THE QDANCE COMPANY | Re:INCARNATION

The QDance Company photographed by Tristram Kenton

“I wanted to move my work into a space where I can really start exploring blackness that is not in relation nor in conversation with whiteness” - choreographer, artistic director Qudus Onikeku.

The QDance Company tours the UK for the first time with Re:INCARNATION, a spectacular piece showcasing Afro-diasporic dance and the soul of Lagos through time.

Article | Taylor Anderson

On 18th and 19th September, the piece exploded onto the stage of the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank. The QDance Company continue to tour eight additional venues across the UK until 19th October. The opening night was accompanied by a post-performance DJ set dubbed ‘AFRO SPACE AND TIME TRAVEL’. The set was put together by Qudus and music artist and long-time collaborator Olatunde Obajeun AKA “Oba". The two-day showing also launched the Southbank Centre becoming a member of the Dance Consortium, a collective of 19 venues across the UK and Ireland who have made a commitment to making the best international contemporary talent accessible to a wide audience.

After the performance, MOVES MAG had the privilege of catching up with Qudus. The piece, a celebration of Lagos’ history and contemporary culture, was born out of a desire to explore “ìrántí” which means "to remember”. After becoming “fascinated about this idea of remembering”, Qudus set out on a journey of re-centering the body of the dancer as a kind of photo book of memories to explore the Yoruba philosophy of “ibí” birth, “ikú” death and “àtúnbí” rebirth:

“Coming from a Yoruba background we have always understood that death and dying is not usually a kind of tragic event, we all know that after death there is rebirth”.

After working with dancers in Nigeria for six years, Re:INCARNATION was born.

Contemporary dance seems to form the spine of the choreography but Qudus’ experimentation with body memory has resulted in a visual mosaic of black culture through a variety of genres and techniques: afrohouse, capoeira, breaking, krumping, waacking, popping, locking, traditional dance, ballroom culture, trending TikTok sequences and a ‘nae nae’ for us millenials.

At 20-years-old Qudus left Lagos for France to work with choreographer Heddy Maalem in Toulouse, afterwards training in circus arts and forming the first company YK Projects in Paris. Despite much success, Qudus planned to return to Lagos and had to hand back two years of funding:

“I wanted to move my work into a space where I can really start exploring blackness that is not in relation nor in conversation with whiteness, that is just black by itself and Lagos, Nigeria gave me that space where I already saw dancers who were not necessarily trained dancers but those who have dance culture embedded in their body.”

Qudus lays out why homecoming was integral to the artistic expression:

“we started finding our own language, our own form, our own joy, our own way of moving our own bodies without having to explain that to anybody”.

During the interview, members of The QDance Company bid Qudus goodbye for the evening. The trust and respect between the director and performers is obvious. Qudus has created a space where the performers have the complete freedom to put their own experiences into the art. Each breakout freestyle, dance interpretation and comedy sketch feels distinct and personal and yet, cohesive.

Throughout the performance, two live musicians are always present and visible. One is on drums and the other on the electric guitar. There are no wings to hide their equipment. If they experiment with a sound or tune a string we can hear it which gives the performance a sense of raw spontaneity. Mirroring the extensive range of dance styles, the music genres explored are aplenty, with a mix of hip-hop, Afrobeats, the city soundscape of Lagos and abstract contemporary ambience. But don’t expect the movements to match what you’re hearing as this piece continually looks for moments to subvert expectations. In one arresting section, the performers chant together as the stage is splashed in red light – the effect is hypnotic.

So, what’s next for The QDance Company? Following “Afropolis” in Lagos, a huge party of arts and culture events from and for the Afro-diaspora, Qudus and the dancers are working on a new creation and body of work. “Terrapolis” will look at “the indigenous ways of dealing with the conversation of climate change”. The elements – earth, air, fire and water – will become a focal point to spark new ways of moving whilst drawing inspiration from Yoruba cosmogony. Qudus leaves us with the question: “how do we reengage our relationship with nature that is not about domination?” We couldn’t be more excited to see what’s in store. As stated in Qudus’ Insta bio, the director and The QDance Company is “out here simply rehearsing the future”.

To book your tickets for the last few performances follow the link: https://danceconsortium.com/touring/qudus-onikeku-the-qdance-company/ and to learn more about Qudus and The QDance Company’s journey click here