Season Opener, U.S. Premiere: “Re:INCARNATION” by Qudus Onikeku and QDance (Nigeria)

An ode to the richness of Nigerian culture—Re:INCARNATION celebrates the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth and Africa’s powers of reinvention in a show that draws on Afrobeats, Afro dances, and Black aesthetics.

Opening PS21’s 2022 summer season on June 3–4, the QDance Company’s “Re:INCARNATION” is a 2021 dance, music, fashion, and visual art creation that showcases the depth of ancient Yoruba philosophy, mixed with the current Nigerian youth culture and its pure and uncompromising joy. Ten young dancers and two musicians perform the cycle of life with explosive energy, marked by the urban chaos of the Nigerian mega-city, Lagos. “Re:INCARNATION” pays homage to the wealth and profusion of Nigerian music, its Afro-beat roots being currently revisited by dancehall, hip-hop, and electro. This musical genre, introduced and popularized by Fela Kuti, was born of an explosive cocktail of jazz, soul, funk, and traditional African music. In this mix of urban cultures, a reincarnation of the personal trajectories of each of the dancers comes to the fore with their references and memories.