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Moving Grounds

@movinggroundsjournal

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Documenting the people, practices, stories, and ideas shaping dance in Nigeria and across broader Africa.
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Why Should Young Dancers Care About Research? | A conversation with Faith Okoh @phaith.ot, Convener and Lead Curator, @speakingdance_ A dancer is not only a performer. Every time you train, create, teach, perform, experiment, or develop a movement, you are producing knowledge about your practice. But what happens when you don’t know the story behind what you are doing? When the people, methods, and experiences that shaped your practice are not documented? When the next generation has nothing to look back on? For young dancers, research is not something that exists outside the studio. It is a way of understanding your own practice, your lineage, your choices, and the possibilities for where your work can go. Because if we don’t document what we are doing now, the dancers coming after us may have to start from the beginning. And if we don’t build more knowledge around dance in Nigeria, we remain limited to the same narrow paths: battle, performance, and go home. The dance must not die. And the people making the dance today have a role in determining what survives tomorrow. Join us at Speaking Dance 2026, 29–31 October, at the John Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History, Lagos. Watch the full conversation; link in bio. Speaking Dance is produced by @beghastfoundation Interviewed by @temi_ami Filmed by @hendrix_7 Edited by @isaacayodele #trending #dance #thedancemustnotdie #speakingdance beghastfoundation taken in Lagos, Nigeria by @movinggroundsjournal
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11 hours ago
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We are honored to welcome @movinggroundsjournal as a media partner for Speaking Dance 2026. This year marks five years of Speaking Dance, and we are grateful for believing in this vision at this important milestone and for standing with us as we continue to build a stronger future for dance in Nigeria and across Africa. Thank you for joining us. 📅 Speaking Dance 2026 | 29–31 October THE DANCE MUST NOT DIE: Building infrastructure for dance research, archive, and knowledge generation in Nigeria. Join us at the John Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History, Lagos. #SpeakingDance #TheDanceMustNotDie #kadimastudios #movinggroundsjournal taken in Lagos, Nigeria by @movinggroundsjournal
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3 days ago
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Why the Dance Must Not Die | A conversation on Knowledge, memory, and the future of dance in Nigeria with Faith Okoh @phaith.ot, Convener and Lead Curator @speakingdance_ Conference A dance community with no archive of itself forgets itself, and it’s rarely an equal forgetting; women’s and marginalised practitioners’ contributions are often the first lost and the last recovered. Research and documentation aren’t the opposite of practice; they’re what decides whose knowledge survives and whose doesn’t. Watch the full conversation; link in the bio, then join the conversation on 29–31 October at the John Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History, Lagos @jrandlecentre Speaking dance is produced by @beghastfoundation Interviewed by: @temi_ami Filmed by @hendrix_7 Edited by @isaacayodele_ #trending #dance #thedancemustnotdie #speakingdance beghastfoundation taken in Lagos, Nigeria by @movinggroundsjournal
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3 days ago
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Why the Dance Must Not Die | A conversation on Knowledge, memory and the future of dance in Nigeria with Faith Okoh @phaith.ot, Convener and Lead Curator @speakingdance_ Conference Dance in Nigeria carries more than movement, it carries history, method, and memory. But what happens when the people who hold that knowledge pass on without it ever being preserved and accessible for transmission? This is why Speaking Dance exists, and why its fifth edition is asking the question directly. Watch the full conversation; link in the bio, then join the conversation on 29–31 October at the John Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History, Lagos @jrandlecentre Speaking dance is produced by @beghastfoundation Interviewed by: @temi_ami Filmed by @hendrix_7 Edited by @isaacayodele_ #trending #dance #thedancemustnotdie #speakingdance beghastfoundation taken in John Randle Centre for Yorùbá Culture & History by @movinggroundsjournal
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5 days ago
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Moremi RSV: Revised Standard Version, written by Ayodele Arigbabu, first premiered in 2003 at the University of Lagos, directed by Gbenga Ajayi, and has returned in various stagings since. Now directed by Segun Adefila, in this essay, he explains to Moving Grounds Journal, what drew him to a script this irreverent toward its own source material, and why he chose to set a century old legend inside a Nigeria of laptops, faceless invaders, and helpless kings. Moremi RSV runs at The New Afrika Shrine, Ikeja, on 3rd October 2026. Director Segun Adefila and writer Ayodele Arigbabu welcome you to Moremi RSV: the legend, revised. The story, standard. The vision, reimagined. A critical read on MOREMI..RSV, Now on Moving Grounds Journal. Click the link in the bio of @movinggroundsjournal to read more 📝 by Faith Okoh @phaith.ot — Director: @segunadefila Writer: @dada_universe Performance by: @crowntroupeofafrica ___ Moving Grounds Journal is a @beghastfoundation publishing and archive platform under its Cultural Preservation & Research Program (C.P.R.P), focused on documenting, researching, and critically discussing dance practices across Nigeria and broader Africa as knowledge, memory, and infrastructure. #moremiRSV #segunadefila #thearter #dance #movinggroundsjournal taken in Lagos, Nigeria by @movinggroundsjournal
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7 days ago
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Mara is more than a dance. It is growing into a culture of its own, shaped by its sounds, movement vocabulary, fashion, characters, events, communities, and the people building careers and businesses around it; well beyond TikTok trends and dance workshops. This is how popular culture takes shape. SPOTLIGHT by @kadimaproductions brings the people behind that culture into the light. Winner of the competition: Event: SPOTLIGHT Organiser: @kadimaproductions Judges: @yemiosokoya @teee.dollar @empresszoey @idemvdia @skilo_richie Dance artaiste: @youngzino208 @shomale__kiddo @baggy_skizzy02 @official_larry07 @tobisayd_88 @ze_nny_b (mention the ones you know in the comment section) Event documented by: @phaith.ot for @movinggroundsjournal ___ Moving Grounds Journal is a @beghastfoundation publishing and archive platform under its Cultural Preservation & Research Program (C.P.R.P), focused on documenting, researching, and critically discussing dance practices across Nigeria and broader Africa as knowledge, memory, and infrastructure. #Maradance #spotlight #kadimaproduction #movingroundsjournal #beghastfoundation taken in Bariga, Lagos, Nigeria by @movinggroundsjournal
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9 days ago
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Khalid Balogun’s Ripped wants to say something about youth unemployment, the commercialisation of public space, and the Agberoes and SCRAMP policies squeezing Lagos’s creative third spaces out of existence. And it does say it, clearly, urgently. But somewhere between the message and the medium, the film loses its grip on craft. Seyi Lasisi's review asks the harder question: can a film be politically conscious and artistically hollow at once: and what does it cost when characters become ideas before they become people? A critical read on Ripped, funding, taste, and the limits of message-driven cinema. Now on Moving Grounds Journal. Click the link in the bio of @movinggroundsjournal to read more 📝 by Seyi Lasisi @seyivortex — Director and writer: Khalid Balogun Creative directors: Mayowa, Desa, Tybe, Emiking, Olaprime, Fatboy, and Khalid Choreographers: Khalid, Emiking, Mayowa, Desa, Fatboy, JD, King, and Kareemah Art director: Jaiyesimi Adedoyin Costume: Rindex Makeup: Aya Production manager: Esohe, Kareemah, King Location: JD, Mayowa ___ Moving Grounds Journal is a @beghastfoundation publishing and archive platform under its Cultural Preservation & Research Program (C.P.R.P), focused on documenting, researching, and critically discussing dance practices across Nigeria and broader Africa as knowledge, memory, and infrastructure. #beatnfeetconcert #ripped #movinggroundsjournal taken in Lagos, Nigeria by @movinggroundsjournal
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a month ago
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🦋 LABALABA DANCE STEPZ — THE STORY BEHIND THE MOVEMENT The Labalaba Dance Stepz was created in 2019, inspired by a simple but unforgettable encounter. On my way to rehearsal one day, I came across some kids playing with a butterfly. I became fascinated by the way the butterfly moved and flapped its wings. That moment sparked an idea, and I began translating the butterfly’s movement into dance. From that inspiration, I created four different variations of the Labalaba Stepz. Over time, one variation travelled further than the others and became the version that went viral. Today, I am reintroducing the Labalaba Dance Stepz—bringing the movement, its story, and its cultural identity back into the conversation. In Yoruba, “Labalaba” means butterfly, and the movement carries that inspiration at its core: freedom, transformation, lightness, and movement. I am also proud that the Labalaba Dance Stepz has been officially registered with the @nigerian_copyright Commission, marking an important step in documenting and protecting this creative work. To everyone who has danced the stepz, shared it, taught it, supported it, and helped keep the movement alive—thank you. Your energy has carried Labalaba further than I could have imagined. A special shout-out to the former Lagos Gond Chairman, Barrister Dorothy Ugonwa Obiayo, for helping make this possible. The hashtag is now #LabalabaDanceStepz & #LabalabaDancetotheworld Cc: Wisdom Bethel #labalabadancestepz #labalabadancetotheworld taken in Ikorodu,Lagos. by @movinggroundsjournal
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2 months ago
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Highlight from the premiere of RIPPED by @beatnfeetconcert If you missed it on the 8th, you have a second chance to see it tomorrow at the Ozone Cinema. — Director and writer: Khalid Balogun Creative directors: Mayowa, Desa, Tybe, Emiking, Olaprime, Fatboy, and Khalid Choreographers: Khalid, Emiking, Mayowa, Desa, Fatboy, JD, king and kareemah Art director: Jaiyesimi Adedoyin Costume: Rindex Makeup: Aya Production manager: Esohe, Kareemah, King Location: JD, Mayowa ___ Moving Grounds Journal is a @beghastfoundation publishing and archive platform under its Cultural Preservation & Research Program (C.P.R.P), focused on documentation, research, and critical discourse on dance practices across Nigeria, and broader Africa as knowledge, memory, and infrastructure. #beatnfeetconcert #ripped #movinggroundsjournal by @movinggroundsjournal
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2 months ago
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For as long as Nigeria's creative industries have been documented, dancers have largely occupied the background of the frame, choreographing the music video without a screen credit, animating the Nollywood party scene without a character name, teaching the viral step without owning the archive it becomes. Dance has powered the visual economy of Afrobeats and film alike, yet it has rarely been trusted to author a story. It has been treated as texture: something a narrative moves through, not something a narrative moves because of. This is the quiet imbalance that a new film, RIPPED, steps into. A film by dancers for the world! Click link in the bio of @movinggroundsjournal to read more 📝 by @phaith.ot — Director and writer: Khalid Balogun Creative directors: Mayowa, Desa, Tybe, Emiking, Olaprime, Fatboy, and Khalid Choreographers: Khalid, Emiking, Mayowa, Desa, Fatboy, JD, king and kareemah Art director: Jaiyesimi Adedoyin Costume: Rindex Makeup: Aya Production manager: Esohe, Kareemah, King Location: JD, Mayowa ___ Moving Grounds Journal is a @beghastfoundation publishing and archive platform under its Cultural Preservation & Research Program (C.P.R.P), focused on documentation, research, and critical discourse on dance practices across Nigeria, and broader Africa as knowledge, memory, and infrastructure. #beatnfeetconcert #ripped #movinggroundsjournal taken in Lagos, Nigeria by @movinggroundsjournal
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2 months ago
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#report A record of transition: the Oworo Dance Community’s newly elected Executive Council was sworn in on July 29, 2026, during the 2026 Ota Festival in Oworonshoki. This marks a significant shift for dance in Oworo as it emphasizes its infrastructure, focusing on succession, custodianship, and institutional memory. Moving Grounds Journal is a @beghastfoundation publishing and archive platform under its Cultural Preservation & Research Program (C.P.R.P), focused on documentation, research, and critical discourse on dance practices across Nigeria, and broader Africa as knowledge, memory, and infrastructure. #Dance #oworoshoki #movinggroundshournal taken in Oworonshoki, Lagos, Nigeria by @movinggroundsjournal
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2 months ago
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On 29 and 30 May 2026, Ennovated Dance House, led by Obiajulu Ozegbe, presented Tales by Moonlight, a new work performed by the children of Ennovated Dance Academy and conceptualised and choreographed by Chima Obasi as part of Children’s Day celebrations. Tales by Moonlight draws inspiration from the familiar tradition across Africa: peaceful evenings where elders gather and share tales of talking animals, mythical beings, cautionary lessons, and communal wisdom to children. These entertaining stories served as tools for teaching values, imagination, and belonging. However, with Ennovated Dance House, the stories were told by children, through bodily movements, minimal spoken words, and unlimited music. As I watched, it became increasingly difficult to separate the celebration from the news cycle that defined May, Says Faith OT Okoh. 2026 Children’s Day arrived carrying another tragic story. Earlier in May 2026, over 80 schoolchildren were reportedly abducted in coordinated attacks across Borno and Oyo States. Their absence lingered beyond the headlines and found its way into spaces and time where childhood was supposed to be celebrated. Read more via @movinggroundsjournal (link in bio). 📝 @phaith.ot Editor @seyivortex Moving Grounds is a @beghastfoundation platform under the Cultural Preservation & Research Program (C.P.R.P), focused on documentation, research, and critical discourse on dance practices across Africa. #dancejournal #movinggrounds #savethechildren #Childrenday #may27 taken in Lagos, Nigeria by @movinggroundsjournal
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4 months ago
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