Professional dancers are not rascals – Dance Guild

He made the assertion while briefing newsmen in Lagos recently, saying the guild is making moves to reposition the sector and create the necessary awareness to change the misconceptions by many Nigerians regarding dancers.  “Dancers are professionals and we want to make sure everyone sees dance as a viable business just like artistes” Mr. Steve […]

He made the assertion while briefing newsmen in Lagos recently, saying the guild is making moves to reposition the sector and create the necessary awareness to change the misconceptions by many Nigerians regarding dancers.

 “Dancers are professionals and we want to make sure everyone sees dance as a viable business just like artistes” Mr. Steve James said.

“Everyone is a dancer but not all dancers are professional dancers,” he said adding that the average professional dancer now in Nigeria is a graduate. According to him, going forward, no professional dancer may even take less than N350, 000 per show.

He said though the dancing profession has been relegated to the background, plans are on the way to change all that as dancers are determined to take their proper place in the arts world.

James noted that the light at the end of the tunnel is evident by the various dance and choreography reality TV shows lately.

The profession he acknowledge has been bedevilled by several challenges but the Guild hopes to turn some of the challenges to opportunities.

He decried the current situation where dancers have no dance studios in which to practice their arts, but hailed moves by management of the National Theatre to provide one before the end of April.

On activities to mark the international day for Dance, celebrated April 29, he explained that the Guild has introduced a unique programme not only to celebrate it but also to celebrate Nigeria at 50.

He said the programme tagged “project 50-15-50” which would cost the Guild some N45 million would also see the Guild perform in 15 states of Nigeria with the finale in Aso Rock, Abuja on October 1st and 2nd.

Project 50-15-50 is commemorating the golden jubilee of Nigeria at 50 he said. “The dance Guild will put on stage at the same time, 50 dance artists, performing in 15 states of the six geopolitical zones, with a dance drama titled “WE” which suggests the people called Nigeria.

To reward themselves and recognise their own, the dancers are also organising this year, the first Nigerian Dance Award (NIDA 2010) exclusively for dancers, James said.

The Guild also used the opportunity to sound a note of warning to all those who use dance copy righted materials at will without seeking a appropriate permission or paying royalties to desist or risk court action, adding that Ivory Ambassador Dance Company has dragged The Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Company (NLNG) to court demanding N33 million for illegally using IADC company’s dance photograph on its calendar of 2009.

The Guild has declared its full support on the case and would support its own until justice is done.