“Future Of Tomorrow” Premieres @ Noyam Centre

Dancers from the Noyam African Dance Institute will on Saturday, July 31, present ‘The Future of Tomorrow’; a piece relating to the environment and some aspects of the Millennium Development Goals at the Noyam Centre in Dodowa, near Accra.

Choreographed by Prof. F. Nii Yartey, the piece examines general attitudes by Ghanaians that tend to disrupt the preservation and protection of the environment while showcasing frantic attempts and frustrations by some members of various communities who try to reverse the worsening situation of the environment.

Funded by the Ghana Cultural Fund and the Cultural Initiatives Support Programme, ‘The Future of Tomorrow’ employs the use of expressive images, songs and dialogue that effectively unfold the story of the environment, with amazing energy by young dancers who are completely dedicated to their profession.

The piece, which includes members of various communities surrounding Dodowa, is a fine mix of wit and humour as well as powerful messages intended to raise awareness about the state of our environment, while offering suggestions on how to protect and safeguard an environment that has increasingly been threatened by human activities.

This follows a second round of research, workshops and sensitization trips by Noyam dancers and instructors to several communities including Dorymu, Ayikuma, Kordiabe, Mokome Shitamo, Bawaleshie, Mensa Bar and Dodowa, which resulted in the recruitment of some locals into the production.

Consequently, the piece contains appropriate messages fashioned out of results of research-work in the communities, which will help ensure social and behavioral changes that will protect the environment from further damage through day-to-day activities in the communities and beyond.

Established over a decade ago, Noyam African Dance Institute derives its technique and methodology from movement characteristics, aesthetic qualities and the philosophy of African dance traditions, as well as the enormous movements and rhythmic resources available in diverse communities throughout the country.

Noyam is a member of the United Cultures for Development Network which was established in 2007 under the direction and support of Mundial Productions, a cultural development organization based in the Dutch city of Tilburg.