By John Owoo

(In Berlin – Germany)

Acclaimed dancer / choreographer Felix Dompreh is noted for his dramatic fusion of elements of traditional, Afro-Fusion, Hip-Hop, Neo-African Dance and contemporary African Dance to create resonating pieces that masterfully combine dance, music and costume.

Currently, the artistic director of Kuyum Tanzplattform, a Neo-African Dance Festival, which is held annually in the German capital Berlin, Dompreh’s training has connected traditional African dance with global and contemporary forms resulting in rooted and innovative pieces.

“The next edition of Kuyum Tanz Plattform will be as inclusive as possible by dedicating one day to showcase Neo-African dance / dance battles by youngsters for young audiences. Again, we intend to expand our network outside Germany by cooperating with Dance Companies and Institutions in various African countries”, said Dompreh, who also works as a teacher for various Afro classes in Berlin.

He obtained a Certificate and Diploma in Traditional and Contemporary African dance at the Noyam African Dance Institute in Ghana, which was under the direction of the late Ghanaian dance guru Prof. F. Nii Yartey and later at the Ecole Des Sable in Senegal, which is headed by Prof. Germaine Acogny.

Dompreh, who has performed in various countries in African, Europe and Asia, also has an Arts and Cultural Management certificate from Leuphana University (Lüneburg – Germany). Indeed, he has equally received numerous scholarships for dance residency programs including Danceweb / Impulstanz Vienna (Austria) and CIP/SIDANCE Seoul (South Korea).

“The dance scene in Ghana can be developed by creating a strong crop of dependent dance practitioners that are open for experimentation in Neo-African Dance forms (African Contemporary). This can be achieved by organising occasional dance workshops, residencies and an annual contemporary dance festival”, added the choreographer.

With a Masters in Solo Dance and Authorship from the Inter-University Centre for Dance at the Berlin University of the Arts, he has a number of choreographic works to his credit. These include “Laborlaboratory Dance”, “The Time Mini Factory”, “The March / Djama” and “Waatiwi”.

With stints as a choreographer in Zagreb (Croatia) and a dancer for Theater o.N and Tanztangente Festival in Berlin, Dompreh has added a great depth to his profile through skills and knowledge that were acquired from influential local and international mentors.  

“Neo African Dance has been well received and is being practiced among the Afro Diasporans in Germany. Audiences are still being sensitised to understand, embrace and appreciate it like any other contemporary dance forms in the West”, he concluded.

Kuyum Tanzplattform offers invited artists a platform on which they can present neo-African dance performances to a broader audience free from the attributions and clichés that often lurk behind them. It equally aims at helping to outline and create new narratives concerning African dance as an effective art form capable of contributing to the development of dance in the freelance scene of Berlin and beyond.

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