Nkwa Umu Agbogho
The Nkwa Umu Agbogho of Afikpo, Ebonyi State
Dance is a natural way of expressing our physical emotion and it has been like that since ages, from the time of the early men. In most traditional African societies, a lot of activities and events such as marriages, festivals, achievements, sowing and harvesting, births and deaths and other notable events are all celebrated with dancing. Traditional dances vary in style, tempo, rhythm, and mode, according to the practice of different communities and ideology of the performers. There are dances for boys, girls, men and women, and for mixed gender. Some traditional dances are free and open to every performer. For such dances, the performers have unrestricted liberty to express their emotions. The situation is different, however, when the dances are performed by trained groups. These are well rehearsed dances. Their dance steps are difficult to execute and a long course of training is required for formal exhibition. The performers spend almost all their free time learning new movements so much so that they become adept in the act of performing certain dance steps. People, who show exceptional ability and prove it by learning the dance steps are selected to join the group. The members of the performing troupe are usually limited in number because of the selection process.
The Nkwa Umuagbogho Dance troupe is one of the dance groups performed by well-trained individuals and it requires a long course of training for formal exhibition.
Nkwa Umuagbogho which means maidens dance is one of the best cultural dance groups and a pride of all in Africa. It was found in 1970 by Chief Vincent Omesi Nwachi from Ndibe, Afikpo, Ebonyi state in Nigeria. He brought it to national and international lime light. What marked him out were his qualities: initiative, knowledge, expertise, versatility, discernment, and efficiency. He brought orderliness to performances. This is necessary because traditional dance requires perfect synchronization. He, as the leader and director, directs the training sessions and the rehearsals as well as the public productions of the dance group.
The Nkwa Umuagbogho of Afikpo is a form of traditional Cora group being formulated by group of married women. Just like the present circular singers, they write and wax their songs in Afikpo language thereby promoting their cultural heritage and language.
It is noted for its own particular exhibition of the art of dancing. Here, every performer exhibits notable artistic skills. The drummers exhibit great skills in the beating of the drums.
A professional traditional dance group has a director that plays a vital role. In Nkwa Umuagbogho traditional dance, the director is a performer who exhibits great artistry in the area of performance. There is no formal directing in traditional dance, it is purely practical. There are lead-dancers, master-drummers and lead-performers. The master-drummer is naturally gifted with a sense of rhythm, such that the notes and intervals are usually executed in tune with the particular pattern required for the song or dance. The lead-singer leads the singing while the lead-dancer leads the performance of the dance with the speed and skill that suits the occasion and the rhythm of the music. The other performers take a signal and perform in line with their respective leaders, not necessarily because they lack sufficient singing, dancing or drumming skills, but because the group is able to perform better under the direction of a leader.
Professional dancers like those from Nkwa Umuagbogho Dance Group require training to master the movements, rules and other skills needed for masterful execution of their presentation. The leader takes them through the necessary training and directs the whole performance. He maintains eye-contact with the other performers where necessary. During a performance, he coordinates the performance of dancers, players and singers even though every member of the group knows his/her part to the minutest details. The dance group starts with the instrumentalists, who are set in place, at a convenient spot well clear at the space reserved for the dancers with definite signs of organization that is clearly visible and understood. Then the lead-instrumentalist sounds a few introductory notes to announce that all is ready to begin the performance. The other instrumentalists join in, and this is the signal for the dancers to fall out (into line). The dancers arrange themselves under the direction of the leader. The initial movements are slow swaging steps. After a while, the complicated movements begin and gradually the dancers work up to full pitch. As the speed of the drumming and dancing increase, so does the excitement and fascination felt by the spectators. The dance also involves extraordinary and prolonged series of body whirling around which is done at high speed. The dancers are expected to move together without variation. There is always a leader among the dancers. She makes a different movement, which acts as a signal. The performers take the cue, twisting, turning and leaping. They go through a series of rigorous dance movements, and dramatic displays which are confusing to watch, and which entail great physical strain. It should be noted that the Nkwa Umuagbogho Dance Group has won several awards and accolades; gained local, national and international recognitions and maintained leadership status for quite a long period of time.
Award won by this group are:
i. Winner at the all Nigeria festival of arts and culture 1972
ii. First position at a competition organized in Ebonyi state by the Radio television and theatre art workers union (RATTAWU) of Nigeria in 2010 under the leadership of Mr. Godwin Emeka Omeri, son of Chief Nwachi in 2006.
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