Nigeria Content Online

Professional
dancers from Congo Brazzaville, Germany, Mozambique and Nigeria will
perform at this year’s edition of Danse Meets Dance which will run from
December 1 to 4 in Lagos .

At a press
conference to announce the event, Mfon Umana, Director of Communication
and public relations officer, Alliance Francaise Lagos, said that the
event aims at highlighting the creative and original choreographic work
of professional Nigerian dance practitioners.

She also intimated
the press of the highlights of the Dance festival which is in its tenth
year. “As we mark a milestone this year Danse meets Dance 2010 will be
bigger with the participation of 8 Nigerian companies. Furthermore the
three winners of the 8th edition of The Danse L’Afrique Danse Festival
an international biennial contemporary dance competition that took
place in Bamako, (Mali) three weeks ago will be present to display
their award winning [routines] on the stage of Danse meets Dance (DMD).”

On the choice of
the University of Lagos and the French School as venues, DMD Festival
Director Adetona Gboyega said, “We chose UNILAG because this year we
are taking it closer to the audience. So that people who usually do not
have the opportunity to go to the MUSON Centre to watch dance festivals
will be able to do so this time around. UNILAG is open and they want us
to do a lot with them so we will also feature a lot of creative arts
students. At the same time, the university is close to Surulere, one of
the areas we are not close to, so we chose there to be closer to the
people.

The event is being
organised by the Alliance Francais and the French Cultural Centre in
partnership with the Goethe Instituite who is sponsoring through a
German troupe coming to Nigeria. It’s free and open to all”.

Troupes that will
perform at the four day event, which will feature dance performances
and workshops, include: Studio Maho (Congo Brazzaville), Cie Horacio
Macuacua (Mozambique), Qudus Onikeku (Nigeria) and Alajota
(Nigeria).Others include Gintersdorfer/Klaben (Germany), Squazd
1(Nigeria), Creative Arts Student UNILAG (Nigeria), Lycee Francais
Lagos (Nigeria), Ashiedu Dance Company (Nigeria) and Amulegbajo Company
(Nigeria).

Danse meets Dance
began in 2001 as an avenue to bring together Nigerian and international
contemporary dance companies to share ideas and experiences and how to
promote regional understanding and integration through dance. The
festival also showcases Nigerian dance companies, dancers and
choreographers through stage performances, workshopS and seminars.

Over the years, it has attracted over 500 professional and amateur dancers from all around the globe.