In Club Groove, where audience is both spectator and participant, the energy is high and community is cultivated through dance
Serving as the opening show at Sadler’s Wells East, Our Mighty Groove displays an updated structure over 10+ years after its debut in 2013. Showing off the flexibility of Sadler’s Wells East’s space, and unlike its 2013-version wherein the audience was immersed throughout the production, the 2025-audience begins its night as a typical theatre-spectator, and ends standing on the actual dancefloor with the performers.
Choreographer and co-founder of Uchennna, Vicki Igbokwe-Ozoagu, brings Our Mighty Groove to a new plane, mixing Uchenna’s classic piece with the opportunities for experimentation provided by Sadlers Wells East, as well as the addition of young dancers from East London to Uchenna’s lineup. The evening is divided into two halves, including a 40-minute interval in which the space is transformed. Starting off the evening strictly as spectators, we are slowly introduced into the characters and stories of the club; the club-goers that have dedicated themselves for years to cultivating the energy of the club, to young Gen-Z influencers who imbue the space with contemporary zeal. This wide range of characters found common ground at Club Groove, despite coming from entirely disparate circles. This is the power of Club Groove – here, everyone is welcome, and it is felt, even as a spectator.
The challenge of igniting energy very quickly following a 40-minute interval was faced with impressive skill. The dancers, all unbelievably talented, envelope the audience in boundless, inspirational energy. The opportunity to get close to the dancers we recently watched in admiration from afar, as well as the excitement of finally engrossing ourselves in the space created a kind of delayed-gratification that allowed even those who might feel rather self-conscious dancing in a crowd to let go just a little bit. A night of witnessing such incredible dancers perform hypnotic choreography of a wide range of styles generated tangible excitement. The dancers each embodied a specific variation of dance typical of the club, from waacking to hip hop, that coalesced to create a diverse yet cohesive whole.
The music reflects this diversity of style. A collaboration between Ghanaian-based Kewku Aacht and London-based Warren ‘Flamin Beatz’ Morgan-Humphreys, the soundtrack fuses jazz, funk and disco, influenced by Kewku Aacht’s decades-long experience with club and rave culture. Featuring predominantly Ghanaian musicians in its recording and production, the soundtrack bridges styles and spirits across continents.
Our Mighty Groove celebrates life through dance. In the club we are together, in body and spirit, an idea especially true at Club Groove. This is a show everyone can, and should, enjoy.