All of Lagos is out in the streets. A fight breaks out, and one person dies. Reality shifts on its axis, revealing a world where a bird-woman holds court, along with keepers of the kingdom of the dead and other mythical figures. In this world, death is nothing final, it is merely a thread that connects us to the ancestors. Re:Incarnation draws on Yoruba philosophy—the ethnic background of the Nigerian choreographer Qudus Onikeku—to revive body memory and celebrate Africa’s ability to reinvent itself in a collective rebirth.
Ten young dancers and two musicians perform the cycle of life with explosive energy. This young generation of Nigerien dancers, steeped in local Afrobeats as well as dancehall, hip-hop, and funky house, feed an exuberant exploration of life’s several passages. Re:Incarnation is epic, an ode to the cultural bounty of Nigeria, with each artist adding their own individual force. The piece is a passionate journey of initiation and catharsis.
