Myths and Stories in Ghanaian Traditional Dance Performance
Abstract:
Indigenous music and dance forms performed in Ghana are filled with narratives of traditional cultural heri tage practices, myths, and historical narratives. These narratives give information about the indigenous mu sical and dance types performed in Ghana and Africa as a whole. Using some selected musical dance types in Ghana such as the Adowa dance from the Ashantis, Kpatsa dance from the Ga-Adamgbe, Sorkordae (Sɔkɔdɛae) among the Nchumuros of the Oti Region and Agbekor (Agbɛkɔ) dance from the Anlo of the Volta region of Gha na. This research investigates the type of stories that are exhibited in the indigenous dances performed and the information that is projected through these music and dance forms. It also highlights the archival heritage embedded in the music and dance forms of the people who own these phenomena. Through an ethnographic qualitative study, the study is underpinned by different interpretations of the various myths that reinforce the narratives in the art form within the community as well as in the academic environment. Since the cultural indigenous heritage projects the identity of the people as well, the study will focus on the selected art forms as case studies for other similar music and dance forms. With the aid of both primary and secondary sources the study will find out whose narrative do we pay attention to or do we project through the music and dance forms. The discussion will further interrogate whose perspective are projected through the performance and how are this narrative disseminated. Every indigenous music and dance performance have more than one myth or narrative to its origin and historical antecedents. These myths, stories and narrative make the phenomenon unique in their presentation especially where these narratives also possess philosophical underpinnings with the indigenous context and performance context. Analysis of these performance practices will be done both through using song text and movement gestures. The study finally will find out whose hermeneutics should be accepted and from whose perspective. Furthermore, these stories of the indigenous music and dance practices add to the concept of family resemblance of the movements gestures that dances project through the musical performance.
