Re: Incarnation, , explosive Afrodance at Brighton Dome - review

Created by acclaimed modern dancer and choreographer Qudus Onikeku and performed by the QDance Company, it celebrates both the modern and more traditional life in Nigeria.

Onikeku has said he wants his work to hold a mirror to a world which is “vibrant, chaotic, problematic” and that ambition was on show at one of two performances at Brighton Dome (October 1-2).

Ten dancers were joined on the Dome stage by two musicians, and a booming soundtrack of beats, as they played out the action and monotony of every-day life in Lagos.

Passion mixed with the mundane as the hugely athletic young performers moved towards a tight robotic rhythm to show the humdrum nature of the city.

Pleasure, violence, sex and birth were all there in a maelstrom of movement and the buzz of street life. Multiple drama’s took place on stage as the beats per minute increased and the bass made our seats vibrate.

A scene of brutality ends with long moments of writhing on the stage as a dancer edges towards his demise with agonised looks to the audience.

The contrast is huge when the performance shifts to a more rural tribal setting. The sounds are much softer with gentle piano mingling with children’s voices and ghosts of radio transmissions drift in and out.

Clouds of white powder descend onto the dancers bodies like a rain forest mist. A second death scene is far less tortured as a dancer, portraying an older man, is protectively circle by spirits and succumbs to death with serenity.

The production also beautifully shows life in the animal kingdom, with elegant feline moves giving way quickly to the savagery of the wild. Most strikingly in a solo depiction of a bird of paradise as it slowly quivers and articulates each movement, in contrast to the menace of the pack animals.

A spectacular finale began with one dancer intoning a string of wise old Nigerian proverbs before giving way to an exhilarating sequence featuring all ten dancers, wearing masks, daubed in body paint and superbly lit.

The final exuberant dance celebrated the power of the collective and family, moving as one, but also the individual, with a succession of stirring solos from every dancer.

Smiles and shouts followed from the pumped-up performers which continued into the most joyous and wholehearted curtain calls.

There’s more dance to enjoy at Brighton Dome in the coming months.

On Friday 15 November 15 and Saturday 16 November Paco Peña Flamenco Dance Company presents Solera, billed as "the perfect blend of flamenco, inspired by the qualities of a Solera wine... grace, distinction and age.”

https://brightondome.org/whats-on/Vzv-afrique-en-cirque/

Afrique en Cirque are set for seven performances between Saturday 28 December to Tuesday 31 Dec 2024 performing a dynamic, high-energy celebration of Guinean culture

https://brightondome.org/whats-on/Vzv-afrique-en-cirque/