The days when members of the public criticized gospel musicians for lack of creativity in their music and video clips seem to be fading away with the introduction of dance models and massively active performance from the musicians.
For years, people have expressed their disgust for gospel music video clips due to its lack of creativity and poor production and directing trends. They have claimed that the artistes are usually shown standing near a garden in the open and swaying from side to side while singing.
Moreover, the actions and charisma required of them in terms of performance on the clips are vague and boring.
However, such trends are drastically changing in a positive light with the introduction of dance models and actors who stage short drama and display well choreographed dance moves respectively to visibly express the message of the songs and also to enhance interest in the video clips.
The backgrounds given to the musicians have improved with the introduction of computerized effects and good directing which requires the artistes to not only sing well but also act up the song.
One school which trains dance models and contracts them to be used solely in gospel music video clips as well as live performances is Magingo School of Dancing (MSD). This school was established on September 7, 2006 and has so far produced its first batch of students and yet to organize the graduation ceremony of its second and third batches of students.
MSD takes the students through three months of intensive grooming and training in the fields of microphone techniques, different types of dancing, stage ethics and techniques, Biblical knowledge in dancing and catwalk modeling. After the three months, graduants are maintained and contracted to musicians to be used in video clips and during live performances.
Gospel musicians who have used the services of MSD students include, Grace Ashy, Christiana Love, Florence Obinim, Isaac and Isaiah Ampong as well as Hannah Marfo. According to Mrs. Matilda Agyeman-Prempeh, proprietress of the school, some of the gospel artistes are also trained in the kind of attitudes to put up during their performances either on stage or in their video clips.
Apart from contracting students to be used in video clips and live shows, the dancers have been featured on Music Music on TV3, Breakfast Show on GTV and events like the Ghana @ 50 bash held earlier this year at the State House in Accra. The school has the ambition of changing the gospel music scene in the country.
