Dance Culture And Services

This type of horn is blown when a chief is coming to sit in state.

INSTRUMENTS USED: Bell, Ansarawa, Ampa, Apenten, Castanet, Dunno, Bass drum

KETE DANCE

is a court dance performed to entertain the Ashan King ­ Asantehene. The dance, which was originally performed for royals only, is now performed at social gatherings to entertain people. Kete is a dance of Kete­Krachi tribe by hunters and later polish by Ashan’s for their own use as part of their tradion and Adowa dance is based on Myth. A movement of antelope ­ an animal amazement jumping and making very strange movements formed the dance.

INSTRUMENTS USED: Bell, Ansarawa, Ampa, Apenten, Kete Kyin (Leading Drum), Castanet, Donno, Bass Kete Drum

Fuma Fuma is a type of South African dance mixed with Ghanaian cultural dancing created by Nii Mei Dance Ensemble INSTRUMENTS USED: Bells. Ansarawa, Ampa, Apenten, Marakesh and Donno

​Bamaya is one of the popular and most commonly performed dance during public events and functions in the Northern Region. 'Bamaya' is a Dagbani word which literally means ''the river or valley is wet''. This dance is mostly done by men who are dressed in feminine outfits. The Bamaya ensemble comprises a lead dancer, other dancers and drummers who also double as chorus singers and sing along with the dancers. The movements in the dance are very symbolic in meaning. The dancers move their feet very swiftly and twist their waist many times as they dance round the drummers. Their dancers' waists and chins are tied with beads and cymbal bells that make noises as they shake and thump their feet while dancing. Bamaya is performed with a chorus song supported with drums and utes. The sound of the drums and utes dictate the dance movement. The leader picks and communicates the movement to the rest of the dancers. The story behind Bamaya is that the dance was first performed in the early 19th Century to mark an end to a protracted drought that hit most parts of the Dagbon states in the Northern Region.

Gahu is a recreational dance music of the Ewe people of Ghana. It is played at social occasions and can function as a means for people to get acquainted with other members of society. The leading or master drum in Gahu is atsimevu. Gahu is an adaptation of Kokosawa, an older African drum-and-dance style that originated with the Yoruba people of Nigeria

Agbadza is an Ewe music and dance that evolved from the times of war into a very popular recreational dance. It came from a very old war dance called Atrikpui and usually performed by the Ewe people of the Volta Region of Ghana. This composition includes several rhythms that may make African music seem incomprehensible to some, but in fact are quite accessible! The dancers of the ensemble approach the music on its own terms and demonstrate a unique technique to achieve this very complex polyrhythmic composition.