This excerpt offers a window into a deep engagement with the time-honored Ewe dance traditions, illuminating their enduring socio-cultural relevance and demonstrating their potential for contemporary application in performance, education, and research.

Rooted firmly in the cultural landscapes of Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Nigeria the geographical span of the Ewe people, the work achieves a potent synthesis of traditional knowledge and modern choreographic interpretation. The title itself, “Vorsa Mekpli,” which translates to the “Altar of Sacrifice,” immediately signals the piece's ritualistic and spiritual underpinnings. Choreographed by Kafui Tay performed at Alliance Française in Accra, Ghana, the work is a masterful exploration of how movement can serve as a medium for transcendent communication.

At the heart of the performance lies my pivotal role as the lead dancer. I act as the vital intermediary, mediating the communication between the dancers and the musicians. This mediation is primarily conducted through chanted calls, a traditional method that introduces and directs both movement and musical variations, ensuring a dynamic and deeply connected performance ecosystem. In the Community space, the chants include spells and demonstrations of warrior strength.

The choreographic significance is centered on the embodiment of Ewe cosmology. The lead dancer’s role explicitly represents Vodu Hebieso, the powerful Thunder God of the Ewe people in “Yewe”. This is a profound spiritual representation, grounding the human performance in the divine realm. This spiritual authority is further reinforced by the presence of Awlaga, the renowned oracle's relic which I am shaking in my hands. This sacred object, central to the Yewe cult, serves as a tangible link to spiritual power,Protection, Guidance and Music conjuring.. Through the powerful symbolism of Vodu Hebieso and the Awlaga relic, Vorsa Mekpli transcends mere entertainment. It becomes a ritualistic act that signifies a direct, living connection to spiritual guidance, protection, and the enduring strength of traditional belief systems within the contemporary setting.

Visually and conceptually, the performance is also anchored by two powerful symbols. In the background, prominently featured is the popular “Mekpli,” the Ewe cooking tripod stove. With its three heads converging into a single force, the Mekpli directly mirrors the composition of the performance—the trio of dancers. This object highlights a powerful metaphor for connectivity and unity among the Ewe people, suggesting that collective strength and shared identity arise from the coming together of individual parts.

Finally, the costuming carries its own significant layer of meaning. The outfit is a representation of the “Husunu” in the Yewe cult. Husunus are the vibrant men of the Yewe cult who wear this attire during their spiritual activities. The choice of costume, specifically in the colors of red, blue, and white worn by the lead dancer, are the popular basic colors of the Vodu Xebieso.

Description: "Kaxoxoawo nue wogbea yeyeawo" "The process of weaving a rope involves continuously adding the new strands to the existing ones. Thus to say, the new rope is connected to the old one, and this is about creating something new from the older. Life continues from a point, so that point becomes your past or already existing. Life continues from the past, so knowing one's past means that you know life in a holistic way."
In collaboration with Department of Dance studies Legon and esteem performance team; Heshinor Gbeda Matsritorla, Azagunor Prosper Atsu Ablorde, Dr. SK Kwashie Kuwor, Dr. Jennies Darko, Dr. Kofi Anthonio, Natasha Martin Chanta, an interactive and experiential performance with more than 100 performers in Legon Botanical Garden, is presented.
The performance tells the story of the escape of the Ewes through the Great Walls (glimetoto) of the Notsie, presently known as Togo, under the leadership of Togbui Wenyra, Tegli, Gemedra, Tsali Akplormada and Srui. The famous misego dance and music plays an instrumental role in this great history as it is used in the Glimetoto ceremony during the annual Hogbetsotso Festival at Anloga. This commemoration portrays the embodiment of the migration process through the backwards dance movement that signifies the metaphor of moving into the future without forgetting your past or where you come from.
This performance showcase that presents a holistic culture of the Ewes including their music forms, their costumes, their total history until their present settlement, their ethical codes, their social, economic and spiritual life through the medium of traditional dance forms, including Misego, Atrikpui, Efa, Sogbadzi, and many more.
TulaGbogi is the first of its kind, bringing the community of the Anlo-Ewe into the Gardens of Legon and engaging its audience in a true immersion of heritage, life cycles, cosmic principles (Voduawo) and intergenerational storytelling. This community performance engages myself as choreographer, a production manager, a stage manager, a costumier, a set designer, musicians, dancers, light and sound & image technicians, market women as a symbol of work and trade, amateurs, professionals, scholars, researchers, students, and important custodians of knowledge, such as: Torbokor Doe Aklasu, an embodiment of the Efa knowledge system of the Ewe’s and cosmic principles. He is a strong pillar towards the fulfillment of this research.
Torgbuiwo (chiefs from the Anlo-Ewe community and gatekeepers of my research)
Bokornorwo (Efa diviners/my teachers)
Yeweshiwo (custodians of the Yewe knowledge system of Xebieso-the Thunder God)
Hunorwo (custodians of Vodu system of the Anlo-Ewe/my teachers)
Huviwo (active practitioners of the spiritual knowledge system)
Preparation period (fieldwork and bibliographical research): September 2023-February 2024
“Ganavutsu me dzena tɔ ƒe alidzi glina o (Kpɔli Gbemedzi)”
Link: https://youtu.be/Uwlv2KpN36M
(This project demonstrates comprehensive project management, cultural event organization, community engagement, and the entrepreneurial spirit of bringing cultural heritage to a wider audience.)