Qudus Onikeku, 1984, was born in Lagos and is a graduate of the National Higher School of Circus arts, France. As a dancer and acrobat, he is part of a new generation of critical thinkers and creators springing up from the African continent.
He uses dance to express the "tragedy of the human condition" by drawing on his Yoruba culture and combining it with various dance forms such as traditional Nigerian dance, capoeira, acrobatics and contemporary dance symbols. He has been a key figure in the choreographic scene of Nigeria and presently one of the prominent voices springing up from the African continent.
Qudus is known in Europe, in the US, Latin America and in the Caribbean for his creative energy and his artistic research focusing on writings and documentation of Dance and Africa related materials. In 2004 he created a dance solo, "Lost Face," which toured for two years in Africa and the Caribbean, and in 2007, he directed "Do we need Cola-Cola to dance?" a project of urban dances, in various African capital cities; this gave rise to a 55' film in 2008. "I must set forth," a 20' solo and the first stage of his creative project, was presented in August 2009 at the Bates Dance Festival (USA), and eventually evolved into his recent dance piece "My Exile is in my Head" 2010