Impasse – Dublin Dance Festival – Review

Impasse @ the Project Arts Centre – by Mufutau Yusuf

At the start of the production,  the stage is bare other than for a collection of plastic laundry bags and other odds and ends at one side of the stage.  As the lights dim and the production starts in earnest, we hear percussion-based music as the collection of junk starts to move! It slowly tilts and shivers. It becomes obvious that there is someone inside this elaborate costume, as they shuffle around the floor and eventually jump and dance.

This is a new production by Mufutau Yusuf. Mufutau is from Trim, County Meath, but was born in Nigeria. He travelled to Ireland with his family at 9 years of age to start a new life.  He studied dance from the age of 12 and his athletic frame made him a natural.  This production is his second as a choreographer, following on from Òwe which was part of the Dublin Fringe Festival in 2022.

In the second section of this production, the costume is jettisoned entirely as Yusuf is naked on stage beside another man.  The second dancer is Lucas Katangila, another individual with roots in Africa, as he was born in DR Congo before moving to Brussels. The two dancers fall into synch and perform a long and varied duet.

The piece aims to “confront the biased narratives etched onto Black bodies throughout history”. Dance as an art form is powerful at conveying emotion and this is a vivid experience. There are long sections where the dancers perform with their backs to the audience.  Only towards the end, do they turn to face us.  Their gaze is expressionless as they stare into the middle distance. The production is intentionally filled with repetition with a long sequence where they jog in step with each other. It’s an intense experience but there is a haunting beauty behind it all that will captivate the viewer.

Choreographer: Mufutau Yusuf

Performers: Lucas Katangila, Mufutau Yusuf

Composition & Sound: Tom Lane, Mick Donohoe

Set Design: Mufutau Yusuf

Light Design: Matt Burke

Costume Design: Alison Brown

Text: Ikenna Anyabuike

Production Manager: Lisa Mahony

Stage Manager / Set Consultant: Lisa Krugel

Co-production: Liz Roche Company