Music and Dance on the Lagoon

Music and Dance on the Lagoon is an annual event at the Lagos Yacht Club although this year it was a bit different than the events in the past. In prior years there was only music and singing and the event was called Music on the Lagoon. This year an expatriate wife took on the challenge of writing and choreographing a musical. The voice and dance talent consisted of Nigerian singers with the exception of one woman who was flown in from the UK and the musical writer/choreographer herself. The stage was set up on a floating barge.

Musical Story Line: Derived from the movie Moulin Rouge, the story is influenced by the song "Copacabana" and the musicals grease, Chicago and West Side Story. The show is set at Copacabana, a dance club in Lagos. Tony, the boss of the Copacabana, aspires to direct a movie called Dancing Queen. He and the Copacabana team - Lola (Tony's wife, Sandy, Roxy, and Christina (a writer) - are trying to persuade Rico, a Nollywood producer, to finance the movie. Roxie and Sandy vie for Rico's attention and the lead part in the movie. The characters compete for success in a story about love, ambition and jealousy.

This was a charity event aimed at contributing a significant amount of money to local charities such as the Epiphany Anglican Primary School - Agagbo, The Salvation Army Primary School, Makoko Stilt Village School, and the Ishahayi Beach School Foundation.

We purchased seats for the event but the meal and drinks were not included. Folks at each table brought some food to share and drinks were purchased from the bar. This was done in order to maximize the contribution to the charities. The dress code was formal for the women and red sea rig (tux without the jacket) for the men.

The Stage
The Show