence” at The Center for Arts, Migration and Entrepreneurship of the University of Florida until 2023.
Photography: Herve Veronese
TARGET GROUPS, AGE GUIDANCE & THEATRE VISITS
TARGET GROUPS & AGE GUIDANCE
Re:INCARNATION has an age recommendation of 12+ (some partial nudity and brief sexual content)
Re:INCARNATION is well suited to students studying performing arts, dance and drama courses KS3-4 upwards (age guide 12+), including GCSE, A/AS Level, BTEC and those in Higher Education.
Performing Arts students/audiences with some experience of seeing a live performance are well-suited to appreciate the different styles within the work. Live music is performed on stage by two musicians.
KS3 - including PE requirements for students to perform dances using a range of styles and forms.
KS4- similarities in movement style with works and themes in the GCSE Dance Anthology making this performance an excellent comparative for movement analysis and to inspire critical appreciation.
Links to A Level Dance for students studying the American Jazz Dance Optional Area of Study and origins of Jazz dance including the idea of birth and life rituals which features in this study. .
As Nigeria is also currently on the GCSE Geography curriculum as a newly emerging economy (see AQA Student booklet on Nigeria)
Re:INCARNATION provides a great opportunity for students to understand and experience first-hand the vibrancy and influence of Nigerian culture in a cross- curriculum way.
ActiveEngagement:Taskyourgrouptodosomepre-showresearchbywatchingthetrailerandchoreographerinterviews.Setsome activities during the visit – for example, recalling or recording details of costume, music, noting the mood (up-tempo, dynamic, thoughtful)andchoreographicstyleofthedances,ornoticingrepeatedmovementphrasesormotifs
Nigeria’s celebrated QDance Company explode onto the stage with their exuberant Re:INCARNATION, an ode to the richness of Nigerian culture, this dance, music, fashion and visual art fusion mixes ancient Yoruba philosophy with the rhythm and spirit of the country’s hyper-vibrant youth culture.
It features the work of Nigerian dancers marked by the rhythm and groove of Lagos. Paying tribute to this diversity, the choreography is written with a highly musical structure, combined with an intricate and carefully designed visual aesthetics, all layered in three parts. Birth | Death | Rebirth.
The work is the result of six years of continuous movement research around body memory with young dancers in Nigeria, all undertaken since Qudus returned from Paris to Lagos in 2014, with subsequent workshops taking place around various cities in Nigeria.
Qudus says:
“I found it rather interesting, how the young generation appropriates the energy of the 60s/70s, and reactivates it, renews it, re-incarnates it in the present, consciously or subconsciously loaded with past and current socio-political struggles. Coming from a deep Yoruba cultural understanding, we have placed at the core of this multi-sensorial composition, the Yoruba central concept of reincarnation Ibi (birth), Iku (death), and Atunbi (re-birth) which offers a distinct way of thinking about time in a non-linear, but cyclical manner.”
Running time: 90 minutes, no interval
Age guidance: 12 years+
Artistic Director & Choreographer | Qudus Onikeku
Music Director & Composer | Olatunde Obajeun
Dance Lead & Artistic Assistant | Addy Oyinkuro Daniel Rehearsal Director | Esther Essien
Musicians | Simeon Promise Lawrence, Daniel Ifeanyi Anumudu
Costumes | Mary Peter Ochei
Stage Manager | Issac Lartey
Lighting Technician | Michel Abdallah
Tour Manager | Victor Lawani
Re:INCARNATION TRAILER
Note trailer features brief partial nudity
SHOW PROGRAMME & FURTHER LINKS
Access the free show programme
Visit the UK tour website
Watch behind the scenes footage and interviews on the Re:INCARNATION creation process and in rehearsal Note, footage includes brief sexual content and partial nudity.
Visit The QDance Company’s website
Explore The QDance Center’s You Tube channel
Read features by Isaac Ouro-Gnao and Diane Parkes for Dance Art Journal
Read Bella Naija feature with Qudus Onikeku on the Lagos Cultural Revolution
Read feature by Gail O’Neill for Artsatl.org
RE:INCARNATION UK TOUR DATES 2024
LONDON Southbank Centre
MILTON KEYNES Theatre
CANTERBURY Marlowe Theatre
BRIGHTON Dome Concert Hall
NOTTINGHAM Playhouse
SALFORD The Lowry
HULL New Theatre
NEWCASTLE Theatre Royal
EDINBURGH Festival Theatre
Photography: Herve Veronese
Q&A WITH ARTISTIC DIRECTOR QUDUS ONIKEKU
How has Lagos shaped you as an artist and how has it influenced the show?
“When urban planners decided to expand the footprint of central Lagos one of the most densely populated places in the world they created a new district within the city called Surulere. The city was created primarily for working-class people and was the first place entirely conceived, designed and constructed by Nigerians in the post-colonial era. We were not in the slum side of town or the elitist side of town. We were in the middle. This liminal space between knowing what it meant to be “street” and being protected from poverty entirely created a space for creativity and innovation to flourish. A lot of Nigerian music and Nollywood were generated in this space.”
“Lagos is very much captured in the show The energy of Lagos, the vibrancy, the youthfulness, the craziness, the madness, the beauty, the ugliness – are what I was really inspired by. This is a show that was created in Lagos, and it is showcasing the young energy encapsulated in the city with a lot of joy and a lot of c l ”
What are the key themes of Re:INCARNATION?
“The notion of dying and rebirth, and dying and rebirth again, in a continuous circle of reincarnation, is more or less what I wanted to capture in the show. The young dancers, despite their seeming disconnection with ancient philosophies, are in fact reproducing the codes and forms of the past without being conscious of it The Yoruba don’t believe in life after death, they believe in different cycles of life, different types of incarnations. An experience doesn’t need to be in one lifetime, it could be in cycles of lifetimes. We try to remember that when we do a performance ”
What about audiences in the UK?
“We are very excited about Re:INCARNATION coming to the UK... It is a country that has a long history with Nigeria and Nigerian culture. So this work becomes an addition to that palette, or archive, of Nigerian artists and artforms which have been able to make a significant presence in the UK It’s a show that is quite multi-faceted but one thing that I know people have always got out of it is this vibrancy, this young energy that we are bringing. It’s a shared moment of beauty and vivacity and I hope that we can add joy to our world ”
The show is influenced by a range of music styles (Afrobeats, salsa and hip-hop) and dance styles (Waacking and Krumping), as well as vivid costume and lighting. How do you incorporate these elements in creation?
“I try as much as I can to involve the artists, whether it’s the costumier, the lighting designer, the sound artist, the dancers or the scenographer, in a collective creative process where we also highlight the authenticity and originality of each individual.”
The show has toured extensively internationally since its premiere in France in 2021. How does it connect to audiences across the world?
“One amazing thing about this show is that whether we are in Europe or America or Africa, people connect to it in a very interesting way. Maybe that’s because it was created after Covid and Black Lives Matter and there was a certain kind of openness and an awareness of alternative philosophies or ideologies Also Instagram and TikTok have done a good job in popularising dance and music forms coming from West Africa so it feels like we are adding into a tradition that is already ahead of us…“
Answers complied from: Syndicated feature by Diane Parkes, 2024; Qudus Onikeku interview by Gail O’Neill (Artsatl.org)
Photography: Herve Veronese
Photography: Damilola Bankole
STYLE SPOTTER
The show is influenced by a range of dance and music styles
DANCE
African Dance (also Afrodance) – refers to styles of sub-Saharan Africa, connected with rhythms and music traditions of the region Uses polyrhythm and total body articulation Often a collective activity in large groups
Afrofusion – dance style emerging between the 1970s and 2000s, bringing together African Dance and Western Dance, pioneered by South-African Sylvia Glasser.
Contemporary – developed in the mid-twentieth century, strong popularity in the USA and Europe. Encompasses many styles including classical, modern and jazz. Characterised by contract-release, floor work, fall and recovery, and improvisation. Sometimes includes elements of non-western dance cultures.
Konto (original Nigerian street dance) – intricate footwork and characterisation. Dates to the late 1980s/early 1990s and the streets of Ajegunle (a suburb of Lagos). Characterised by battles, intricate footwork and mimicry
Krumping - evolved through African-Amercian street dancing in the early 2000s. Characterised by free, expressive, exaggerated and original movement, high-energy battles.
Waacking – street dance style, originating from punking in the 1970s disco era. Characterised by rotational arm movements, posing and expressiveness Shares similarities with locking
MUSIC
Afrobeats - umbrella term encompassing popular music of West Africa that initially developed in Nigeria in the 2000s, pioneered by Nigerian musician Fela Kuti. It fuses a range of styles including jùjú (a style of Yoruba popular music), hiplife, hip hop, dancehall, highlife and house music. Characterised by driving drum beats, often a lead role in the song and featuring a 3-2 or 2-3 rhythm called a clave.
Hip-hop – originated in the early 1970s in the African American community, stylized drum beats, often accompanying rapping. Part of a wider hip-hop culture including MCing/rap, DJing, breakdancing and graffiti art.
Salsa – style of Caribbean music, combining Cuban, Puerto Rican and American elements.
LET’S TALK- CONVERSATION PROMPTS ABOUT THE SHOW
Some prompts to stimulate thinking about the show – explore the dance elements and delve into the artistic and thematic aspects of the performance
1.
How are the Yoruba themes of reincarnation Ibi (birth), Iku (death) and Atunbi (re-birth) represented within the show? What role does colour play?
2.
How does this compare to other works you may have seen which deal with similar themes? (one example may be Boy Blue’s Emancipation of Expressionism)
3.
Which signature movements or motifs caught your eye in the show or the video clips you watched?
5.
4. What role does lighting play in creating atmosphere and highlighting key moments in the dance?
6.
Describe any pathways, levels and groupings (solo, duet, groups) used by the choreographer.
How is live vs recorded music used in the show and to what effect?
7.
Can you identify any specific dance techniques used in the performance? (see page X for some ideas)
8.
What was your favourite part of the show and why?
Photography: Herve Veronese
ABOUT NIGERIA AND YORUBA CULTURE
Nigeria is situated in West African and is Africa’s most populous nation.
It is newly emerging economy (NEE) and expected to grow to be the 24th largest economy in the world by 2028.
Nigeria has 250 different ethnic groups who speak over 500 languages. The diversity of customs and traditions gives the country great cultural variety.
The city of Lagos is a megacity and a thriving global economic hub. It has an estimated population of 16 million people.
The Yoruba constitute around 50 million people throughout West Africa, including in Nigeria, Benin and Togo, with Lagos now the most prominent city of the Yoruba people.
The Yoruba are the largest ethnic group in Africa
Yoruba people and descendants can be found all over the world, including in the UK, Canada, South America and the Caribbean.
Yoruba is one of three main languages spoken in Nigeria, alongside Hausa and English
Yoruba music is known for extremely advance drumming traditions, using Yoruba drums
The UK and Ireland tours offer enriching learning and participation activities for schools, community groups and dance enthusiasts. Access to world-class international performersisattheheartofwhatwedo.
Dance Consortium events are led by performers and artists from touring companies. Fun and inclusive open workshops bring theatre foyers to life and on-stage masterclasses see the next generation of dancers learning from world-class performers.
Workshops
The QDance Company artists teach dance workshops and masterclasses for schools and community groups, giving budding dancers and participants a unique opportunity to learn from world-class performers Music workshops, delivered by musicians and composers of the QDance tour, supportstudyformusicstudentsandCPDforemergingand developingartists.
OpenRehearsals
Go behind the scenes to observe the dedication and discipline of performers as they prepare for an evening performance. Guests sit in the auditorium and watch onstagerehearsals.Openrehearsalstakeplacethroughoutthe tour. Some are open to all, others to evening performance ticketholders.
InsightNotes
Free resource notes provide insights into The QDance Company’s tour for performing arts students and teachers. Designed for both formal and informal learning, these resources support curriculum study, enhancing dance appreciation.
Post-showQ&As
Put your questions to company members. Hear about the inspirations, challenges and adventures behind presenting theshow.
Dance Consortium is a group of 19 large theatres located across the UK and Ireland.
With a shared passion for engaging people with contemporary dance from different parts of the world, the theatres work together to find dance companies and productions that will excite, challenge, inspire and entertain their audiences. Since its formation in 2000, Dance Consortium has presented 52 tours by 28 different companies, whose performances and education activities have been experienced by hundreds of thousands of people across the UK.
