Gelede (beyond binary)
Gelede (Beyond Binary) is a choreographic exploration that draws inspiration from the Yoruba Gelede masquerade tradition to examine African gender fluidity and challenge colonial narratives surrounding gender fluidity. Rooted in indigenous Yoruba perspectives, the piece delves into concepts of gender fluidity as embodied in the Gelede masquerade, reinterpreting these themes within a contemporary performance framework.
the Gelede mask, a headdress traditionally worn by male performers to honor the ‘Mothers,’ powerful female spiritual forces in Yoruba cosmology. Creating a mask in memory of my grandmother served as a deeply personal entry point into this tradition. Her spirit permeates the piece, prompting reflection on the transmission of gender roles, queerness, and ancestral memory across generations, cultures, and silences.
This project positions the space between the mask as a potent lens for interrogating rigid gender binaries. It investigates how the inherent fluidity within the Gelede tradition was disrupted by colonial influences and seeks to reclaim and rejuvenate these narratives in a modern context. Through this work, I aim to illuminate how indigenous African societies historically embraced gender diversity, offering valuable insights to global conversations on gender and queerness today.
The piece integrates movement sequences, video documentation, and text-based narratives. By juxtaposing the ritualistic performance of the Gelede with contemporary choreographic forms, it crafts a fluid, dynamic narrative that challenges normative gender constructs. The deliberate use of space, costume, and masks plays a crucial role in visually reimagining the Gelede tradition within a modern aesthetic.
Labe orule (under the roof)
La be orule is a performance that explores what it means to live in a world that is always under pressure. It looks at the body, not just as something that moves, but as something that remembers. A body that holds stress, carries history, and keeps going even when the systems around it begin to fall apart.
The work is influenced by the daily intensity and rhythm of Lagos — the heat, the speed, the noise, the constant negotiation for space and breath. But this is not just about Lagos. It speaks to any place where people are pushed to keep moving, even when the ground beneath them is unstable.
The dance is built from a mix of contemporary dance, Nigerian street-style movement, traditional steps and poetry. It’s layered with chanting, sound textures, projected words, and visual elements that shift the space. The dancers move through a space that feels like it’s breaking and holding at the same time — like a city, like a memory, like a body.
It creates a feeling — a shared atmosphere of tension, breath, and persistence. It becomes a ritual for those who live under pressure but still find ways to move.
Come Out - Lagos Version
This choreographic piece was influenced by the loop tape created by stave Reich, this piece depicts the rigor and pains of young boys on a spring day in 1964.
Co-choreographed by me
Zangezi
“Zangezi” is a new production of a visionary, futuristic play by Velimir Khlebnikov, which artistically reexamines the themes of language, technology and planetary thinking. Written in 1922, the play is remarkable for its experimental treatment of language and sound. At its core, the piece explores Khlebnikov’s concept of a “star language” and his utopian vision of a universal language that connects people around the world. Each scene will be developed by a different artistic team, which will naturally result in a wide range of interpretations and artistic forms of expression.
Dance film: directed and choreographed by Femi Adebajo
Echoes dance film
Echoes” is a dance film that provides a creative representation of the concept of pressure and its influence on both the physical bodies and mental states of individuals. Through dance and visual storytelling, the film showcases how the burdens and demands of life can affect people in various ways, both physically and emotionally. It aims to offer a powerful and artistic insight into the human experience, highlighting the effects of pressure and its significance in our lives…
Yin Yang dance film
Firstly ,Yin means ( Darkness) while Yang means (light) This dance film was created to depict a crossroad of choices and options to humans journey of thoughts, This is also to place more relevance on the other part of human reasoning as we can not just have white as pure good and black as pure bad. This film opens a new note of saying there are Good white and Bad white as we have Good black and bad black.
The concept of Yin and Yang is the idea of complementary forces describing how obviously opposite or contrary forces may actually be complementary, interconnected, and interdependent in the natural world, and how they may give rise to each other as they interrelate to one another.
The usage of different colors is a very deliberate act, we discovered that we can’t have other colors without the mixture of the neutrals, using this Colors to portray different race of the world having this two interdependent option as a crossroad of decision making with historical significance. This inherited racial biological foundation manifests itself primarily in physical phenotypes, As it occurrence is permanent to Every human being decision.
Except of the THE DECAMERON
THE SEVENTH STORY (Day the tenth )
The theatre production revolves around a captivating narrative that delves into the emotions and experiences of a lady who finds herself entangled in a whirlwind of love and intrigue upon her first encounter with a king. The storyline unfolds in a richly detailed and immersive world, where the audience is transported to a bygone era of opulence and courtly life. As the lady’s affection for the king deepens, the production explores the complexities of their relationship, the challenges they face, and the sacrifices they must make. With a blend of powerful performances, intricate set design, and evocative music, the production weaves a tapestry of romance, politics, and drama, leaving the audience on the edge of their seats as they follow the lady’s journey of love and devotion to the king.
Director – Femi Adebajo
Actress – Anca
Passage
Our existence is intertwined with the ever-changing nature of time, space,and situations in different moments. This choreographic piece weaves a narrative of existence, potency, humanity, serendipity. It delves into the crucial triad of human experiences, the day of our arrival, the revelation of our purpose,and the indelible impact we make before departing.
we cannot precisely predict the future, its course, and the intricate connections between our body (ara) , (emi) life giving element, and Spiritual head (ori), which is thought to be responsible for human destiny. In this choreographic creation, the movements take us on a journey expressing the moments before the beginning and the end of a cycle, this also help delve into various moments observing how the body reacts to different situations, and ultimately symbolizes life’s journey as a climb.
This creation also aims to evoke deep emotions and connections exploring the essence of the human experience. Through sound, and complex relationship between external factors and how they shape our physical existence.
The performance promises to provide audiences with a moving and powerful experience that allows them to reflect on their own journey through life and the profound connections between our inner selves and the world around us.
Concept and Choreography – Femi Adebajo
Sound – Peter Abayomi
