Tag: East London

Choreographer, dancer, musician and composer, born in Cameroon and raised in London unveils his latest work at East Bank

Subscribe to our free Wharf Whispers newsletter here

Dickson Mbi has a strong hat game.

When he answers the zoom call from his north London home, he’s wearing a red beret similar to those of Public Enemy’s S1W security force, known for their stern, imposing presence.

The dancer, choreographer, musician and composer beneath, however, fizzes with fun, energy, enthusiasm and introspection as we talk about his latest work – Tellus – a piece that’s set to get its première at Sadler’s Wells East from October 21-24, 2026.

 Internationally successful, his piece Enowate by Sadler’s Wells and Barbican won him an Olivier Award in 2023 for Outstanding Achievements In Dance and he’s had a storied career on stage and screen, working with the likes of Robbie Williams, Corrine Bailey-Rae and the Black Eyed Peas among many others.

In many ways, however, Tellus is something of a full circle moment for Dickson – a show that explores his origins and childhood tales, staged in the very place where his own journey into dance began.

Born in Cameroon, he learnt English at boarding school before a move to east London, aged 12.

“It was a bit different – I was standing up to ask questions, which puzzled the other students here,” said Dickson.

“But boarding school was great for me, it gave me strong resilience and taught me a lot about life and independence – how to take care of myself on my own – and I’m grateful for that.”

After football at West Ham didn’t work out, Dickson got his first job at McDonald’s before embarking on an apprenticeship to become an IT technician.

However, while out in Stratford, a chance meeting set him ultimately on a different path.

discovering dance

“In African culture, dance is not considered a viable source of income or a career to follow,” said Dickson.

“You should be a doctor or a lawyer – something with high status.

“I was 18 or 19 and I met a girl who was dressed unusually, with her hair up in a particular way.

“I asked her why and she said she was going to a dance class at Stratford Circus. She invited me to come.

“I was going because I liked her. At the class, I met a lot of people into all sorts of dance and I thought it was amazing. 

“Then I had to do an improvisation, a freestyle. I’d grown up watching Michael Jackson so I though I could do something like that.

“I was just joking around, trying to impress that girl, but the teacher invited me to another class at Pineapple Studios. 

“At first I said no, then I found out the girl was going to be there, so I signed up. It was a Saturday, my first time on the Central line on my own. 

“I grew up in Manor Park and Forest Gate – you go to Stratford or maybe Hackney, you don’t go anywhere else.

“Being in Covent Garden was different for me. 

“We went in to do the class. There were lots of routines I couldn’t pick up – I didn’t want to look stupid in front of the girl or the teacher, so I pretended I needed the toilet and left.

“But just outside there was a group of guys body popping.

“Their performance drew me in. I wanted to know how people could move their muscles like that, how they could have control of their bodies to that degree.

“I stopped thinking about the girl and started to ask them about the dance.

“They told me what it was called, how it was started in the late 1960s, early 1970s, via James Brown.

“I didn’t know this music.

“All I knew was hip-hop from the 1990s, r’n’b, nothing else. I had heard a bit of jazz and classical music, but nothing like this.

“That was my introduction to dance.”

steps to learning

Dickson pursued his passion in his spare time, dancing with friends around London and in Newham, entering and winning competitions.

But it was meeting Stuart Thomas during a class in Graham Technique at Danceworks that proved fateful.

“He said that I had talent, but it needed to be nurtured and that I should go to school to learn how to look after my body,” said Dickson.

“That coming twice a week to his class wasn’t going to cut it.

“I said no – I was African, I couldn’t imagine what my parents would say, but Stuart was quite cunning.

“Without my knowledge, he filled out an application for Lewisham College and he told me I should go down there to try a class that was being taught by his friend.

“He said I’d fit right in. I went and there were some people I knew but something was weird – everyone had numbers on.

“It turned out to be an audition.

“The only reason I didn’t walk out was because, having won some competitions, I’d built up some street cred and, at 22, I didn’t want the younger dancers who were there to say I’d chickened out.

“For the ballet, I just copied the girl next to me – it was the first time I’d ever had a class.

“But then I did some contemporary and jazz, which was just like street dance. It was my thing and, at the end, I was given a full-time place.”

a door opens

Supported by his future wife, the dancer, Julia Chen, Dickson made the tough decision to quit his job and study. Then another moment of good fortune struck.

“I went on to study for a BA and, while I was a student, I performed an improvisation at Sadler’s Wells and the choreographer, Russell Maliphant, saw me and offered me a job,” said Dickson.

“Upon hearing who it was, the principal of the school I was at said I should take the opportunity because people trained from the age of 10 to get that chance.

“I spent eight years dancing with Russell and I really got my choreographic education from him.

“He taught me how to stand in the lights, how to use dancers in an organic way, so it doesn’t feel jarring to the body, or look weird when you see it.

“He’s worked in so many genres of dance, so I also learnt to bring those different worlds together – he’s my biggest influence in dance.” 

For Tellus, Dickson is back at Sadler’s Wells – this time at its Stratford venue – to present a work that touches on his own childhood and his experience of becoming a father.

“It’s really nice to be able to show this work in east London,” he said. “Tellus means Mother Earth in Latin. In 2023 my son was one and I was putting him to bed.

“The year was very hot, with lots of forest fires happening, lots of droughts in Somalia, for example – my brain was full of all this information. I was wondering what I could do to soothe him and put him to bed.

“Then I remembered a story my parents used to tell me about the goddess of water, and that’s when the whole idea for Tellus started to come up.

“Different melodies started to come into my brain – songs I knew as a child – and I thought this was a starting point. I was thinking about how I could bring a kid up in this world right now.

“When you become a dad, you start thinking about all these crazy things – it’s not just about you any more.

“So you have all these questions about how we connect to our bigger mother, the earth. 

“If Enowate was more about my own biography, my African-ness and my East End-ness, this new piece is about how I see the world, what we’re doing and how we can create space for the next generation.

“I think Tellus is one of the best things I’ve done.

“It has live music, which I’ve composed – I’ve always wanted to bring my music and dance together in exactly the way I want it.

“The melodies come from spending time with my son, but there are also elements of grief in the mix too.

“Having the opportunity to present this in Stratford is one of those emotional moments for me and I’m really proud to be doing it.

“I’m not dancing in it personally and it’s really hard to build a piece like this.

“Not everybody has my background, my training and my body. It’s a long process, it’s not been easy and there have been several iterations with different performers, but it’s been so rewarding.

“The group we have are amazing artists and they do what I need them to way better than I could have done it.

“What I hope, when people come to see it is not that they understand the work, but that they feel it. 

“I want them to feel connected to the story and what I’m trying to express.

“This is my first time back in Stratford and it feels like I’m coming home and it’s great to be back.”

key details: Tellus by Dickson Mbi

Tellus by Dickson Mbi is set to run at Sadler’s Wells East in Stratford from October 21-24, 2026.

Performances will take place at 7.30pm and tickets start at £19.

Find out more about the production here

Read more: Why Third Space is spotlighting strength training

Read Wharf Life’s e-edition here

Subscribe to our free Wharf Whispers newsletter here