First look at Vicki Igbokwe-Ozoagu's Our Mighty Groove which opens Sadler’s Wells East tonight

Sadler’s Wells and Uchenna Dance have released production images for Vicki Igbokwe-Ozoagu's immersive dance production, Our Mighty Groove which opens Sadler’s Wells East tonight. The Sadler’s Wells production sees a cast of young dancers from east London join Igbokwe-Ozoagu’s Uchenna in a celebration of community and the power of the dance floor. Our Mighty Groove is the inaugural show at Sadler’s Wells East and runs from Thursday 6 – Sunday 9 February 2025. 

Set in Club Groove where the audience is both spectator and participant, Our Mighty Groove incorporates Igbokwe-Ozoagu’s signature blend of club styles – house, waacking and vogue – fused with African and contemporary dance. Following the show, the Club Groove after party takes over the dancefloor at Sadler’s Wells East where the audience is invited to continue the celebration. 

Professional dancers Iona Brie, Angelika Napierała, Shanelle Clemenson, Cache Thake, Dani Harris-Walters, Kabuki Johnson, Jackie Kibuka, Malachi Welch and recent graduate Shula Carter join young east London dancers Bertie Jeffery, Holly Clayton, Kezia Adewale, Lilia Rowe, Thea Petrie, Victoria Morini, Sofia Whiteoak, Reo Greenidge, Riley-Ann Nicholls Murphy, Eli Follant, Shaniya Mohammed and Jandice Stewart. The young cast were invited to join the production following an open call out to dancers under the age of 21 who live or study in east London and Our Mighty Groove will be the first professional performance many take part in. 

Vicki Igbokwe-Ozoagu is a choreographer, self-first instigator, movement director, and the founder and joint CEO of Uchenna. Igbokwe-Ozoagu worked as a Mass Movement Choreographer at the London 2012 Olympics and has over a decade long relationship with Sadler’s Wells.  

Our Mighty Groove is a remixed take on a Uchenna classic. The first iteration of Our Mighty Groove premiered at Sadler’s Wells’ Lilian Baylis Studio in 2013 as part of their Wild Card programme to sold out audiences. In 2015, Our Mighty Groove was developed into a full-length production and toured to Stratford East, Greenwich Dance, Platform Theatre, Pavilion Dance South West, and Trinity Centre (Bristol). This remixed version sees a young cast join Uchenna for the first time in a new formation and larger scale iteration. 

Kloé Dean is associate choreographer, Joanne Bernard is rehearsal director, and the show features costume design by Jodie-Simone Howe, music by Kweku Aacht and Warren ‘Flamin Beatz’ Morgan-Humphreys, set design by Simon Kenny, sound design by Mark Webber and lighting design by Matt Daw. 

Sadler’s Wells East is a new powerhouse for dance, situated in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Sadler’s Wells East forms part of East Bank, the UK’s newest cultural and educational quarter, alongside the BBC Music Studios, London College of Fashion, UAL, V&A East and UCL East (University College London).