What a feast of dance!

In an outstanding collaboration, the National Dance Company together with Noyam African Dance Institute presented Bukom, King’s Dilemma and Fire of Koom- all choreographed by the Ghanaian dance expert, Prof. F. Nii Yartey.

Set in one of the crowded neighbourhoods in Accra, Bukom, which depicts in graphic details the activities of gangs, is full of visual creativity and artistic humour with its message transmitted through stinging commentary.

Prof. Yartey, who is familiar with the neighbourhood, effectively captures through expressive movements and figurative sounds, the  complex life in this famous part of Accra, which is also characterised by numerous success stories.

Sets by David Amoo, current director of the National Dance Company, transferred the audience onto the streets of Bukom, through a mixture of popular landmarks derived from wood, styrofoam, ropes and nets.

“The quality of Prof Yartey’s work has been the single predictable thing about him. I have been following his work for over two decades and he never ceases to surprise me,” said Steen Thomas, a visiting architect from the United Kingdom.

“We are gradually cultivating an audience for contemporary dance in Accra. The frequency of dance performances at the National Theatre must be increased to sustain this positive development, ” added Yaa Konadu Asamoah, a dancer in Accra.

Accompanied by drumming, King’s Dilemma is full of rhythm with fast moving scenes that reveal the predicament of a king caught in a web of honouring a stranger in place of one of his subjects.

Clad in colourful costumes, the dancers exhibited amazing energy  often absent in dance dramas. Indeed, the piece was laden with emotions and intertwined layers of well-structured imagery.

Fire of Koom, which is characterised by subtle, vigorous, well coordinated and visually stimulating movements, is definitely on the contemporary tip but has its heart firmly embedded in Africa.

Story by John Owoo

Institute for Music and Development, Arterial Network Ghana and Accra Arts and Culture Network are organising the month- long festival with Agenda 21 of Spain, Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Goethe-Institut, Cowbell, Accra Brewery and Citi FM as sponsors.