C.V
Founder Ikenga-commune Nigeria
Artistic director/curator Trondheim Improv Jam, Norway
Languages
English. Igbo. Hausa. Pidgin
Research and Choreographic projects
July 2019. Self Portrait. a collaborative piece premiered in 2019. exploring the notion of inclusion and diversity in the university of Roehampton campus. the result being a contemporary portrait drawn by myself and visual artist RIC Stott. that explores the materiality of dance on canvas.
June 7 -9 2019. The Eviction. Guest Choreographer together with dancers from The UK. India, and Italy. The Eviction: is a dance response" Created in solidarity and support of the 80 families in Dale Farm who lost their homes and community in 2011. The eviction was performed at Tate Modern, London. in and around the exhibit of the traveller archival material from Grattan Puxon’s archive together with artefacts from Dale Farm, removed at the time of the eviction.
March - April 2019. "1991". Choreographer and performer. 1991 is a solo dance piece that researches social trauma and the cultural performance of violence in Nigeria.
September 26–29, 2018. Artist in residency Uncapital, Norway. with a goal of finding the forgotten beauty of the Arctic inside human movements. The participants were invited to work in two directions: a dance laboratory and video production, and thus fix themselves in motion on the old land. the result of this experiment was a film-almanac about human touch on the fragile North.
June - August 2018. Dance in the field. Researcher in residence. A solo dance project that studies Maasai traditional dances across 4 counties in Kenya. For this project I worked with Maasai dancers in Magadi, Laikipia, Niarobi and Maasai Mara. to catalogue existing Maasai movement and songs. And find out in what ways different groups earn sustainable income by selling dance performance.
May 26 - September 16 2018. Artist. Commissioned as part of the exhibition LOVE COMES FROM THE MOST UNEXPECTED PLACES - by Dora García. which was premiered at Trondheim Kunst-Musuem in Norway. In the performance work "Romeoene", four young men from Trondheim have been commissioned to be especially charming, respectful and friendly in meeting with residents and tourists in the city and at the museum, throughout the exhibition period. The work is based on a spy strategy used by the GDR during the Cold War, where young men were to use their charm to get close to women who could reveal secrets or contribute information.
April 20 - May 1 2018. Choreographer in residence• Transformatorio festival, Sicily. during this festival i premiered the work "Convergence". in collaboration with Federico Bonelli (film), Rosaria Sfagara (vocals), and Hansko (music). The theatre of cement was performed as an artistic intervention in collaboration with the City of Scaletta Zanclea, a small town in the province of Messina, Italy.
June - July 2017 Dancer/Choreographer in residence. Centre Nationale de la danse (C.N.D) Paris. this residency featured a premiere of the piece ' frames of my reflection'. a dance and photography project in collaboration with French photographer Jean Pierre Hamon. This dance-research project premiered at the CND with sponsorship from the institut francais Nigeria.
October 2017 - September 2018. Artistic director/ curator of. The Trondheim improv project. a dance improvisation project launched in 2017. that bring together dancers, poets, musicians, singers, etc in Trondheim to explore the theme of instant composition and co-creation.
DANCE TRAININGS AND EDUCATION
October 16 - 19 2019. Dancer in residence. Trying 2019. With Choreographer Shanon Stewart. This residence included a full scholarship to participate in a workshop-research project exploring somatic and performance practices seeded with propositions from queer, feminist and critical race theory.
September 2017 - July 2019. M.A Dance Anthropology. in 2017 i received a 2 year award to study a Choreomundus Master’s in dance Knowledge, Heritage and Practice. This program provided me the opportunity to study theories and practices related to dance and heritage in different universities located in four countries. including Hungary, Norway, France and UK.
March 2016 - June 2017. Dancer. Q-Dance center. Lagos, Nigeria. during this period i learnt and performed some of the choreographic repertoire of renowned Nigerian Choreographer Qudus Onikeku.
August 2015. Dancer. Krump dance studio. Abuja, Nigeria. received Certificate of dance training in dances including ( Hiphop, House, jazz, Afro contemporary and krump dance). with a team of both international instructors.
2010- 2014. Dancer. Youth with a purpose. Zaria, Nigeria.