Award-winning cultural music and dance ambassadors, Kusum Gboo Dance Ensemble last week lifted high the flag of Ghana in Norway when they became the first African group to perform at the newly constructed Union Scene Theatre at the International Cultural Centre in Oslo.
The group which is on tour of Norway, set the hall ablaze with dances that revealed the variety, dignity and gracefulness of traditional African dance.
With inventive movements that often characterised their own variations of traditional dance pieces, the group sent the audience, which included a number of Africans on a mute journey that revealed the hidden richness and diversity of the African cultural heritage.
Indeed, performers like ?Kisa? and ?Atsiagbekor?, which are from the Northern and Volta regions respectively, took the audience by storm with highly brilliant alternations of speed and stillness as colourful costumes displayed by the group provided glimpses of Ghanaian fashion.
In a dramatic fusion of both variants of ?Atsiagbekor?, Kusum Gboo managed to capture the attention of the crowd, who sat at the edge of their seats as voices, drum beats and bodies moved in complete unison.
?The performance was highly rhythmic, lively and friendly and full of warm smiles from the dancers?, said Henny-Lill Thinn, an administrator with Norske Skog Energy in Drammen.
?This is an effective representation of the African culture ? African traditional groups who showcase their talent in the West inevitably help Europeans and Americans to understand and appreciate our culture - and this will surely help in the North-South dialogue?, added Ibrahim Wade, a Senegalese on vacation in Drammen.
Kusum Gboo?s tour of Norway, which will also involve performances in Sweden, Estonia and Finland, was organised by Danquah Arts, a cultural outfit established by Richard Danquah, who is also the artistic director of the group.
Its motive is to help strengthen diplomatic and cultural relations between Norway and Ghana.
The Arts Council of Norway, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Norwegian Fund for Performing Artists and British Airways are sponsoring the tour.
