For Joshua Effi, dance is not a talent, it is a lifestyle. His story is quite a unique one as well as it serves to inspire others. Born in Nigeria, Josheffi, a dancer and choreographer has been living in the United Kingdom since 2020. Longer than that, Joshua has been dancing for over 10 years and has performed on so many platforms in Nigeria and in the United Kingdom. He has also taught hip-hop classes and led dance workshops. Although he goes by Josh in the UK, he has never forgotten his roots and he incorporates this into his dance style.
Effi said “Dance for Josh is constantly evolving and this embodied my pursuits to improve. I drew inspiration from hardworking Nigerians in diaspora.” He was one of the early waves of Japa out of Nigeria. With his first degree in Sociology from Covenant University Ota (2014-2018), he got admission to Northumbria University, Newcastle Upon Tyne where he acquired an MSc. in International development.
School and dance have always had a relationship with Josh. It was in school that he honed the craft after he gained admission to Covenant University 10 years ago. Although his main art form is Hip-hop/choreography, Josh is proficient in other styles of dance mainly Krump, Breaking and Animation. He says with a fond memory that his first style of dance learnt is Animation.
He established a dance group in 2017 known as Divinity Dance Company. It featured dance rehearsals, music classes, meditation, educational activities, games, exercise sessions and community development. The numbers grew within one year and Divinity became a huge family and a part of the community. Now in the UK, Josh has danced in House of Jack in Edinburgh. He has danced with Tomorrow Crew, and performed in cypher sessions where he free-styled in the widely accepted street dance at Route One, Glasgow. He is fond of his performance at Dance Base’s Hip-Hop Live and Direct in Edinburgh where he performed his own choreographed piece which he would later perform at Dance City in Newcastle.
For Josh, despite the longevity in the game, he still worries about whether or not dance as a career should be a goal. This led to his recent performance at the 2024 Hip-Hop Live and Direct show at Dance Base Edinburgh, United Kingdom where he performed his theatre piece on fear and social rejection.
This performance was special that it had the audience glued and emotional. They were not left out as they were allowed the opportunity to share the special moment with the dancer.
Speaking on what led to the piece’s creation and his creative journey with the piece. He said dance was always discriminated against growing up but he wants to change that. Josh, with a smile and a heart full of joy and dreams, says the choreographed piece is making waves and he can feel his impact like he has always wanted.
