Kwame Osei

Kwame Osei, also known as Big Wave, was born in Ghana in 1987 and is a choreographer, performer, curator and founder of the European Buck Session World Championship. His artistic career is characterised by deep roots in urban dance culture and an inexhaustible passion for the expressive power of dance.

African dance traditions form the roots of Osei’s work. This foundation has enabled him to develop versatility across various urban dance styles such as hip hop, popping and locking. However, his speciality and passion lie in krumping, an expressive and energetic dance style that originated on the streets of Los Angeles. Osei has played a key role in establishing and popularising krumping in Europe and is therefore regarded as one of the pioneers of this style on the continent.

His work, in which he regularly collaborates with a variety of international artists, is presented worldwide, including in Ghana, India, Japan, Nigeria, Australia and numerous European countries.

In addition to his work as a performer and choreographer, he is also active as an organiser, mentor and teacher. He regularly runs workshops for professional and amateur dancers in areas such as choreography, improvisation and partnering.

He is the founder of the dance collective New Wave Ensemble. Together with Kama Frankl-Groß, he launched the Afro Light Festival and has been head of the Urban Arts dance department at Theater Oberhausen since 23.24.