Kari Tanzhaus, a cultural dance centre in Kempten, Germany, in conjunction with Society for the Performing Arts in Nigeria (SPAN), and Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany, Lagos, recently presented a dance performance, titled, Ofuobi; meaning, ‘One heart’, in Ibo language.
In the piece, six dancers explore the theme of unity in diversity and need to break boundaries amid global challenges, such as war, alienation and racial hatred.
According to the organisers, this artistic collaboration between Europe and Nigerian dancers “is the symbol of unity and humanity” and a “fusion of contemporary and African dance.”
Ofuobi is an expression of the longing for peace, connection, and emphasises the transformative power of art as a means of creating shared creative dialogue across borders.
“It is with the hope that it will not only over come cultural boundaries but also make a strong statement against prejudice and discrimination,” said organisers of the dance feast.
Speaking on the event, the Artistic Director, Kaija Klug, said, “I wanted to create a piece where I could show that if everybody works together with one heart, mind and soul, there would be more peace in the world.”
When he asked for the meaning of Ofuobi, he was told it meant ‘one heart’ and “I felt it described the meaning of what I was trying to convey to the audience, hence, the title.”
Ofuobi serves as a return leg of the Kempten Dance Festival in Germany, which attracted Nigerian dancers .
Klug said: “If we all come together and work in peace we will transform the world and make it a better place.”
Founder of SPAN, Sarah Boulos, shedding more light on the performance, said, “you know we have two ways of living our lives, either we collaborate, exchange, progress and change our world or we just take and take but we are here ready to give.”
Boulos added, “if we work together, we won’t have any war or thriving aggression, so, this piece is against aggression, it’s for unity, love and for coming together as one. Two German dancers and one cheorographer and three SPAN graduates came together to create a one-hour dance piece, which everybody is watching and enjoying.”
Boulos said, “if you noticed, they were breathing together and breathing separately and they were dancing together. What happened is, it deals with mental health issues among young people, we need to go back to the very essence of breath, of listening to one another and not fighting and how we can work together and not against each other.”
