TELLUS

Dickson Mbi Company [2026]

Set Design by Ruby Law

TELLUS is a new dance work co-commissioned by Sadler’s Wells, schrit_tmacher Festival (NL), and DanceEast. The piece traces a personal journey of reconnection between a child and their mother, drawing inspiration from Mami Water, a mythical water deity revered across African and North American cultures.

The set design explores a space where humanity and nature intertwine. A suspended string curtain forms an abstract tree at the beginning of the performance, serving as both a barrier and an invitation. As the piece unfolds, this threshold evolves, dissolving the boundaries between human and landscape and allowing performers to move within a shared, rhythmic environment.

Choreography and lighting continually interact with the string curtain, while projection mapping enhances its shifting presence, lending the stage an ethereal and immersive quality.

Choreographer and Composer: Dickson Mbi | Mentor: Simon McBurney | Co-writers: Nick Drake and Dickson Mbi | Set Designer: Ruby Law [RULA] | Light Designer: Lee Curran | Costume Designer: Debbie Duru | Costume Consultant: Fay Fullerton | Sound designer: Tony Gayle | Video Designers: Yeast Culture | Assistant Choreographer: Kenny Wing Tao Ho | Producer: Donna Meierdiercks | Technical Director: Dom Martin | Dancers: Harvey Burke-Hamilton, Jonadette Carpio, Tania Dimbelolo, Nathan Goodman, Monique Jonas, Hannah Joseph, Siyu Lu, Rose Sall Sao, Kenny Wing Tao Ho

Photography Credit: RULA Design Studio

Golden light radiating through a string curtain forming an abstract tree in Tellus by Dickson Mbi, contemporary dance stage design by London set designer Ruby Law.
Dancers moving beneath glowing tree-like string curtain installation in Tellus by Dickson Mbi, contemporary dance set design by London stage designer Ruby Law.
Ensemble performing in warm amber light against vertical string curtain backdrop in Tellus by Dickson Mbi, stage design by London dance set designer Ruby Law.
Contemporary dancers in dramatic red lighting with atmospheric haze in Tellus by Dickson Mbi, immersive stage design by London set designer Ruby Law.
Solo dancer under spotlight framed by layered string curtain threshold in Tellus by Dickson Mbi, contemporary dance set design by London designer Ruby Law.
Projection mapping across cascading string curtain creating ethereal blue environment in Tellus by Dickson Mbi, stage design by London set designer Ruby Law.
Dancer reaching outward before textured vertical string curtain in Tellus by Dickson Mbi, contemporary dance stage design by London set designer Ruby Law.
Silhouetted ensemble interacting with illuminated string curtain threshold in Tellus by Dickson Mbi, immersive dance set design by London designer Ruby Law.
Central dancer lifted beneath cascading white string installation inspired by Mami Water in Tellus by Dickson Mbi, stage design by London set designer Ruby Law.
Dancer casting large shadow across vertical string curtain in Tellus by Dickson Mbi, contemporary dance stage design by London set designer Ruby Law.
Performer interacting with textured string curtain creating fragmented shadow effect in Tellus by Dickson Mbi, immersive dance set design by London designer Ruby Law.
Ensemble gathered under warm amber and violet stage lighting with suspended string installations in Tellus by Dickson Mbi, stage design by London set designer Ruby Law.
Contemporary dancers arching in unison beneath purple spotlights and haze in Tellus by Dickson Mbi, theatrical lighting and set design by London designer Ruby Law.
Projection mapping forming luminous blue tree structures around central dancer in Tellus by Dickson Mbi, immersive stage design by London set designer Ruby Law.
Solo performer framed by abstract digital foliage projections within string curtain installation in Tellus by Dickson Mbi, stage design by London designer Ruby Law.
Ensemble standing beneath projected white tree canopy emerging from string curtain structure in Tellus by Dickson Mbi, contemporary dance set design by London set designer Ruby Law.
Central dancer under suspended projection tree with surrounding performers in low light in Tellus by Dickson Mbi, immersive stage design by London designer Ruby Law.
Solo performer facing projected ghostlike figure beneath digital tree canopy in Tellus by Dickson Mbi, contemporary stage design by London set designer Ruby Law.
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