Alice Kwukei: From national troupe to global stage

Alice Kwukei is a dancer, actress and drummer of International repute. A former member of the National Troupe of Nigeria (NTN), the Benue State born artiste from Otukpo Council, started her career from Ebony Theatre Troupe in Makurdi, Benue State capital, in 1989, and was selected to join the Benue State Council for Arts and Culture in 2000. She later auditioned to join the National Troupe of Nigeria in 2003. She is a graduate of Creative Arts from the University of Lagos. Kwukei is a member of Guild of Nigerian dancers (GOND), International Association of Theatre for Children and Young People (ASSITEJ) and National Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners (NANTAP). She has taken on many mentorship or advocacy roles to nurture the next generation of dancers, actors, and drummers.

“I STARTED doing theatre when I was quite young and dance came to me as a natural talent. I would dance anywhere and to whatever music I hear until I was invited to join the Ebony Theatre Troupe in Makurdi, Benue State, where my professional journey started officially. Traditional African dance and music reflects the culture of region, they can be religious or folk dances these dances often strongly connected with beliefs and mostly done in storytelling forms hence the acting form is born. It’s sometimes has a call and response form, which could include songs or drumming,” she says.

She continues, “the National Troupe of Nigeria is the highest body of dance in Nigeria and I must say it was a huge honour and privilege to have been selected to represent my state, Benue State. The training I gained from the troupe cannot be quantified. As the dance captain/instructor teaching dance and leading a group of artistes throughout my 22 years plus has taught me leadership and management skills, which I apply in other aspect of life. As a children’s theatre coordinator this skills also helped me as nursery practitioner.”

“From time to time, I have been invited to private troupes and schools workshops and seminars to talk and teach dances. And it’s very fulfilling to see younger people involved in the profession,” Alice confesses.
Having performed on national and international stages, she has gained so much experience, which has helped her.

Can she compare the experiences of performing locally versus globally?
She smiles, “performing locally is a bit easy as the people understand and connect with you because they can identify with what you’re doing sometimes they join in the dance or songs.”

Alice, however adds, “international audiences are bit different, because they don’t understand the language or culture so you have to try your best to make them understand and enjoy the performance.”

For the lady, the defining moment of her career as a dance artiste was performing at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). She had opportunity to perform for 52 heads of Government (CHOGM) in Abuja.

Over the years, Alice has had opportunity to perform in different roles, which have helped her to grow. She has had to play the role of a mother or wife, but as she says, acting comes to her naturally. “I have always been responsible for a lot of artists teaching, caring, managing people even when some are older than you wasn’t easy. It helped with navigating those roles,” she remarks.

However, one production has been dear to her heart. She has a fond memory of it. “I can’t forget Iba. It was written and directed by Prof Ahmed Yerima and we had a world tour with it. It was challenging because it covered different cultures. I played a particular role as Yemoja’s acolyte and I must say it wasn’t easy navigating through the chants and movements carrying a huge pot of water to do cleansing.”

On how she ensures authenticity while appealing to diverse audiences, Alice quips: “Firstly, in the National Troupe we do not embark on any major production without proper background research. You must have good knowledge of the production even if it means going to the source to get materials and do it accordingly then you simplify it in a way international audience would understand and enjoy it the performance without losing the essence of the story.”

Looking back at her career, Alice says she has no regrets. “I do not have any and wouldn’t change anything about it. All I can say is I am grateful to God for the opportunity to have come this far. I have met and worked with great talents, and good people who have impacted my career and life in different ways and fields of life.”