Allotey Promotes Contemporary Dance In Ghana
12/10/2009 3:19:45 PM -
SLEEK ISAAC Allotey dreams, eats, drinks and sleeps with dance, a profession he decided to choose in spite of the apparent lack of opportunities for dancers in Ghana.
Ever since he was introduced to dance in 1991 by free style dancers in Accra, the young, talented dancer has not looked back but has persevered, amidst diverse obstacles, to ensure his development not only as a free style dancer but also as a traditional and contemporary dancer.
A former National Dance Champion for 2002 and 2005, Allotey later joined the Dance Factory, a group based at the National Theatre in Accra under the directorship of former Dance Champion Adjetey Sowah, who is currently based in the United States.
“I was born a dancer and this is the only thing I can do. I experience an immense feeling of joy anytime I am on stage – it is undeniably a therapeutic session for me”, says Allotey, who is currently training a number of young dancers.
He was introduced to contemporary dance while with the Dance Factory, which is now an independent group led by Kobby Inkoom.
Allotey later performed with the group during international engagements in Senegal, Mali, Togo, Burkina Faso, and Benin, among others.
Allotey, who has a couple of choreographed dance pieces to his credit, has also undertaken a number of performance tours to Canada, Australia and the United States with diverse groups.
Currently the founder/artistic director of Warriors of Africa, a group of young talented dancers, he also helped choreograph dance pieces for the late hip life star Terry Bonchaka and popular musician and former Dance Champion Slim Buster.
He was a stage manager for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2009 edition of the Africa Hockey Championships held early this year in Accra.
Allotey also choreographed a dance piece for Borketey Asuade, the first runner-up for the Ghana National Dance Championships in 2009.
He is full of hope for the future development of dance in Ghana. “We are severally and collectively going to raise the standard of dance in the country and working on the reputation of dancers”, he says.
By George Clifford Owusu
