By Reuben Adewale & Ifeoluwa Olutayo.
Dance has always been an essential part of Nigerian pop culture. From popular dances like Makossa, Galala, Suo dance, Azonto, Kukere, Shoki, Zanku Legwork, and the popular Poco Lee dance, to TV shows like Maltina Dancehall and Malta Guinness Street Dance, dance has always been around us. However, one part of it was the slow acceptance of dance as a professional career, even when we have had successful dancers like Kaffy, Don Flexx, Poco Lee, Papi Ojo, and Izzy Odigie.
There is, however, an extension of form into narrative. Dancers have always performed to tell stories. Think of the musicals we grew up watching, Sound of Music, Singing in the Rain, and the like. Movement of body to rhythm has been since the time of theatre, a potent form of artistic expression. It’s a way to represent stories in the allure of carefully choreographed steps, in wildly entertaining contortions and in the measured movement of a limb.
Joshua Effi is a performance artist, and in his repertoire, he helms, deftly transmuting movement into story, sharing life’s tales and struggles with his engaged audience.
In his latest dance performance, Joshua Effi stays true to form, telling the story of his journey in its truest form. Watching his live performance and hearing the breathing and thuds of Joshua’s feet, bursting with energy, you just know he is about to tell the audience a story with his body, doing what he loves and does best. In the early part of the performance, we see Joshua looking around, searching for a path on this stage.
Darkness creeps in, but we can still hear Joshua Effi stumbling on his feet, finding a way through by moving his body, doing exactly what he is passionate about. The light shines directly on him, a sign that he was truly made for this. Even when his pathway seems darkened, this acts as a beacon, a way back into the path he’s made for. This is representative of the uncertainty one finds in pursuing a career that no one believes you can do. We all find that doubt–whether it’s internal or it’s from loved ones– a burden.
Joshua Effi performing.
We can, from the outset, relate to Joshua Effi, who is from a Nigerian home, where being a dancer is often a difficult thing for family to come to terms with. They expect a job that offers stability. They expect that you choose one that offers support, and that involves no risk. For some, the reality is if they choose this path of passion over stability, their family may abandon them. We can feel the loneliness of that isolation of choice, as one would feel when in the dark, groping for a light switch.
But this same fueled passion sheds light on him at his darkest hour, where he thumps his feet, finding his way to shine his light across, representative of the resilience he embodies, even when he faces discouragement from people he needs support from the most.
In this journey of taking walking your path and finding the light, it is important to stay still for a moment to listen to the words of the one who truly believes in you. There is a critical moment in the performance; he looks into the light and the voice of his mother fills the auditorium, clear as day, reminding him that she would always support him in doing whatever he loves and he should avoid negativity and noise. The noise that distorts one’s focus, that keeps you from achieving your goals.
The music fills the room and he begins to move with a pulsating rhythm, invigorated by the message he’s seemingly received. His use of space is amazing, as it feels like he fills the stage, even though he performs alone. He embodies the song, finding the rhythm, krumping his way into this choice he’s made, backed by his mother, damning the “consequences” as others may call them He’s backing himself, dropping the fears, and just holding onto his faith, that what he has chosen will fulfil him. As I watch, I wonder about fulfilment and how rewarding it is to truly find what you are made for. What you are on this earth to express.
Joshua Effi performing.
There’s a certain belief that comes from watching someone express this through movement and as it came to an end, it’s easy to see that Joshua Effi has made the right decision for himself, and whatever may come his way, his faith meets resistance wherever it may come from.
