A powerful, passionate and revolutionary piece of dance theatre from the world renowned Sakoba Dance Theatre.

An inspirational, tantalising and hypnotic dance piece from the “cutting edge” Sakoba Dance Theatre – the UK ’s leading post-modern African dance company. A fresh new dance production, this new work is formed without thematic support, relying solely upon pure movement which is unique and innovative, yet rooted in Nigerian cultural technique.

Of all Nigeria's many tribes, the Been-Tos have perhaps the most curious rituals and dances. They are the West African jet-set, and so named because they've "been to" everywhere and done everything.

Expressing the triumph of the Human spirit over the oppression of slavery.

Since the dawn of the civilised world, mankind has questioned how we came to be and has longed for the answer to this question. So far the truth has eluded us but every nation, race and culture has comforted itself with myths or legends by way of an answer. Research into the creation myths of such varied cultures as Nordic, Celtic, Japanese, Oceanic, African and Aboriginal has shown that for all their diversity, these beliefs share a common theme - that the universe and the elements were created by a superior being.

I have endeavoured to create a piece about the creation of all things, involving the idea of the four elements.

When New York choreographer Abdel R Salaam was working in London , he came to watch one of my masterclasses and we wanted to work together at once. Abdel has worked and studied with my own teachers at the University of Ife-Ife in Nigeria and despite our very different training backgrounds – mine in traditional Yoruba dance drama, his in Martha Graham, Jose Limon and Katherine Dunham – we found common roots and sympathies.

This was the first guest choreographer commissioned by Sakoba.

Divine Triplex is about the human life cycle, its three sections showing humanity as Creator, Preserver and Destroyer, each drawing its movement vocabulary from a specific region of Africa – although the result, in each case, is far from the purely traditional movement style.

A passionate, almost ritualistic expression of grief for the departed.

Power Games was somewhat a departure for Sakoba Dance Theatre. It addresses what happens in a community when one of their number gets greedy, disrupts the balance and plays for power, takes over. None of us can afford not to see or understand such games. Our freedom, our very lives and spirits depend upon seeing and understanding what is going on, the processes of power and corruption. Only then will we be able to deal with it.

Sango, the God of Thunder is much revered in Yorubaland. The equivalent of the Greek god Thor, he is known to be majestic, brave and confident, yet fiery, temperamental, violent and destructive. As well as being worshipped in his originating Nigeria, he is also praised in Cuba, Brazil, Trinidad and Venezuela.

A powerful, passionate and revolutionary piece of dance theatre from the world renowned Sakoba Dance Theatre.

In 1995 Bode Lawal studied in Paris with the illustrious African choreographer Elsa Wolliastion since then he has wanted to commission a work by Elsa for Sakoba's repertoire. Transitions is the product of that commission and was released in 1999 as part of the Dawning Visions tour.

Elsa describes Transitions as a work about "someone who journeys to find themself, leaving tradition behind them in search of new horizons" and she dedicates the work to Bode.