Tellus

Dickson Mbi and Nick Drake

Dickson Mbi Company

Lowry, Salford

February 9-10, 2026; 70mins

A scene from TELLUS by Dickson Mbi and Nick Drake

I spent yesterday afternoon watching the figure skating at the Winter Olympics, astonished, as ever, by the grace, style and athleticism of world-class skaters. 

In the evening I saw Dickson Mbi’s TELLUS, which displayed the same extraordinary physicality and artistry, as the dancers glided effortlessly – with no ice to carry them - with elegance, fluidity and passion across the stage.   

TELLUS begins with a vision of a devastated earth, then grows relentlessly into a saga of power, control, beauty and destruction.

It explores our lost connection to the earth and tells of the all-powerful mythical goddess Mami Wata, from Mbi’s Cameroon heritage, whose apparent fragility is belied by the devastating effect the touch of one finger can have on a mere mortal. Her controlling, entitled presence on stage has an echo of the voodoo queen, the threat of disaster wrapped in traditional femininity.  

The other dancers echo a Greek chorus, reinforcing the mythology and painting the background. The discipline and attention to detail here is of the highest order (and as a lover of modern dance, this is not always the case). While we are on the subject of the chorus, this is most definitely an equal-opportunities dance troupe – with the women hefting the men in impressive lifts without a care in the world.

The multi-award-winning Mbi is described as a Hip-Hop dance artist, but any bodypopping here is actually a mesmerisingly feverish movement, brought on by the power of Mami Wata and Mbi’s own hypnotic score.

Staged in the smaller Quays Theatre, the more intimate space produced an atmosphere that had the audience holding its breath, entranced by the sets (Ruby Law) and magical lighting special effects (Lee Curran and video artists Yeast Culture).

A sequence of shadow play, with the images melting at the touch of a dancer, was beautifully executed, and a final thunderstorm had us all mentally reaching for our umbrellas.

It is only the beginning of February, but I am confident I won't see a better production this year. TELLUS is at the Lowry for only two nights, but if you are reading this on Tuesday morning, drop everything and go tonight. You won’t regret it.

More info and tickets here