Through my connections back in San Diego, I had the honor to get to know all of the dance department team at the National Theater here in Accra. I met the executive director, a few senior dancers and their associates who were around.
While meeting with them, I got an exclusive tour and viewing of the dancer's work life. I had a chance to see their workspace, dance studio and stage where they performed. Later, I got backstage access to the largest performing arts theater in Ghana which hosts a variety of performances and productions such as traditional dance and drumming, indigenous storytelling through reenactments and musicals. During the tour, we discovered some of the biggest drums to exist. They are often used in production reenactment of royal events. But they are also used in official royal events and even for presidential events.
After the tour, a colleague and I were surprised with an invitation to see a performance live at a separate location because the team had just finished up with their series of performances for the season. They have to continue making their salary in some way so we joined them at a remote location where they bring cultural and traditional dances plus drums to any venue or event that hires them. We had the honor to dance at Labadi Beach Hotel.
