The Ecstatic at OZ Arts Nashville

OZ Arts Nashville presents the U.S. premiere of The Ecstatic, a collaboration between Johannesburg-based dance collective Impilo Mapantsula, led by choreographer and performer Vusi Mdoyi, and Basel-based choreographer Jeremy Nedd. The work draws a connection between Pantsula, a percussive South African street dance that emerged in Black townships as a form of resistance during Apartheid, and the Pentecostal "praise break" found in African-American churches. Six dancers slip into a trance-like state as the two dance traditions merge, driven by movement, feeling, and music. This engagement at OZ Arts Nashville marks the only opportunity for American audiences to see the work in the U.S. in 2025.