Adowa is a popular traditional dance of the Akan people of Ghana, performed at cultural ceremonies like festivals, funerals, engagements, and celebrations.
Adowa is a popular traditional dance of the Akan people of Ghana, performed at cultural ceremonies like festivals, funerals, engagements, and celebrations.
01 · What it is
Dance
Live movement, rhythm, costume, or staged dramatic performance passed between generations.
02 · Where & name
Ghana
Placed on record in Ghana.
03 · How it is doing
□□□□ (Not yet assessed)
Documented in open cultural records, but no cited field assessment of its current vitality has been added here yet.
04 · Proof & reuse
2 cited sources
Every claim links to a public record below. Free to quote, teach, and share under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Chapter Takeaways
MovementsAdowa dancers use symbolic language, with different hand movements telling their own story.
Notable Adowa performersIn 2017, SP Kofi Sarpong performed the Adowa dance.
Common Questions Answered on Record
What is Adowa dance in plain words?
Adowa is a popular traditional dance of the Akan people of Ghana, performed at cultural ceremonies like festivals, funerals, engagements, and celebrations.
Where is Adowa dance practised or documented?
Sources on this page place Adowa dance in Ghana.
What is the current condition of Adowa dance today?
□□□□ (Not yet assessed): Documented in open cultural records, but no cited field assessment of its current vitality has been added here yet.
How do I cite or share this Adowa dance entry?
Cite as: "Adowa dance." folkroom, https://folkroom.org/art-forms/adowa-dance, text CC BY-SA, with attribution.
Adowa is a popular traditional dance of the Akan people of Ghana, performed at cultural ceremonies like festivals, funerals, engagements, and celebrations. The Adowa dance is a sign of expression that allows performers to communicate their emotions and feelings through their hands and feet. There are different hand movements performed for each setting. People communicate positive emotions at weddings or engagements, chieftaincy enstoolment, and negative emotions at funerals.
An Adowa ensemble consists of a lead singer, a chorus, and percussion instruments. The leader and chorus are almost always middle-aged women, who accompany themselves with hand-clapping and/or a double bell (dawure) or a single bell (atoke). 1
Movements
Adowa dancers use symbolic language, with different hand movements telling their own story. This body language is accentuated by the use of a white cloth that they hold in their hand. In performing Adowa, the dancers mainly utilize their hands and feet. There are basic steps to this dance style. The performer first has to apply pressure and move his or her right foot forward. While performing, the dancer also ensures that there is an interaction with the drummer that is not obvious. 1
Notable Adowa performers
In 2017, SP Kofi Sarpong performed the Adowa dance.
In 2018, Alban Bagbin performed the Adowa dance.
In 2022, Nana Ama McBrown performed the Adowa dance.
In 2023, Memphis Depay performed the Adowa dance after he scored a goal.
In 2023, Grand P performed the Adowa dance.
In 2024, Yaw Osafo-Marfo performed the Adowa dance.
In 2024, Richard Ofori performed the Adowa dance.
In 2025, Freezy Macbones made an entrance into the ring with the Adowa dance
In 2025, Dzenbii cultural group performed Adowa dance in the USA 1
The text above is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Adowa dance”, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. 1
Adowa dance is traditional dance by the Akan in Ghana, according to the structured record cited below. This entry was generated automatically from that record and has not yet been reviewed by a person familiar with the tradition. 2
The source record links this tradition to 1 external register, which can be verified through the citation. 2
