Barely seven years ago, two Ghanaians set out to mobilise street children and unemployed youth in underserved communities with exceptional dance talents and train them to become global icons while projecting Ghana's rich cultural heritage.
Eric Ansah, an entrepreneur, and Abraham Paddy Tetteh, a professional artiste, visited schools in villages and coastal communities to discover and nurture talents.
The move culminated in the establishment of the Pan African Dance Heritage in 2016, with the objective of marketing Ghana's traditional dance to the world and making the industry attractive to young people.
After years of persistent training and practice, the Group has braced all odds to expand its horizon and achieve international recognition.
The Group currently has a membership of 75 people, 25 of which are full-time dancers.
Unique dance
The creation and performance of a collection of unique African dance is the Hallmark of the Group and that outstanding feature had attracted them to many international dance festivals.
Among the unique dances projected by the Group is the Korku Vu Dance. This is a ritual dance from the Volta Region. The dance can be only performed by those who have been baptised spiritually. Those who do not undergo that spiritual 'purification' can perform the dance but with a different movement.
The Kisa Dance is also a special dance performed by hunters in or from the northern part of Ghana.
Global Outreach
The group, since its inception, has thrilled diverse audiences in the country and beyond with its own variations of traditional music and dance as well as contemporary dance pieces.?
?The Pan African Dance Heritage is the only African Traditional Dance and Drumming Group which represented the African continent at The World Stage Design 2017 Scenofest in Taipei, Taiwan.
The group also participated in international festivals and workshops in 2017 and 2018 organised by the Thailand Ministry of Culture and Office of Arts and Culture, Nakhon Ratchasima Rajabhat University of Thailand.?
In 2018, the group was invited to participate in Sunny Chestnut Festival VIII- International Children and Youth Arts Charity Festival organised by the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine.
In 2022, Mr Abraham Paddy Tetteh, the co-founder of Pan African Dance Heritage was the Birmingham Commonwealth Games leading drummer for the
Opening Ceremony of the event in the United Kingdom.
Projecting Ghana
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Mr Eric Ansah, Co-founder, Pan African Dance Heritage, said? the purpose for the establishment of the Group was to showcase Ghana's unique dances to the world and create employment opportunities for the youth.
'Our dream is to be globally recognized on the ticket of Ghana. We want to see ourselves moving from one country to another to showcase Ghana's unique culture,' he said.
Mr Ansah said one of the challenges confronting cultural dance groups was the lack of a coordinated system to support their activities.
He said the industry had a huge economic tourism potential and appealed to the Government and organisations to invest in the industry to thrive.
Source: Ghana News Agency