Nos Bida (which means Our Lives in Papiamentu) started as a solo performance created by Shaquille George in regard to graduating from Urban Contemporary Dance at Fontys Hogeschool. Besides creating this solo performance, Shaquille wrote a thesis exploring the visibility and perception of Black contemporary dancers within the broader dance field.
Shaquille’s practice is grounded in their own developed movement methodology called Motiflux/Emotiflux. In this, Shaquille explores the dialogue between emotion and the body. Through meditation and choreography, they channel imagery tied to ancestral trauma and resilience – visions that have guided them in the past years and come back to them in their artistic processes.
The research question of this new step of Nos Bida explores: how do we, as Black bodies, identify with who we are through the experiences of our ancestors?
In the fall of 2025, Shaquille will travel to West Africa – Senegal and Ghana, to engage with historical sites like Gorée Island and Elmina Castle, and to learn from local communities and traditions. Afterwards, they will travel to Curaçao, to travel the same route as their ancestors did. There, they will learn more about their own ancestors through interviewing their family that still lives there. This first part of the research will ground the work spiritually and creatively. In spring 2026, Shaquille will bring the gainings of their trip back to the studio and enter a residency at Dansateliers Rotterdam with a group of four performers. Together, they will explore meditation, improvisation, and collective storytelling, allowing each performer to bring their voice, story and ancestral memory into the space.
Both stages of the research process will be shared with the audience of Dansateliers and Shaquille’s own community. This research will inform the next step: a full-length performance or performative installation.
“This project seeks to illuminate the powerful cultural legacy our ancestors left us, a legacy that lives on within us, but lies dormant now, patiently waiting to be awakened.”
Image: JB Strijk