The Noyam African Dance Institute on stage
Noyam African Dance Institute has staged a brilliant production titled Goli to pave the way for more groundbreaking productions to tell the African story.
The spectacular contemporary African dance piece, written and choreographed by the award-winning choreographer and Artistic Director at Noyam African Dance Institute, Nii-Tete Yartey, is rooted in Dagbani cosmology, weaving together dance, spoken word, and African rhythms to explore the balance between traditional values and modern life
According to Nii-Tete Yartey, Goli follows the inner journey of an individual seeking meaning in a world shifting between tradition and modernity.
Speaking after the production, which took place last Thursday at the E.T.S. Drama Studio, University of Ghana, as part of the week-long Zadokeli Festival, Nii-Tete stated that the Noyam African Dance Institute continues to tell the African story to the world through contemporary dance productions and performances rooted in in-depth research.
“Over the years, Noyam has been at the forefront of developing contemporary dance in Ghana, and Goli is in line with that tradition, blending Ghanaian traditional movements and aesthetics with modern experience and technical effects to tell stories.”
“The production uses the moon as a symbol for Africa’s place in the world—always there and always felt, but sometimes more visible than other times. Goli turns the moon into a living symbol of Africa’s presence, always changing yet connected to a deep, unbroken history,” he said.
“Goli was also a test of the Ghanaian audience. As creators of dance, our development is inevitably tied to how much we can carry our audience/community with us, and new works like these help us gauge how our audience is growing in terms of how they interact with contemporary dance,” he disclosed.
The production brought together people from all walks of life to experience the rich Ghanaian culture and storytelling through dance and spoken word.
“The Noyam African Dance Institute has been creating contemporary dance in Ghana and across the world for nearly three decades, and is renowned for blending traditional Ghanaian movements with modern experiences. We tell African stories to the world through contemporary dance built on serious research,” Nii-Tete noted.
It can be recalled that a few months ago, Noyam African Dance Institute was awarded at the Ghana Dance Industry Awards for its exceptional work and contributions to the development of African contemporary dance in Ghana.
