A local adage said that “whenever a masquerade finish dressing, it makes a noise” and that was what happened recently at the Banquet Hall of the National Theatre, Lagos, when the products of the 7th edition of the Children and Teens Creative Station came out and made a noise, and it was not just an ordinary noise, but a loud noise that caught the attention of people from all walks of life especially children who came for the much publicized command performance of The Dented Anthill, a play directed by Peter Badejo.
The yearly event which held despite the economic crunch ravaging the country, a situation that has forced many organizations to do away with most of its programmes, has again demonstrated the ability of the Akin Adejuwon led National Troupe of Nigeria (NTN) to think out of the box.
A fact that was even acknowledged by the Artistic Director/ CEO of the National Troupe, Mr. Akin Adejuwon, in his opening statements. “This gathering has been made possible only by the grace of God and able support of Mrs. Josephine Igberaese, the coordinator of the programme , I thought it was not going to take place, because there was no money in the parastatal,” he added.
It was through the dogged perseverance of Mrs. Josephine Igberaese that it was able to hold, said Mr. Adejuwon, who, however, added that “this year has proven to be the year of renewal”, as he acknowledged the supports of many donours, example, Access Bank, MTN, Wapic, Promasidor, etc.
From the dance, drama and music and even the kids masters of ceremony, all action were geared towards one message, that there are talents waiting for opportunities to be utilised and that with proper planing, Nigeria will come out great.
It was a very lovely moment for the kids dressed in their T shirts provided by the major sponsors, Yellow by MTN and white by Warpic jumped up and down to catch the actions.
It started with the little kids, aged 3 -5, the Shakibobos, who only showed their presence with their incoherent dance steps that sent the audience laughing.
This was followed by another group of kids in their numbers, dressed in blue jean trousers and white T-shirts, who took to the stage to welcome the audience with carol, folk songs in Hausa, Ijaw ,Yoruba and English langauges.
Then came another group with modern songs where the kids demonstrated their dancing skill that received standing ovation. There was also another session by a group of two boys and two girls, who danced to hip-hop tones with electrifying dance steps, before the traditional dance that took the audience on a journey of almost all the ethnic groups in the country came up.
The participants who were drawn from different backgrounds and ethnic groups dressed in traditional dress attires of each region that reflected in the costumes presented diverse dances, including Asama Dance from the southeast, Orukoro Dance of the south-south (a dance of procreation), Obitu Dance of the southwest and Marada Dance of the north.
It was a beauty to watch as the kids, most of them who don’t even know much about their culture before the workshop were able to showcase their dancing skills in their native languages.
Despite, the crisis in the country that has forced many to demand for secession, the kids through their performances proved that with love, “we can live together and move forward”.
