Dance Libretto: Aso-Ebi

Hairat Bukola Yusuf

Department of Theatre and Performing Arts
Bayero University, Kano
[email protected]

Dancers

Adesupo- Son

Ademeji-Father

Ademide-Mother

Aso-Ebi sellers

Maids

Friends of Adesupo

Church members

Mosque members

Traditional worshippers

Pregnant ladies

Parents of pregnant ladies

Movement One
(Ademeji’s Parlour)
Ademeji dances into the stage to warmly welcome
some of his business partners into his apartment.
They discuss using various expressive dances
to congratulate themselves on their past achievements
and the recent contract awarded to them by customers.
The atmosphere becomes so delightful as Ademeji and business
partners dramatically exchange boxes filled with dollars, pounce sterling
and naira. Ademide dances in to greet her husband’s business partners.
Maids appear with choreograph dances to entertain the guest. The guest in return,
appreciate their host generosity and they depart. The music changes immediately
to introduce Adesupo who declares his readiness for marriage to his parents.
The parents react to the news by singing and performing various uniform dances.
They demonstrate their approval and support through gestures. They dance into the
inner chamber to continue the merriment and preparation for the wedding.

Movement Two

(Recreational Center)

People are seen engaging in various forms of activities that interest them.

Adesupo dances into the center in style that surprises all his friends waiting

for his arrival. They greet themselves in a very unique and funny way. They

all dance to narrate their various experiences and new skills they acquire during

the holiday turn by turn. Other people at the centre find their demonstrations interesting

and they gather around them to watch. Adesupo then seize the opportunity to inform his

friends about his readiness for marriage. There is a loud shout that signify joy and happiness.

His friends present him a congratulatory dance. In order to make the atmosphere

more fun, Adesupo orders for drinks for all at the recreational center.

Movement Three

(Ademeji’s compound)
The maids are practicing dances that they will perform
on the day of the wedding. One of the maid notice reluctance
in the body language of Ngozi’s who is also a maid to Adesupo’s
parents. They dance cheerfully to encourage her to participate in
their dance rehearsal but all their efforts end abortive. Adesupo’s
mother dances into their midst to assess the dances. The maids
appear astonish seeing Adesupo’s mother creating more contemporary
dance steps for the maids. Adesupo becomes so amaze sighting his mother
teaching the maids popular dances. Suddenly, he observes Ngozi’s countenance
and he winks at her and she smiles and winks back at him. Ngozi joins the maids
to practice the dances; Adesupo becomes so happy seeing Ngozi dancing so
effortlessly. The maids dance inside to continue their chores.

Movement Four
(Ademeji’s Parlour)
Ngozi dances in with a cup of juice for Adesupo who is
having his lunch. She displays a respectful manner in handing
the juice to him. He is so impress and glad having Ngozi serve
him juice. He romantically dances to Ngozi to admire her and
express how beautiful she is. Ngozi blushes and covers her face
with her palms. Suddenly, Ngozi sights Adesupo’s father from
distance and she immediately pretends to be cleaning the floor.
Adesupo welcomes his father back into the house after a long
business trip. He dances into the inner chamber to
inform his mother of the father’s arrival. The mother dances
out joyfully to welcome her husband and also to show
him the Aso-Ebi that people will wear for their son’s
wedding. Ademeji’s reaction shows that he did not like the
Aso-Ebi. He rejects the Aso- Ebi by throwing it on the floor
and he dances in angrily. Adesupo and his mother were surprise
at Ademeji’s display of attitude towards the special Aso-Ebi.
Adesupo begs his mother to be patient with the father.

Movement Five
(Market)
Adesupo’s mother is seeing at the market selecting
different types of Aso- Ebi. She is given twenty pieces
as sample to show the husband and the son. She expresses
her appreciation in dance to the fabric dealers. She hand-over
the Aso-ebi to her maid that follows her to the market. On their way,
the maid shows her some clans amusing people and they join the
crowd to watch their performance. The mother dances to inform
them that she will like them to perform on her son’s wedding day.
The clowns agree by doing a uniform dance with Adesupo’s mother
and they also exchange contacts.

Movement Six
(Ademeji’s Parlour)
Ngozi is seeing admiring herself in the mirror position
in one corner of the parlour. Suddenly, Adesupo appears
behind her and touches her waist. She pretends to be
uncomfortable but deeply she is so happy. As she dances
backward, she hits her head and falls down. Adesupo
rushes to attend to her and suddenly, the mother sees
them in such romantic position. The mother pulls his son up
and expresses her disappointment at him.She also warns Ngozi
to stay away from her only son. They both plead that the mother
should not inform Adesupo’s father. She instruct Ngozi to take
her bag and shoe inside her room.The mother shows Adesupo
all the samples of Aso-ebi she is given to show the father.
She also prays that Ademeji will eventually like and select one.
Adesupo dances inside the inner chamber to wakes his father.
Before the arrival of Adesupo’s father, the mother kneels to pray.
Adesupo’s father dances to the stage yarning and so tired.
He notices the twenty piece of Aso-ebi the wife is holding and suddenly
changes his mood.The wife dances forward to show him in order
to select the best for their son’s wedding. He admires all the samples
and suddenly throws them on the floor angrily.She picks the samples
and dances out of the stage.

Movement Seven
(Worship Centers)
Adesupo’s mother seeks the intervention of a church.
She expresses her stress over the Aso-ebi the husband has been
rejecting. The church members sing and dance round the Aso-ebi
samples. The pastor anoint the Aso-Ebi samples and prophesize
that Ademeji will select one. Adesupo’s mother thank
the pastor by drooping a brown envelop into the offering box.
The members of the church rejoice by singing and dancing
on seeing the brown envelop. She bids the members bye
and head straight to another worship center to confirm the
pastor’s prophesy. She dances into an Islamic gathering moslem
She quickly joins them in observing the special prayer. She dances
forward to where the Imam is siting and she expresses her predicament.
The imam assures her that the husband will select from the Aso-ebi.
To be more sure, she dances into a gathering where the Osun traditional
worshippers are celebrating their deity. She explains herself to the priestess.
The priestess assures her that the husband will select. The worshippers
entertain her through dancing and singing of indigenous songs.

Movement Eight
(Ademeji’s Parlour)
Adesupo appears so worry about the situation of his wedding plan.
He sits on a chair and suddenly falls asleep. Some of the maids
instruct him to go into the inner chamber to have his rest but he insist.
On Adesupo father’s way out, he observes Adesupo deeply asleep.
After a deep silence, Adesupo screams as a result of scary dream.
All the maids dance out to rescue him except Ngozi. On sighting
Ademide, Ngozi dances forward to welcome her. Adesupo greets
his mother and expresses his frightening dream to her. She pet
Adesupo and assures him that no spiritual attack will affect him.
Ademide changes her son’s mood by singing his favorite song
and Adesupo responds by dancing. They both enter the inner
chamber to prepare for Ademeji’s arrival.

Movement Nine
(Market)
Ademeji is seen at the market checking various
samples of Aso-ebi. He observes one of the biggest
shop at the market and he dances straight into the shop.
He appreciate all their Aso-ebi fabrics and eventually
pleads with them to give him a sample of one that
he likes. There is exchange of business cards. Through
facial expression and body gesture, Ademeji expresses
his happiness of getting the best sample of Aso-ebi for his son’s wedding.

Movement Ten
(Ademeji’s parlour)
The maids are seeing welcoming Ademeji. One of the
maid quickly serve him water to quench his thirst. Adesupo
and mother dance out to welcome Ademeji. It is obvious
that both parents are full of happiness. Ademide shows
her husband the Aso-ebi sample in a romantic way to pick
his choice for the second time. Ademeji instantly
responds by also showing his wife the sample he picked
from the market which he likes.The wife immediately
rejects the sample shown by Ademeji. Parents become so angry
with one another. Adesupo dances into the stage and he senses
that the mood is unfriendly. In his presence, his father and mother
express their anger to one another. They force Adesupo to select
his best sample of the Aso-ebi. In the midst of this disagreement,
eight young ladies heavily pregnant enter ademeji’s apartment
with their parents. All the pregnant ladies point at Ademeji as
the person responsible for their condition. As the parent of
all the pregnant ladies were about to angrily attack Ademeji,
two maids heavily pregnant also dances in to identify Adesupo
as the person responsible for their pregnancy. The maids attack
Adesupo, the parents of the ladies attack Ademeji while the eight
ladies attack one another. As a result of the shock, Adesupo’s
mother hits her head on the mirror and there is a loud shout
of pain from her that made all fighting in the apartment to attend
to her but unfortunately, she gave up the ghost.

Black Out!!!