Dance. Organise. Perform.
ARTISTIC STATEMENT: I am essentially interested in creating works that engage the audience to the same extent as my involvement. Dance has given me an avenue to live out my imagination and memory, drawing from the people, styles and experiences of my childhood. It has been a place of investigation and experimentation. It is a journey into the self, a place of absolute loneliness.
I explore musicality; I create visual representations of the situations I’m dealing with. I use African traditional aesthetic and Lagos street culture to engage my environment through improvisation and experimentation. I often look for avenues to create the unexpected, an ironic twist to images and also provoke the audience to new and perhaps unexplored territories. I like to explore cultures and do projects across borders as well as creating performances in new spaces.
My soul dances, my body moves, I can feel my every joints, breathe, organs, environment and ancestors. I am one with everything I am made up of. I experience freedom when I dance; I got my confidence in dance. I freely express myself and my thoughts without worrying about peoples’ opinion. I don’t see limitations when I dance. Dance gave me voice…yeah; I found my voice in dance.
ESTHER ESSIEN Is a prolific Performer: a Dancer, Choreographer, Drummer, Singer, Actor, and a Researcher. In 2004, she started training and performing with some local theatre Organisations in Lagos until 2009 when she joined Drumsview Academy, where she studied performing art. She later joined the Society for performing arts in Nigeria (SPAN) and QDance Center.
She participated in TAKWEEN 2016 INTENSIVE CONTEMPORARY TRAINING organised by Maqamat Dance Theatre, in Baakline, Mont-Liban, Lebanon. During this period, she had working experience with Omar Rajeh (Artistic Director at Maqamat Dance Theatre, Lebanon), Mikki Shoji (Japanese but lives in Berlin, Germany), Hooman Sharifi (Artistic Director and CEO Carte Blanche, Oslo Norway), Laurence Yadi Nicholas Cantillon (Geneva, Switzerland) and Nacera Belaza (Choreographer at Cie Nacera Belaza).
She won the award of ‘PRIX YONGONLON OU MEILLEUR ESPOIR’ at the ‘Africa, Simply the best contest 2019 organized by ANKATA in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso. Esther Essien was selected as one of the emerging choreographers of generation 2020 to perform her solo dance piece ‘just me’ at the dance biennial in Africa hosted by ‘On Marche’ Festival International de danse contemporaine a Marrakech.
Esther was invited by HAU Hebbel am Ufer and Goethe Institut to participate in Tanzplattform Deutschland 2022 in Berlin, where she worked and met with other international artists for artistic encounter, networking and exchange.
Esther Essien is the co-artistic director of Tantoloun Productions, a Dance Company in Lagos. She is one of the organisers of As’tele, ViewPoint With, Explorence and IHPPS – In-House Performance Private Event.
WORKSHOPS
- Fari Foni Waati dance lab and festival 2020’ worked with Nora Chipaumire and Panaibra Gabriel Canda
- Lagos Dance Gathering (now Afropolis)
- Dance Project titled ‘that around which’ in 2016 with saavy contemporary and QDancecenter now (the People Center)
- ‘Goethe Institute Workshop’ Lagos 2013 by MAMAZA (May Zarphy, Fabrice Mazliah, Lonnis Mandafounis)
- ‘DANCE TO CONNECT’ by Battery Dance Company (USA).
- Cultural Exchange in Ghana by Odehe Dance and Drums
- Trufesta International Dance Festival by Ijodee Dance Company
- Dance meet Danse by Alliance Francais and Goethe Institute. 2010
PERFORMANCES/PROJECTS
- RE-INCARNATION tour from 2022 till date with the QDance Company, created by Qudus Onikeku and performed in cities in Nigeria, Germany, Canada, USA, Netherlands, Switzerland, France and UK.
- Tanzplattform 2022 Participant Berlin.
- Dance Teacher / Instructor at Dream Catchers Academy for Girls Ikorodu, Lagos, 2020 till present.
- Maker in residency with Qudus Onikeku; A rehearsal/dance assistant for a piece within Agbedidi 2020: Exploring the theme ‘Divination’ for the school of Theatre and Dance in the College of the Arts, University of Florida, USA.
- ‘SLOW’: collaboration with Dorothee Munyaneza, Titilayo Adebayo, Tosin Oyebisi and Deborah Aiyegbeni for Virtual Dance Gathering April 2020.
- ‘SPACE’ by Tantoloun Productions performed at Virtual Dance Gathering 2020.
- ‘JUST ME’ (Africa Simply the best, Bobo Dioulasso 2019).
- ‘To Be’ Lagos/Cotonou 2019
- ‘THE CALL’ by ‘Tantoloun Productions’ (2018/2019) – Dancer and Singer
- “SATAMA” a duo Performance, by ‘Tantoloun Productions’
- ‘RAIN MAKER’ at ‘TEDGLOBAL 2017’ in ARUSHA TANZANIA by the QDance Center
- ‘iStand’ in 2017, choreographed by Esther Essien and Oyebisi Tosin A.
- ‘MOMEMT OF TRUTH’ choreographed by Qudus Onikeku and performed at the TEDx Lagos 2017.
- HEARTBEAT THE MUSICAL, a stage play organized by LUFODO in 2016 – Dancer and Singer
- ‘NEW HORIZONS ‘An African Ballet’ by Musical Society of Nigeria which featured, Qudus Onikeku, Tunde Jegede, Wale Ojo and Renu Hossain in 2016.
- ‘IWALEWA’ choreographed by Qudus Onikeku 2015/2016
- Dance performance with Ijodee Dance Company at the ‘World Economic Forum Africa’ (WEFA) 2014 Abuja.
- Dance performance with NATIONAL TROUPE OF NIGERIA for The Headies Awards 2013.
AFFILIATIONS:
- QDance Company, Lagos.
- Drumsview Concept (a total theatre company that focuses on Africa’s rich artistic cultural heritage.)
- Moultaqa Leymoun Network (Arab Dance Platform of artistic and professional network)
- TANTOLOUN Productions
