A section of the African Dance Rhythms group after a performance
The ideal ingredients for an outstanding presentation of traditional music and dance include appropriate repertoire and rendition.
That’s why the African Dance Rhythms outfit based at Nungua in the Greater Accra Region, regards itself as one of the front-runners in the field with its admirable Afro-centred technical and creative skills.
Started in 2013 by dancer Fofoo Attiso and currently led by multi-instrumentalist Enock Adjetey Adjei, the African Dance Rhythms group always offer a thrilling repertoire of its own as well as carefully re-worked stuff by some prominent Ghanaian and African composers.
“The type of gig determines what we present at each time,” says the group’s leader. “The only constant factor is that we always deliver something uniquely Ghanaian and African, whether it is a private or corporate assignment.”
It has performed across the country at a variety of programmes, including traditional festivals, awards events, weddings, product launches, birthday bashes, end-of-year corporate functions and more.
Its versatility stands out all the time, and master drummer, Daniel Marmah Martey, stresses that it is necessary to accurately hammer out the distinct rhythms which originate from all over Ghana. They may express joy or sadness, but the important thing is to stay true to the spirit of the rhythm and dance movements.
“Whether it is Kete, Adowa, Klama, Kpanlogo, Gome, Agbadza, Borborbor, Apatampa, Bawa or any of our other rhythms, we fall on the appropriate instruments to make everything sound authentic.
“That’s why you see us at various times utilising an assortment of drums, xylophones, gongs, flutes, rattles and other local instruments,” states the master drummer.
With the experience gathered in the traditional music and dance arena, the African Dance Rhythms group is always happy to impart knowledge to willing learners.
It sometimes hosts tour groups from places like the United States and the United Kingdom, who are anxious to better understand the traditional music and dance culture of Ghana.
What happens at such times is that the tourists are adequately immersed into the local dance and music patterns by the African Dance Rhythms members, who have taken the trouble to acquire teaching skills in addition to their performance abilities.
“We are doing our best to project our fine cultural elements to as many people as possible. We expect more people to know about us and appreciate what we do as we go along,” group leader, Enock Adjetey Adjei says.
The African Dance Rhythms has a performance scheduled for April 11, 2025 at the British Council Hall in Accra.
By George Clifford Owusu