Dancing in the Upper West Region
What does dancing in Ghana look like? The answer-- there is no "quintessential Ghanaian dance" (unless you count the "Akwaaba" dance. Google it). Instead, each tribal group has their own cultural dances, including the Dagaaba of Upper West Region.
Below is an example of my students dancing one of the oldest traditional dances of the Dagaaba people of Upper West, the Bawaa. It is a ceremonial dance performed to celebrate the beginning and the end of the rainy season, the new year, a good harvest, and during festivals. This dance requires a lot of waist and leg movement, but notice the two different movements required of men and women dancers. Part of the enjoyment of this dance is the singing and shouting that occurs to encourage the dancers.
Drumming and xylophone playing are an essential part of performing any traditional dances in the Upper West region and xylophone playing is actually unique to that region. The drums are made from cowhide stretched across a wooden frame, while the xylophone is made from a wood and hide frame holding together hollowed-out gourds of different sizes (to render different notes) and keys made of Shea tree planks. They are considered sacred and used only for special occasions like weddings, funerals, church services, and festivals. Xylophone making is such a special vocation that only a few families know how to make them, passing the knowledge down for generations.
Enjoy this version of the Bawaa as performed by my students!
Below is an example of my students dancing one of the oldest traditional dances of the Dagaaba people of Upper West, the Bawaa. It is a ceremonial dance performed to celebrate the beginning and the end of the rainy season, the new year, a good harvest, and during festivals. This dance requires a lot of waist and leg movement, but notice the two different movements required of men and women dancers. Part of the enjoyment of this dance is the singing and shouting that occurs to encourage the dancers.
Drumming and xylophone playing are an essential part of performing any traditional dances in the Upper West region and xylophone playing is actually unique to that region. The drums are made from cowhide stretched across a wooden frame, while the xylophone is made from a wood and hide frame holding together hollowed-out gourds of different sizes (to render different notes) and keys made of Shea tree planks. They are considered sacred and used only for special occasions like weddings, funerals, church services, and festivals. Xylophone making is such a special vocation that only a few families know how to make them, passing the knowledge down for generations.
Enjoy this version of the Bawaa as performed by my students!
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