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Malachy Luckie

Dickson Mbi: Tellus

Mon 09 Feb 2026 and Tue 10 Feb 2026

TELLUS begins with a simple, intimate act: award-winning choreographer and composer Dickson Mbi’s desire to tell his son a bedtime story. But this isn't just any story: it's an epic drawn from the wellspring of Mbi’s Cameroonian heritage, inspired by the mythical deity Mami Wata, a life source of beauty and love whose power can also turn to destruction. Mbi’s immersive score, from gentle lullaby to stirring chant, underscores dancers fusing intense physicality with ethereal grace. TELLUS is more than a performance; it’s a ritual to reconnect with the quiet, powerful source of everything: our Earth, our past, our mother.

This vision is brought to life by eight dancers of global heritage, fusing intense physicality with ethereal grace. Their world is built by a creative team including video artists Yeast Culture, lighting designer Lee Curran, set designer Ruby Law, costume design by Debbie Duru and costume consultant Fay Fullerton, with sound design by Tony Gayle, co-written with poet Nick Drake and with dramaturgy by Simon McBurney.

Co-commissioned by Sadler’s Wells Theatre, schrit_tmacher Festival NL and DanceEast, as a DanceEast Jerwood Commission. TELLUS is a 'Developed with Complicité' project - a strand of their Mudlarks Ideas Development programme.

Supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England with additional support from Britten Pears Arts, RPS Drummond Lockyer Fund for Dance, Wise Music Group, and Lowry.

Additional Information

Age Recommendation: 7+
Content Warnings: Haze (may need updating once the show is finished)
Runtime: 60-70 mins

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Credits

DICKSON MBI COMPANY

Dickson Mbi - Artistic Director
Donna Meierdiercks - Producer
Dom Martin - Technical Director
Emi Del Bene - Project & Marketing Coordinator

DANCERS

Kenny Wing Tao Ho
Monique Jonas
Vanessa Vince-Pang
Nathan Goodman
Harvey Burke-Hamilton
Tania Dimbelolo
Hannah Joseph
Siyu Lu
Jonadette Carpio

CREATIVES

Nick Hillel / Yeast Culture - Video Artists
Ruby Law - Set Designer
Lee Curran - Light Designer
Debbie Duru - Costume Designer
Fay Fullerton - Costume Consultant
Tony Gayle - Sound Designer
Nick Drake - Co-Writer
Simon McBurney - Dramaturg

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