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South African dance company goes dynamic during its recent performance in Lagos, writes AKEEM LASISI
Most people who trooped out to see South African Dance Company, Umoja, perform in Lagos on April 29 were not disappointed. They saw on the stage of the expansive hall of The Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island a bevy of fast-footed, swift-twisting and loud-sounding dancers exploiting art to tell the story of their fatherland.
The group’s trip to Nigeria was sponsored by First Bank, which appears to have discovered a growing love for art and culture. The bank is, for instance, the major sponsor of the Calabar Carnival, while it also supports the likes of the Ojude Oba Festival, the Abuja Carnival and Omen Igbo Festival.
Well, some members of the audience were actually a little ‘disappointed.’ These were hawk-eyed guys who were eager to see the beautiful girls in the Umoja troupe fling open their breasts, as part of the semi-nude dance culture of the visitors. But as if responding to some strategic counselling, perhaps in response to the mood of the country (Nigeria), they kept their golden apples firmly wrapped in their costumes, which changed rapidly like a chameleon’s colours.
As the company notes on its website, Umoja is a New Jersey-based multi-cultural company of dancers established in 1993 by Karen L. It holds love as a vehicle to educate, preserve and present dance as a communal and spiritual expression of life.
Whatever feat the company achieved in Lagos, however, kudos must be given to the narrator, who did not only give an inspiring introduction of each of the dances but also punctuated them with anecdotes and jokes. One of the lessons of the Umoja treat, therefore, could just be the need to have a dynamic narrator for such a production.
Another is the need for a performance company like Umoja to be able to adapt its shows to the environment. It should be able to observe the season and beat stereotype by holding back on some motif or style – even if against the expectation of the audience. The South African dancers seemed to have achieved this by not dancing nude during the show. Of course, it also showed a kind of cultural boldness with the very short and suggestive pants the dancers wore at some points – often, Nigerian dancers would prefer tight knickers in the circumstance.
In terms of branding, both Nigerian artistes, administrators and governments should learn that packaging has a lot of impact on the way a group is regarded. In terms of dance quality, Umoja is not the best in the world. Indeed, there are fantastic dancers and groups in Nigeria, which, only require either better packaging and some idea of nationalisation – as in making the art carry the burden of communal or national history. Besides, relevant institutions must realise the importance of dance and give practitioners necessary support.
That is why First Bank’s facilitation of Umoja’s coming is commendable – especially since it has been supporting other areas of the sector in the country. If the bank had not been doing such, some stakeholders’ fear that many corporate organisations in Nigeria have preference for foreign artistes would have been applicable here. Interestingly, the Nigerian Guild of Dancers also held performances in Lagos on the Sunday when it observed the World Dance Day.
On the success of the show, First Banks’ Head of Marketing and Corporate Communications, Folake Ani-Mumuney, said, “We are delighted at the huge attendance that was recorded at both the martinee performance held in the afternoon and the evening Command performance. We are very glad at the quality of guests at these performances.
“It is also heart-warming to see the positive reactions of the audience to the UMOJA dance performance. In particular the closeness that these shows have made possible among peoples of diverse ethnic nationalities and cultures sitting side by side gladdens us at FirstBank.”
Ani-Mumuney added that staging UMOJA had again underscored the correctness of the bank’s conviction in establishing First@Arts, an internal initiative that seeks to employ arts and entertainment as a vehicle to promote tourism in Nigeria.
“Our brand remains totally committed to seeking creative ways to advance the cause of Nigeria’s economic development and the growth of a non-oil contributor to the nation’s GDP such as the tourism sector,” she said.
Culled from The Punch.
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Simply Cheska...
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