Biography
Mustapha Braimah brings over 12 years of international experience and high artistic acclaim to his roles as an artist/scholar from Ghana, West Africa. He is a choreographer, educator, administrator, curator, musician, and performer. He holds an MFA Dance from the University of Maryland School of Theater Dance and Performance Studies. He also graduated from Ohio University (OU) with an M.A in African Studies and B.F.A in Dance from the University of Ghana. His art practice is deeply rooted in contemporary, popular and traditional African dance forms as well as drumming and singing. Braimah attended the American Dance Festival in 2010 with a stagecraft apprenticeship scholarship and worked with world-renowned companies and choreographers such as Paul Taylor, Pilobolus, Martha Graham, African-American Dance Ensemble, Eiko & Koma, etc. Braimah has given lectures, workshops/presentations and performed at various places such as the National Theater of Ghana, The Kennedy Center, Harbourfront Center in Toronto with Azaguno Inc., Dance Place in Washington DC, the World Dance Alliance Conference in Newfoundland, Canada, etc. He also coordinated and performed at the 2016 Mid-Atlantic ACDA Conference where his piece made it to the Gala and was selected as an alternate. He has served as the social and cultural secretary for the OU African Student Union. Prior to attending OU, he trained as a contemporary African dancer and performer with Noyam African Dance Institute in Accra, Ghana under Professor Nii Yartey. In addition to his teaching, Braimah tours annually with Azaguno Inc., an international touring group, which focuses on research, preservation, education, and performance of traditional African American, Caribbean and Latin America music and dance and maintains a lifelong affiliation with the National Dance Company of Ghana where he trained professionally. Braimah’s performing career has been expansive, dancing for National Dance Company of Ghana, Azaguno Inc., PearsonWidrig Dance Theater, Soul in Motion Players, and Kankouran West African Dance PWDT. His creative works utilize diverse approaches in applying 21st-century skills and creativity including improvisation. His choreography and performance training, coupled with his scholarly endeavors, illuminates the path he pursues in his artistry. He lives in Cleveland with his wife, Shannon and two beautifully created daughters. |
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