The East-West Ghana All-Stars are led by Artistic Director, Nani Agbeli, one of the top Ghanaian dancers of his generation, who runs the African Music program at CalArts in Los Angeles. He thrills audiences with his athleticism, charisma, and precision.
Nani Agbeli, known for his energy, athleticism, and precision on stage, is one of the leading Ghanaian dancers of his generation. Born into a family of prominent dancers and drummers in Ghana’s Volta region, Nani was trained by his father, the late Godwin K. Agbeli, who performed with the Arts Council of Ghana Folkloric Company and later served as chairman of the Ghanaian National Association of Cultural Groups. Nani went on to study with various artists at the National Arts Center in Accra and, for many years, led the award-winning cultural troupe Sankofa Roots II. For nine years, he served as the lead drum and dance instructor at the Dagbe Cultural Center, a school that trains domestic and international students in Ghanaian traditional arts.
Attah Poku is a prominent master drummer from the Ashanti Region of Ghana, West Africa. Born and raised inside the walls of the Ashanti King’s palace, Attah began training with his grandfather when he was only five years old, and officially joined the Ashanti King’s drum ensemble when he was ten. Performing as lead drummer for the Kumasi Centre for National Culture, the Ashanti King’s Fontomfrom ensemble, and the renowned Nsuase Kete group, Attah has toured Africa extensively, playing in Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Togo, and Benin. Attah is currently based in Boston, Massachusetts, where he directs the Kiniwe African Music and Dance Ensemble at Tufts University and is the Artistic Director of the Agbekor Drum and Dance Society, founded by Professor David Locke (Music Department, Tufts University.) Attah Poku has performed for internationally renowned figures such as German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Prince Charles of Wales, movie star Steven Seagal, heavyweight boxing champion Lennox Lewis, and presidents of many African nations including Ghana, Cote D’Ivoire, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Togo, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Ethiopia.
Kwaku Manu is a highly skilled dancer and drummer who honed his craft at the University of Ghana before arriving in 2010 to assist the legendary C.K. Ladzekpo, teaching Ghanaian drumming and dance to students at U.C. Berkeley, Cal State, and the East Bay Center for Performing Arts.
Francis Kofi Akotuah taught traditional music and dance at the University of Ghana for two decades, mentoring many up-and-coming performers as well as introducing countless students from around the world to Ghanaian music. Born and raised in the melting pot neighborhood of New Town, Accra, Francis grew up surrounded by the sights and sounds of all of Ghana’s many ethnic groups. As a drumming instructor at the University of Ghana for almost two decades, he has mentored many of Ghana’s up-and-coming performers and introduced countless students from around the world to Ghanaian traditions. He regularly performs with many of Ghana’s leading traditional and neo-traditional ensembles and Afropop bands in the North America, and he has performed, taught master classes, and conducted workshops at universities throughout the US and Canada, including McGill, Tufts, Wesleyan, SUNY Stony Brook, Mount Holyoke, Brandeis, UC Irvine, and CalArts. A newcomer to the Bay Area, he is also teaching at the University of San Francisco and Mills College.
Their American students are lifelong devotees of Ghanaian music and dance, and have all traveled to Ghana extensively to study and perform. They are all excellent drummers, dancers, and in most cases, teachers in their own rights.
Joe Galeota teaches African Drumming and Dance at Berkelee College of Music in Boston. When he’s not making custom drums for artists like Vinx and Mickey Hart, Professor of Percussion Joe Galeota teaches classes that introduce students to the culture and advanced ensemble playing of African music.
Faith Conant teaches African Drumming and Dance at SUNY Stonybrook in NY and Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts. Faith did her ethnomusicology research in Togo, West Africa, where she studied as a Fulbright scholar with master drummer Gadji Folly and performed with the Adjogbo Habobo of the Adjigo of Lomé. She performed and taught Ewe music and dance in the Boston-based Agbekor Society led by David Locke for over twenty years.
Philip Ago Agyapong teaches West African Dance at USF and Mills College. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance and Theater Arts and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Dance, specializing in African Dance Traditions and Contemporary African Dance from the University of Ghana.