Omagbitse Omagbemi received her BFA in dance at Montclair State University. In 2012 she was awarded a Bessie for Sustained Achievement in Performance. She has performed nationally and internationally with the Punch Drunk production “Sleep No More” NYC/ Shanghai, DanceOn Ensemble, Kat Válastur, Joanna Kotze, Neil Greenberg, Vicky Shick, Maria Hassabi, Heather Kravas, Jon Kinzel, Deborah Hay, Ralph Lemon, Wally Cardona, David Gordon, Jeremy Nelson, Keely Garfield, Irish Modern Dance Theater, Walter Dundervill, David Thomson, Anna Sperber, Bill Young, Pear- son/Widrig Dance, Urban Bush Women, Shapiro & Smith, Gerald Casel, Barbara Mahler, Christopher Williams, Sean Curran, and Kevin Wynn.

Follow Omgabitse on Instagram @ogbitse

EXCHANGE #1
In conversation with Omagbitse Omagbemi (Berlin, Germany)
Recorded on January 17, 2021

This is an edited version of Joanna and Omagbitse’s hour and a half conversation and includes topics such as: family, journey to becoming a dancer, dancing in Wally Cardona's work, racism in the U.S. and elsewhere, and how much we love Viola Davis.

*To turn closed captioning on or off, click on the CC icon in the bottom right corner of the video.

Below is the raw movement exchange relayed from Joanna to Omagbitse. You will see Joanna doing her original movement and then you will see both of them doing Joanna’s movement, which Omagbitse learned. Omagbitse will add onto this and her movement will be passed onto Liyabuya Gongo in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Below is the raw movement exchange relayed from Omagbitse to Liyabuya Gongo. You will see Omagbitse doing her original movement and then you will see both of them doing Omagbitse’s movement, which Liyabuya learned. Liyabuya will add onto this and her movement will be passed onto Stuart Shugg in Dunoon, New South Wales, Australia.

Photos by Elizabeth Romanski, Yecenia Torres, Omagbitse Omagbemi, Ian Douglas

This project is commissioned in part by the American Dance Festival (ADF).

Logo design by Chris Cherry