The Lagosians are watching...we are fighting for 'Access To Clean Free Water'

Lagos, Nigeria one of the biggest growing urban mega-city on the planet faces the challenge to bring clean safe water to everyone. Site-Specific Social Choreography. I was working with 7 choreographers and over 40 Nigerian dancers during a five - day period to practice Dance as a Social Choreography for the Global Water Dances Event "Clean Safe Water for Everyone". Performance was on June 25, 2011. The  project was produced by the Society for the Performing Arts in Nigeria (SPAN). 

We are over 60 procent out of Water. Water doesn't stop. So I created a concept with the idea of on going, like water, flowing into the streets of Lagos. The "Human River" dance began at Tinubu Square and moved through the streets of Lagos Island into Freedom Park. In the Freedom Park we shared our space with the singer Olufunmi Olajoyegbe and the dancers continous to flow with the theme "The Water Seller's Tale". This part of the Dance was created in collaboration with Nigerian choreographers: Offiong Anthony, Konwea Frank Chinedu, Umeigbo Celino Nneka, Uche Onah, Lovette Ortegbola, Ukalina Eline Opuwari and Agocha Shilh Davies.

To fully empower the Lagosian, I made a conscious artistic choice not to dance in the work. And I like to remind myself on this point on the very important written statement in 1957 by Guy Ernest Debord who founded the Situationist International, a radical group of creators searching for new forms of action in art and politics.

“We have to change the world. That’s what we think. Change society. Change life. Do it for freedom. Get us out of this prison. We know one thing: this change is possible. All that remains is to figure out how to do it.”