The energy from the crowd was so palpable that the hair on my arms stood straight up—goose bumps overtook me as I videoed the Ekpe Nyoro masquerade competition. The fifth masquerader to perform during the Obong of Calabar's Palace Nyoro competition in 2009 was outstanding. He started by slowly stepping out of the competitor lineup; he bent his upper body forward, assuming an attack or hunting position. Advancing, he bent even further, the raffia mane around his chest nearly parallel to the ground. Simultaneously, all six ostrich feathers attached to the back of his costumed head pulsated as he shook his entire body. On seeing this difficult feat, the crowd erupted with excitement. Some stood, others shouted praise.

Taking large strides into the performance space, the performer executed a number of full-body spins. At the conclusion of his last rotation, he crouched and quickly shuffled in side-to-side bursts, similar to the movements of a lion pursuing its prey. Beginning with measured strides, his performance was carefully calculated to climax into a swelling crescendo. He incited the crowd with his movements—an excited response corresponded to a thunderous intensity. Spectators who had remained seated now stood. All shouted with uncontrolled enthusiasm. Ekpe members who stood behind the line of masked competitors shouted affirmations, throwing their arms in the air; some looked at each other with amazement. The performer's teacher, positioned behind the line of masqueraders, used his hands as a megaphone to shout directions and praise to his pupil. Even some chiefs shouted with exhilaration. The sounds of approval reverberated throughout the palace grounds. The dancer internalized the energy for further motivation.

Continuing to demonstrate his prowess as a performer, he tirelessly executed a set of crowd-pleasing feats. His stamina, strength, and flexibility formed the nucleus of both his structured yet improvised choreography. The rotations, the large strides, the aggressive lunges, and the directional changes that followed his initial display were seamlessly woven into a structured compositional whole. He achieved performative balance through his strength and flexibility. Active movements were bracketed by less vigorous feats, allowing intervals to materialize between moves. This was best illustrated by his finishing move.

As his display came to an end, he performed a full-body spin. At the end of the rotation, he rose and stood tall.