Research to develop new dance in Ghana

Accra (Greater Accra) 27 Oct. '98 A one-year contemporary dance research project to explore and develop new dance forms that will reflect the current Ghanaian society was inaugurated in Accra last night.

The project, dubbed "Noyam", which means 'development' or 'moving on' in Ga-Adangbe is also to help in the development of contemporary African dance by training talented dancers in Ghana.

The premier batch of 10 trainees and the brass logo of the project which depicts a pair of feet in motion, were outdoored by Mr Ole Blicher Olsen, Danish Ambassador in Ghana.

The project is being funded by the Danish embassy in Ghana and the Danish International Development Agency .

Mr Olsen said the project "represents a bold attempt to regenerate and sustain interest in contemporary African dance by identifying and training talented young men and women".

He expressed the hope that it would lead to a mutual sharing of resources, experiences and aspirations between Ghana and Denmark.

Francis Nii Yartey, a renowned choreographer and Director of the project, noted that even though dance is revered in Ghana as a traditional practice, it is "widely misunderstood as a profession."

Nii Yartey, who is also the Director of the National Dance Company, said the trainees would also be taken through stage lighting, sound, publicity and costume designing to know their effect "on dance as a profession."

He said 'Noyam' will be run by local and foreign experts adding that the findings of the research will form the basis for public performances, documentation, workshops and outreach programmes.

Ms Nanna Nilson, one of the brains behind the project, pointed out that nutrition, psychology and anatomy are crucial to the success of any dancer.

Ms Nilson, who is a Danish dancer and choreographer, said dance in Ghana would have fared better if there were a school, that offered more than two years of professional training. "But this one-year project is better than nothing", she added.