US government supports African Dance Institute

Accra, Oct. 5, GNA - The United States on Tuesday signed a grant agreement of 9,800 dollars with the NOYAM African Dance Institute to help it organize an international dance festival scheduled to take place from December 10 to December 12 in Accra.

Mr Jerry Lanier, Charge d'Affaires of the US Embassy, and Mr F. Nii-Yartey, Senior Research Fellow in Dance at the Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana, Legon, signed the agreement at a ceremony in Accra.

Mr Lanier said the grant was an indication of the US Government's commitment to support cultural institutions like the NOYAM that strived to empower the less privileged young dance enthusiasts with great artistic skills to renew self-confidence in their abilities. He said it was meant to serve as seed money to ensure the smooth take-off the international dance festival, which would be the first of its kind in the country.

The NOYAM African Dance Institute, a brainchild of Mr Nii-Yartey was established in 1998.

Since its inception, it has spearheaded the development of contemporary African dance in the country and has provided professional training for seasoned dance practitioners.

Nii-Yartey said the international dance festival was aimed at bringing to the fore challenges individuals, who had majored in African Dance, faced.

The performances during the festival would attempt to trace the development of African dance from its traditional context to modern times as well as the problems that technological advancement and globalisation posed to the industry.

He said practitioners, who would be mainly tapped primarily from Europe and the West African Sub-Region, would share their knowledge among themselves and the larger community.