Tiran Willemse & Melika Ngombe Kolongo (Nkisi)

When the calabash breaks

Performance
Saturday, September 13 at La Centrale, Sion

"When the calabash breaks" was born from an ongoing artistic research between South African/Swiss dancer and choreographer Tiran Willemse and Congolese/Belgian musician and composer Melika Ngombe Kolongo (aka Nkisi). Their collaboration explores the relationship between movement and sound, interrogating the intersection of physical and sonic resonance, rhythm, and spatial perception.

Willemse and Kolongo share a deep interest in the affective and structural dynamics of improvisation, ritual, and expanded notions of corporeality. Their interdisciplinary approach blends dance, experimental music, and live performance, engaging audiences in both theatrical and unconventional contexts.

Initially conceived for an outdoor space, When the Calabash Breaks was later adapted into a black box version, thus expanding its performative and spatial possibilities.

The project is part of Willemse's broader choreographic practice, which considers movement as a political, historical and relational act, as well as Nkisi's sonic investigations, which focus on polyrhythmic structures, noise and trance states.

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Concept, Artistic Direction & Performance: Tiran Willemse & Melika Ngombe Kolongo
Choreography: Tiran Willemse
Sound: Melika Ngombe Kolongo / Nkisi
Dramaturgy: Otolith group: Anjalika Sagar and Kodwo Eshun
Choreographic Advice: Andros Zins Browne
Production: Rabea Grand & Paelden Tamnyen
Touring / Artistic Advisor: Lhaga Koondhor & Tristan Barani

This piece was created as part of a co-commission by ARSENIC - Center d’arts scénique
contemporary and Roskilde Festival.

Co-production: ARSENIC - Centre for Contemporary Performing Arts, Roskilde Festival,
Gessnerallee Zurich

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Tiran Willemse

Born in 1987
Based in Zurich

Tiran Willemse's performance practice interrogates constructs of race, gender, and memory. Trained in ballet in South Africa and Europe, he pursued dance studies at PARTS in Brussels and theater at the Bern University of the Arts. His work, rooted in a focus on space, gesture, and sound, explores somatic and psychological landscapes beyond the human condition. He blends movements from classical ballet with the energy of urban dances from Angola and Nigeria, creating a dialogue between past and present, traditional and contemporary. He incorporates music and sound as integral elements of his creations.

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Melika Ngombe Kolongo (Nkisi)

Born in 1985
Based in London

Nkisi, alias Melika Ngombe Kolongo, is a producer, live musician, DJ, and curator. Through sound, she explores invisible forces by blending African rhythms, radical European dance, and dark synths. Co-founder of NON Worldwide, she has established herself on NTS and in major festivals. Her album 7 Directions and the EP The Dark Orchestra reflect her polymorphic vision. Influenced by psychoacoustics and Bantu cosmology, she also develops transdisciplinary installations and performances such as Initiation or Sènsa .