Ghana Dance Ensemble: Traditional dancing business not lucrative in Ghana

Traditional dance in Ghana is a vibrant and culturally significant art form that has been passed down through generations.

However, despite its rich history and cultural importance in Ghana, it is not always a lucrative profession for those who practice it.

A member of the Ghana Dance Ensemble, Safianu Umar Abu, told Asaase News that, it does not pay to be a traditional dancer in Ghana.

“I will say it doesn’t pay well currently based on the people you work under,” Abu said.

Umar Abu has been working with the group for the past 15 years.

During festivals in the Ashanti Region for instance, you are likely to see some women cladding in their kente and doing the adowa dance; in the northern part, you will smile at the dagbamba, in the Volta region, it is borborbor and Kpanlogo for the Ga people.

These dances are performed to entertain and educate people. Some institutions in the country perform and teach such dances. Notable ones are the School of Performing Arts at the University of Ghana, and the Department of Theatre Arts at the University of Education, Winneba.

In 1962, a collaboration between the government’s Institute of Arts and Culture and the Institute of African Studies of the University of Ghana birthed “the Ghana Dance Ensemble.”

From its inception, “the Ensemble” was to be Ghana’s flagship for the professional, worldwide promotion of the music and dance heritage of Ghana, girded by solid fieldwork and experimental research.

Currently, the Ghana Dance Ensemble has 32 members, comprising female dancers, male dancers, and drummers.

According to Safianu Umar Abu, the dance ensemble’s frequently patronised dance moves include; agbadza, borborbor, kete, adowa, bamaya, takai, tora, kpanlogo, and gome.

Speaking to Asaase News, Umar Abu cited poor reception by clients during events, a lack of a serene, changing environment, a lack of respect from clients, and a lack of a vibrant social media presence as some of the challenges confronting the dance ensemble.

“When you get to the event center some of the clients disrespect us by ushering us into washrooms to change. After a performance, refreshments are not provided. I don’t think you’ll invite Shatta Wale or Stonebwoy to a programme and usher them into a washroom to go and change. We also need a vibrant social media presence, though we already have one. I think we should update it with our performances to push us,” Abu added.

Also, the head of the Department for Dance Studies at the School of Performing Arts, University of Ghana, Jennies Darko, says statistics on the number of students who apply to study “Dance” have been encouraging since 2020.

According to her, the students who apply have an interest in the course.

“From 2020 on, the numbers that are coming in are very encouraging. We normally go to the secondary schools to tell them exactly what we do here. So we sell ourselves out there.”

“So, they come in and then come in specifically to the School of Performing Arts. The School of Performing Arts embraces theatre, dance, and then music. So when you come in as a Bachelor of Fine Arts student, you do all these three courses so you gain something by the end of your four-year stay here,” Darko said.

Reporting by Clankson Acheampong in Accra

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