Kusum Gboo Dance Ensemble received a standing ovation at the Hjertnes Kulturhus Theatre in Sandefjord, a coastal town in the south of Norway, after a grand expression of the authenticity of traditional African music and dance.
Hjertnes Kulturhus, which was built and donated to the people of Sandefjord by the Norwegian shipping magnate, Anders Jahre, re-echoed with cheers as swaying beats of rearranged ancestral rhythms moved with the gyrating bodies of the Ghanaian performers.
In the process, the crowd had no choice but to sit back and absorb a complex set of rhythms, dances and songs that revealed a true celebration of African music and dance.
"Yorme", a track from the group's latest CD "Worminba" provided a captivating groove as its sentimental rhythms and compassionate lyrics expressed a kind of tenderness that tickled the most insensitive ear in the audience.
Amidst the spluttering of loud African drums, "Delu", a piece choreographed by Richard Danquah powerfully exposed flawless movements, sequences and raw energy that are often associated with African dance forms.
A high-spirited 10-year-old Norwegian boy who could not control his excitement suddenly jumped on stage and joined the young men and women dancers who were visibly proud of their tradition and culture.
Writing in the Sandefjord Blad, a daily newspaper in Sanderfjord, columnist Sigurd Oie said: "We have never before seen such a tremendous pressure and intensity emanating from the stage in Hjertnes Kulturhus — it was completely different from what we are used to".
"The performance was magnificent— it was more than I expected. They are really cultural ambassadors of Ghana —indeed, I wish I was in Ghana now. Today is the 29th anniversary of my wedding and this is a perfect gift", said Norma Liitvedt, a painter in Sandefjord.
In another performance at the Hydranten Theatre in the small lakeside town of Hamar (pop 28,000), the group could not exhibit its usual power and vigour owing to a sparse audience at the auditorium which is owned and operated by students of a teacher training college purely on voluntary basis.
However, the Kusum Gboo group managed to regain control during the second half of the show, thereby mesmerising the two dozen students who later joined the group for a couple of dances amidst the singing of Ghanaian folk songs.
"It is great to see a Ghanaian group promoting Ghanaian culture in Norway. The dancers seem to have rhythms in their bodies, thus making the movements easy and automatic", said Mari Sofie Vold, a student who recently spent several months in Ghana as a volunteer worker.
In a related development, the group performed live on the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation's (NRK) radio P 2, a station dedicated to the promotion of music among listeners all over Scandinavia.
Kusum Gboo Dance Ensemble which is currently on tour of Europe has been listed by several music-on-line sites including Afromix, African Music, Ballade and The African Music Digest.
