Get ready to experience the vibrant cultural richness of Ghana through dance at BAM’s DanceAfrica Festival this May! The festival will showcase traditional and contemporary performances by The National Dance Company of Ghana, along with workshops, a bazaar, film series, and more
The upcoming DanceAfrica Festival at BAM in May will celebrate Ghanaian culture through dance, music, and community. The festival’s artistic director, Abdel R. Salaam, has curated a program titled “Golden Ghana: Adinkra, Ananse, and Abusua,” featuring Ghana’s National Dance Company as its centerpiece.
The festival pays homage to Ghana’s revolutionary history and artistic vitality. After Ghana gained independence in 1957, the country’s first president, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, recognized the power of the arts, including dance, to unify the nation. The National Dance Company of Ghana was founded in 1962 with support from Nkrumah as an experiment between Ghana’s education and government systems to promote Ghanaian culture and national unity through dance. The company has since become a global ambassador for Ghanaian culture.
The National Dance Company of Ghana will perform traditional Ghanaian dances and music, including the royal court dance kete and fontom from drumming. The company will also collaborate with the DanceAfrica Spirit Walkers and the BAM/RestorationART Dance Youth Ensemble on stage. Additionally, the production will feature a contemporary club scene, including Ghanaian and Nigerian highlife music performed by the 10-piece ensemble Arkestra Africa with Afropop vocalist Amma Whatt.
DanceAfrica was created in 1977 under the guidance of Founding Elder Chuck Davis and has become a highly anticipated Memorial Day weekend tradition that brings together the entire community. The festival includes dance performances at the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, workshops, a popular outdoor DanceAfrica Bazaar, a visual art piece commissioned for DanceAfrica by Pan-African artist Cecilia Lamptey-Botchway, a film series curated by the New York African Film Festival at BAM Rose Cinemas, and a live-music dance party at BAMcafé.
Tickets for the DanceAfrica Festival 2023 performances start at $25 and are available now on the BAM website. The festival will run from May 26-29 at the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House. For a full schedule of events, visit BAM.org/danceafrica2023.
News Source: https://danceinforma.us/articles/danceafrica-showcases-ghanaian-dance-through-traditional-and-contemporary-lenses/