Empirical account highlights cultural expressions in dance performances from Nasarawa State, indicating their role in cultural diplomacy.
As stipulated in the 1988 Nigerian Cultural Policy, the mandate of the National Council for Art and Culture (NCAC) is to promote, preserve, and disseminate the diversity of cultural expressions of the country. This mandate also drives the activities of the various State Councils of Art and Culture/government-owned performing troupes in Nigeria. One of the main activities of the troupes is dance performances, especially at festivals. These dance performances are viable cultural products which also function as cultural diplomacy mechanisms for Nigeria. This paper therefore offers an empirical account of two dance performances of the Nasarawa State Performing Troupe (NSPT) of Nigeria as they navigate diverse spaces. The dances—Su Dir and Njieh Kreh—are examined through the lens of Simbao’s (2018) cosmolocal orientation concept to consider their evolution as performed at local, national, and international festivals. Interrogating the processes involved in the (re)creation of these dance products for consumption at the various festivals, we further explore the implications of this cycle of choreographic experiments. The data for this study was collated through participant observation and interview research methods, as well as analysis of recorded performance videos.
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A 2023 study studied this question.