Dancing Through Madness: Tiran Willemse on Fusing Ballet with Kuduro

In this exclusive interview, artist and choreographer Tiran Willemse delves into the conceptual layers of his performance Untitled (Nostalgia, Act 3), presented at Pavillion ADC in Geneva. Merging the haunting narrative of the classical ballet Giselle with Kuduro—an urban dance from Angola known as the “dance of the mad”—Willemse navigates themes of madness, nostalgia, and cultural identity. Drawing from his personal history as a ballet-trained artist from South Africa, he creates a visceral, thought-provoking performance that challenges European contexts of dance and storytelling.