Selected dancers from the Noyam African Dance Institute will tomorrow,
Friday engage lovers of contemporary dance at the Alliance Francaise in
Accra with a new piece titled Spirit of Dance.

Choreographed by the dance virtuoso, Prof. F. Nii Yartey, Spirit of Dance is a dramatic fusion of neo-traditional and contemporary movements that send the audience on an unknown journey in search of its humanity and future.

With bodies well-crafted by the act they have so gracefully mastered, the young Noyam dancers will attempt to find an answer to what really constitutes our future through a cool blend of swift and tender movements that are set to keep the audience in a continuous dialogue.

Interspersed with some refreshing solos, Spirit of Dance is an intricately woven dance piece that is characterized by a curious intermingle of varied dance movements that recall the skills of ancient Ghanaian court dancers.

Noyam African Institute has been at the forefront in the creation and performance of neo-traditional and contemporary Ghanaian dance pieces for some years now. Its young dancers have performed to enthusiastic audiences in The Netherlands, Belgium, United Kingdom, United States and Burkina Faso.

It derives its technique and methodology from movement characteristics, aesthetic qualities and philosophy of African dance traditions as well as the enormous movements and rhythmic resources available in various communities throughout the country.

In developing its approach, Noyam also looked at compatible elements from international artistic forms, products and the dynamic experiences of dance practitioners involved in the development of dance in Ghana and other parts of the world.

With support from the Ghana Cultural Fund, Noyam African Dance Institute is currently involved in the creation of a dance piece that is aimed at sensitizing communities in and around Dodowa on some aspects of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Noyam is a member of the United Cultures for Development Network which was established in January 2007 under the direction of Mundial Productions, a cultural outfit based in Tilburg, The Netherlands.

Its objectives include the use of the arts to create awareness on the MDGs.

Tomorrow’s performance is being sponsored by the Alliance Francaise in collaboration with the French Embassy in Accra.

Story by John Owoo