Words by Karly Benson.
Choreodrome: Next Steps presented two intimate and resonant works. Coiled Up by Sababa Co. and Akanana Sweet Banana by Dorine Mugisha are both inherently feminine, exploring the richness and complexity of lived experience. Though their stories differ, both works welcome you into their worlds — sometimes, quite literally — offering a full spectrum of emotions that resonate long after the performance ends.
Coiled Up, by Sababa Co. and choreographed by Bar Groisman, explores the totality of the female experience — its gore, humility, discomfort, and joy. Across an hour, you feel the full range of human emotion, moving fluidly from discomfort to laughter, never settling in one place for too long.
It is unapologetic and unfiltered, refreshing in the way it allows women to simply be, not shaped into anything else, not softened or exaggerated. Rather than relying on tropes, the work feels specific and intentional, grounded in authentic female experiences that only a woman could express.
The movement is nuanced, with a strong sense of precision, sensuality, conflict, and, at times, mania. Slowness is used deliberately, creating moments of discomfort that can be hard to sit with, but that ultimately deepen the work. There is a push and pull in the pacing — a kind of elastic tension that stretches and suspends before suddenly propelling you forward — allowing the audience to process and reflect as the piece develops patiently.
Though emotionally and dramaturgically well-rounded, the work often remains physically restrained. This decision to withhold release can be read as deliberate, mirroring the reality it reflects: that such freedom is rarely afforded, that tension is not always resolved. Yet, the work so vividly articulates what it means to exist under scrutiny that an eventual rupture, a physical breaking point, begins to feel almost necessary. As the dancers strip away their literal constraints, there is a suggestion of freedom, but it never fully lands in the body. A deeper surrender to that release might have pushed the narrative further, rewriting, even momentarily, the conditions placed upon women — capturing the moment when there is nothing left to do but explode, and offering a final exhale.
From its deliberate eye contact to its seamless costume shedding and powerful monologues, Coiled Up feels all-encompassing, evocative, and filled with care. It is a testament to how deeply it matters to both the dancers and to Groisman, and, in turn, how quickly it begins to matter to you.
Akanana Sweet Banana, by Dorine Mugisha, may be the only performance where you are offered a banana to eat upon entering the theatre. Making your way to your seat before the performance begins, Mugisha invites audience members to join on stage and dance — settling into the performance with ease, loosened hips, and a sense of belonging.
Akanana Sweet Banana is Mugisha’s personal account of immigration, from Tanzania to France to the UK, touching on intimate anecdotes. It is a genre-bending, multilingual sweep, with balanced humour and themes of reflection and identity at its core. Through voguing, whacking, traditional Tanzanian dance, hip hop, krump and contemporary, alongside poetry and singing in French, Swahili, Kihaya, and English, Mugisha creates a thoughtful mosaic presented across multiple mediums and languages. Her storytelling is grounded in self-acceptance and openness, allowing her to navigate both the joys and struggles of immigration, culture, and personal history with confidence.
While the ambitious breadth of forms and languages is inventive, it can sometimes be difficult to fully sustain. Mugisha presents engaging, conceptually rich ideas — notably a heartfelt impression of a Tanzanian father — though some seem unfinished before the next begins. While her storytelling through voice and text feels considered and assured, the sections of dance and movement feel less complete. As a result, certain ideas blur rather than fully resonate, ending mid-sentence and leaving small gaps in the through-line of her journey. Given the deeply personal nature of the work, the narrative may feel clear to Mugisha. However, placing greater emphasis on how her movement communicates each concept to the audience, allowing moments to fully land before transitioning, may have helped to sew the work more seamlessly together.
Even so, the warmth of Mugisha’s presence and the generosity extended toward the audience remain central. Viewers are welcomed with open arms to step into the inner workings of her life — dancing, laughing, and, luckily, eating — creating an atmosphere that is sincere and a true delight.
Header image of Dorine.