Choreography
Mufutau Yusuf
Mufutau Yusuf is a Nigerian-Irish performer, choreographer, and teacher working between Ireland and Brussels. With a transnational perspective shaped by his dual heritage and lived experience, his work bridges cultural traditions with contemporary performance. He has performed extensively across Europe, the U.S., Latin America, Asia, and Oceania, collaborating with acclaimed companies including Wim Vandekeybus/Ultima Vez, Liz Roche Company, Irish Modern Dance Theatre, United Fall, Pan Pan Theatre and more.
Mufutau’s choreographic practice explores themes of identity, memory, ancestry, and representation, often through postcolonial and diasporic lenses. Drawing on his Yoruba ancestry and its complex cosmology and rituals entwined with his own personal archives, his work merges embodied knowledge with philosophical inquiry. From this emerged his first solo, Òwe (2022), which premiered in New York and toured across Europe and Ireland to critical acclaim. In 2024, he premiered Impasse, a physical and charged duet in collaboration with Congolese artist Lukah Katangila, confronting the politics of the Black body in Western spaces. The work continues to tour internationally, resonating with audiences across Europe, the U.S., Panama, and Nigeria.
Currently, Mufutau is a resident choreographer with Luail, Ireland’s national dance company. His latest work, Invocation, premiered at the 2025 Dublin Dance Festival at the Bord Gais Energy Theatre, before touring nationally, and marking a new chapter in his expanding artistic vision. He is also an Associate Artist at Solstice Arts Centre and co-curator of TW1 (Train With One), a platform fostering knowledge exchange between Irish and European dance communities.
Since 2020, Mufutau has received numerous awards and grants from the Arts Council of Ireland. In 2024, he was honored with the Golden Afro Artistic Award in Belgium, a prestigious accolade celebrating the achievements of African artists and diasporic creatives who are redefining artistic excellence across Europe. As a passionate educator, he teaches across festivals and institutions in Ireland, Europe, and the U.S., encouraging participants to explore the intersection of body, memory, and imagination. His work continues to build bridges across cultures and generations, offering space for reflection, resistance, and renewal.