WOMAD

Nii Tagoe

From Ghana

Nii Tagoe was born in Accra, Ghana, into a royal family from whom he inherited his talent for drumming, dancing and singing. As the Artistic Director of Frititi and principal percussionist of Baka Beyond, Nii brings to all his work a lifetime's immersion in his deep knowledge of the diverse dance rhythmic traditions of Ghana. His experience ranges from 15 years of travel, learning and performing around the continent (especially in Zulu Land and throughout Central and West Africa) to touring productions and workshops around Europe, Israel, Canada and South Africa. He came to Britain in 1990 as a principal dancer, drummer and teacher in the Adzido Dance Company and has since choreographed many dances, including Peter Gabriel's floor show at the London Millennium Dome. He has performed as percussionist, singer and composer with world music chart toppers: Baka Beyond, African Headcharge and Osibisa amongst and others and runs his own band Frititi. Nii continues to study traditional African music and dance as a foundation for his own work.