GHANA’S TRADITIONAL music and dance has over the years been given fresh impetus and new life through improvisations that have effectively metamorphosed into a dramatic blend of traditional and contemporary compositions and choreography.

A number of groups in Ghana have showcased their productions at a number of occasions, where they treated enthusiastic audiences to pieces that vividly reveal the beauty and variety of Ghanaian culture.

One of such groups is the Afrique Dance Ensemble, a resident dance group at the W.E.B Du Bois Memorial Center formed in 1993. It has since been actively involved in the promotion of African and Ghanaian cultural heritage through traditional music and dance.

Under the leadership of the executive director, Joslyn Woanyah and assistant arts director, Jerry K. Dzokoto, the ensemble has performed in several venues in Ghana and other African countries as Togo and Benin.

It has as well graced shows as beauty pageants, festivals, state-sponsored shows and programmes, etcetera. Notable among them were the W.E.B Du Bois, Padmore, Nkrumah annual lectures and the Black history month held in February.

It also worked with Land Tour Ghana Limited in receiving hosts with its performances.

On September 1, this year, the group was the center of attraction when it performed at the first-ever Ghana Property Awards held at the Accra International Conference Center.

Its rich repertoire includes Ghanaian folk/traditional music and dance as well as Senegalese, Malian and Guinean traditional dance pieces fused with refreshing movements.

The Assistant Arts Director of the ensemble, Jerry K. Dzokoto told Beatwaves in an interview that the 25-member ensemble, consisting of people from the various tribes in Ghana, strides beyond music and dance.

“Beyond cultural performances we train our members to have some knowledge about office work. We also give them the chance to have a say in the running of the ensemble. In the past, membership contribution was narrowed and this created problems for the group,” he averred.

Apart from lack of sponsorship, the major challenge facing the ensemble and all other culture groups, he said, was inadequate government funding.

“The art is not growing. This is because our top leaders are not valuing the art. When I was in the US there was fund allocated to promote art and that helped me lecture at the University of Dayton.

In Holland it is the same. Government allocates funds to promote the arts. What about Ghana? Are there allocations?” he asked rhetorically.
He however called on government to support the art industry by allocating funds for cultural groups.