Azonto

The tradition & historical record

Azonto is a dance and music genre from Ghana. It is connected to the traditional Ga dance Kpanlogo, associated with the coastal towns in the country such as Chorkor, James Town, Teshie, Nungua and Tema, in the Greater Accra Region. Several accounts say Azonto was formerly known as 'Apaa' in these communities. The Apaa dance, hence Azonto dance, involves a set of hand movements that either mimic everyday activities especially ones concerning people's livelihoods, or moves that are meant to amuse an audience. For the basics of the dance, one foot is stiff and planted, while the other foot is on its ball to allow the dancer to pivot and twist. The dancer's shoulders are slouched, and their head is turned to one side with a "defiant and flirtatious" smirk on their face. The hands of the dancer point downwards and move in flowing, circular motions around themselves and the space in front of them, changing in levels from the head to the waist. It began with one- or two-step movements but has been advanced to more complex and almost acrobatic movements Just like most African dances, Azonto involves knee bending and hip movements. The dance has effectively evolved from a few basic moves to miming actions such as ironing of clothes, washing, driving, boxing, praying, swimming, and others.

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Azonto is Ghanaian dance and music genre, 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. ¹

The source record links this tradition to 4 external registers, which can be verified through the citation. ¹