Ghana Sunrise is primarily a dialogue between the cultures of two continents: Africa and Europe. It is based on the personal experiences of various dancers in close collaboration with musicians. It symbolizes the sun's humble greeting on the shores of the Atlantic, between the unbelievably accommodating Africans with their contagious energy, rhythm in the body and smiles.

This dialogue about the awakening of a unique contemporary Ghanaian culture is also an incentive for all of us to awaken a sense of rhythm in ourselves. Africans are well aware that the simplest things bring joy. This Ghanaian-Czech site-specific project culminates in an offer for everyone to get up and dance.

Special thanks to Embassy of the Czech Republic in Accra.

About the company:

In addition to preserving the traditions of dance and music from various regions of West Africa, the Ghana Dance Ensemble works together with artists in Europe and the USA in the area of contemporary dance. The Ghana Sunrise project was created by the TANEC PRAHA Festival, the Institute of African Studies and the Czech Embassy in Accra. It follows the work of Monika Rebcová in Ghana and connects the worlds of two different cultures. Two charismatic dancers and two musicians from Ghana create together with dancers and musicians from the Czech Republic a site-specific project for the public space as they are used to at home, where everyone dances. Parks, squares, beaches and waterfronts are perfect. You can just watch, but you can also join in at the end, as is customary in Africa.

About the project:

African culture has many forms and in Ghana alone there are dozens of ethnicities with a tradition of music and dance, which belong inseparably together. It is therefore no coincidence that the Institute of African Studies is focused on mapping and preserving these traditions. It includes the Ghana Dance Ensemble, a large group of dancers and musicians actively performing across the country and abroad. But it aims to do more than just maintain tradition. The head of the group studied dance in the USA and seeks to open pathways for his artists to find their own contemporary expression, examine "Western" cultures and connect what is near to both worlds. He therefore welcomed the offer to work for a few weeks with Czech choreographer Monika Rebcová, a graduate of the Music Academy in the field of contemporary dance pedagogy and a promoter of African culture. Her stay in Accra in September led to a deeper examination of both cultures and resulted in enthusiasm on the part of both sides to develop long-term cooperation.

The first output of the project is Ghana Sunrise.

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