江苏 王苏波

他们来自各行各业，因对舞蹈的喜爱而相聚……

When three friends in Ghana settled on dancing as a career, their aim was not just to dance on stage and make an income, but to improve the dance culture by making it more attractive and competitive.

Lloyd Annor Konadu, Ernest Kwablah and Nicholas Botchwey started the Dance With a Purpose Academy in 2017. It trains talented dancers of different ages and with diverse backgrounds in various moves of African beats and rhythms three sessions each week.

“We decided to share with young people, who, after watching our videos so many times online, developed a love for dancing and wanted to take it up as a career. Our main agenda is to change the perception of the dancing profession and guide those interested in dancing to make careers out of it,” says Konadu.

The school is not only about dancing but also an opportunity for young people to be inspired to develop their career paths and life goals. “I believe when we give these young people the platform and guide them, they can find their purposes.Some of them can rap, some can act, but they haven't realized it, so we guide them to discover their potential,” he says.

Five years after setting up the school,the three co-founders have trained more than 200 dancers so far. “Most of these 200 students are not just dancing. The school is about dancing with a purpose.When you come here, we teach you about dancing and teach you to focus on your life's goals as well,” says Botchwey.

Agyapong Derrek Asare, a nurse in Ghana's health sector, found a second career as a dancer through the efforts of the school. He combined his nursing training with dancing rehearsals (排练) while in school. Today, Asare works both as a nurse and a stage dancer.

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