Challenges to Teaching Traditional Ghanaian Dance Forms in Non-Traditional Academic Contexts in Accra, Ghana: Policy, Training and Implementatio

Teaching and learning of traditional dance in rural communities in Ghana occur informally over a long period of time, as members of a community participate in diverse festivities and ceremonies. However, with urbanization and introduction of formal education, there was the need for traditional dance forms of Ghana to be taught formally in academic spaces. With this shift, the question that arises then is how issues associated with teaching a traditional art form in a non-traditional academic setting are addressed. Thus, this study was implemented, which has tradition at the core.;The purpose of this study was to examine the complexities associated with the teaching of traditional dance forms in basic and senior high schools in Ghana. The study was imagined as a virtual round table discussion that would bring together Dance Lecturers of the University of Ghana, Policy Makers and Implementers, and Cultural Coordinators of the Ghana Education Service. To carry out this study, there was a need for a methodology that would allow participants to describe and discuss their experiences of the phenomenon under investigation, while giving them the option of deciding on how much of that experience would be shared with the researcher. Basic qualitative research approaches and aspects of indigenous research methodology offered just what was needed.;In-depth interviews with 16 participants were conducted and data collected were analyzed using the three stages of coding as proposed by Kathy Charmaz. The major findings in this investigation are summarized as follows: 1) the dance educators define tradition as culture and history of the people and are guided by these ideas in their teaching, 2) in order to be a well-versed teacher of traditional dance in an academic setting one must have both formal and non-formal training to single handedly take up the role of adults in the rural communities, and 3) traditional dance is mostly taught as a co-curricular activity by Cultural Coordinators who are stretched thin across many schools. The study was conducted to start a conversation that seeks to bring all of the various stakeholders into a discussion aimed at enhancing formal dance education in Ghana.