Dance Factory scores well with ‘Nkabom’
Two dancers lay motionless on the clean carpet at the Goethe-Institut in Accra.
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Then they move in absolute unison as they calmly, yet fiercely showcase the beauty of physically-challenged and able-bodied artistes working in harmony.
It’s a performance of Nkabom (Unity), a 55- minute piece that ended the month-long Celebrating Accra Arts Festival (CAAF) - and the group on stage is Dance Factory, undoubtedly the leading ‘mixed-able’ dance company in Ghana.
Choreographed by Frank Sam with support from Mark Lomotey, the three physically-challenged and two able-bodied dancers appear to move in a cohesive but disjointed manner in spite of the high degree of harmonisation that characterise the piece.
Undeniably, they conjure a lot of admiration from the audience as they flow from one scene to the other while contrasting their limbs.
In the process, the physically challenged dancers create peculiar and sometimes odd movements that transform the human form into an incredible machine.
Accompanied by carefully selected music, the stage is engulfed with emotion as dancers try hard to express love, peace and unity through movement.
Sequence after sequence, the performers effortlessly move into a series of calculated movements thereby drawing cheers from the audience.
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Sam allows all five performers ample space to express themselves, ensuring equality on stage in the process.
Indeed, refreshing solos and duets intersperse this suspense- packed piece that is set to soon delight the eyes of dance lovers in some regional capitals.
Despite problems with lighting, sound and editing, Nkabom is a piece with an enormous muscle capable of spreading the message of the physically-challenged while encouraging further collaborations of this nature in the arts.
Earlier, the Tete Adehyemma Dance Theatre entertained the crowd with a hilarious dance drama titled By The Road, which deals with a young man who decides to relocate to Europe by road and the consequences that befall him.
The DANIDA, Ghana Denmark Cultural Fund, Danish Embassy in Accra. Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Goethe-Institut, British Council and the Alliance Française sponsored CAAF 2014, which was organised by the Institute for Music and Development.