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Active on the web for only two years, the self-taught duo shares choreographies overflowing with emotion and intimacy, dealing with subjects such as racism, mental health and ecology. These are all topics reflecting the concerns of an increasingly engaged and connected generation.
We like to inspire people and use our art to express different feelings. And as you said, racism and ecology are things that we see, but for example, racism doesn't happen in Lagos; we haven’t witnessed it yet. But just because we are from Lagos doesn't mean we aren’t affected by what’s happening here. We see what is going on around the world as well, and we always try to help, inspire people and change minds any way we can. And the best way we can do that is through what we do, which is our dance. Everything we do is to inspire people and hopefully change the world.
It is something we always love to do, and we see this beyond techniques, and mostly as a form of expression. It is movements. We are speaking with our bodies instead of using words. So we don’t have a style, and we don’t have an actual name for it. There are no rules; it’s not “this is wrong, and this is right”. It is just let yourself go and do it so that people feel what you feel. It is about the intention. So that is where we are standing; wanting to inspire people and share our story, to change minds around the world. Most of the stories we share are things we have experienced in the past few years and went through, so we want to share that because we know there are people in the world that are in the same situations, and we want to inspire them and light up their minds.
Marvel: I actually don’t know. As you said, Victory started before me, and he taught me so many things. But I don’t know at what point we started. It is a process from the inside, but I don’t know at what point we started!
Victory: For me as well, I don’t remember the point where we started dancing, but it just happened together.
Marvel: It was a thing that was working for us. Because when he started, he danced with a couple of people, but no one seemed to work out. When we started together, it was just perfect.
Marvel: Personally, it is easier because I’ve tried dancing with other people sometimes, and there was no connection. There is a feeling I get when I dance with him that I don’t get with anyone else.
We felt excited because it was something we had always wanted to do. We were so excited to share it with the world, and we couldn't wait for people to see us, get to know us and what we do. So it certainly felt exciting. And now we are able to film anytime and just share so that people can get inspired. And the response we keep receiving always motivates us to create more.
"Just because we are from Lagos doesn't mean we aren’t affected by what’s going on here. We see what is going on around the world as well and we always try to help, to inspire people and to change minds any way we can."
It feels very exciting because we have always loved fashion. So making our videos and working for big fashion houses is fascinating for us that we always kind of wanted. Also, working with multiple creative directors and designers is really amazing for us.
Marvel: I believe so. The response has changed for like a year: the way people perceive us is actually different. I think people listen to us more now and pay attention.
We just have one goal, not regarding dance only but life: we want the world to feel inspired by our story. That is what we want to do, to share this with the world. We do have so many projects coming up that we haven’t started or released, and we are so excited because this is just a starting point for us, and the world will see what we have yet to bring.
+ Words: Claire Roussel, Luxiders Magazine Contributor
Claire Roussel is a fashion writer dedicated to sustainability and social issues. She uses her passion for writing to tell the stories of the people fighting to make the fashion industry a more responsible one.