Qudus Onikeku is a Nigerian dancer, choreographer, and multidisciplinary artist known for blending Yoruba culture with contemporary dance, hip-hop, and acrobatics. His powerful, movement-driven work explores themes like memory and identity, rooted in traditional Yoruba philosophy. After founding his dance company YK Projects in France and gaining acclaim with works such as My Exile is in My Head and Qaddish, he returned to Nigeria in 2014 to co-found The QDance Center in Lagos,a creative hub for training and artistic development.
Onikeku has performed in over 60 countries at major festivals and exhibitions, including the Venice Biennale, Festival d’Avignon, RomaEuropa, TED Global, and more. His work is in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Canada, and he has taught as a visiting professor at UC Davis and Columbia College Chicago. From 2019 to 2022, he was the first Maker in Residence at the University of Florida’s Center for Arts, Migration, and Entrepreneurship.
He is also the founder of the Afropolis Festival, CEO of the J. Randle Centre for Yorùbá Culture and History.
So Join Qudus for NECLive 2025 on Friday, November 28 2025 at Landmark Events Centre. This year’s edition is themed “Powering Africa Through Creative Enterprise.” Register now: www.nec.ng
