Spatial Narratives in Motion: How Set Design Shapes the Interpretation of Choreography in Segun Adefila’s Mi o Ni Choice

Abstract

Space is never neutral in performance; it acts as a living agent that shapes meaning, identity, and agency. This study explores the dynamic relationship between set design and choreography in Segun Adefila’s Mi o Ni Choice, positioning the work within African contemporary dance and global performance scholarship. Drawing on Henri Lefebvre’s theory of the production of space, the research argues that scenography functions as a narrative partner rather than a passive backdrop, actively framing choreography as a negotiation of freedom, constraint, and cultural identity. Through detailed analysis of architectural structures, props, spatial orientation, and collective movement, the study reveals how dancers embody and resist spatial conditions, transforming the stage into a metaphorical space of socio-political negotiation. Audience interpretation emerges through autopoietic feedback loops, where space, body, and spectators co-create meaning that resonates with communal memory and lived realities. By embedding cultural specificity into spatial dramaturgy, Adefila’s work challenges Eurocentric paradigms and demonstrates how African choreographers innovate within their own aesthetic traditions while contributing to global discourses. Ultimately, this paper affirms that set design in Mi o Ni Choice is central to meaning-making, enriching performance studies with vital insights into how space operates as both a cultural repository and a form of political commentary.