Nii Kwartey Owoo
Choreographer, musician and teacher, Nii Kwartey Owoo, worked with Skimstone Arts in early 2019 as part of Peace Process-ion2.
Originally from Accra, Ghana, Nii now lives and works in Leeds. His work is inspired by traditional cultural practices found in West Africa and diaspora communities and his musical arrangements and contemporary choreography is strongly influenced by his Ga heritage, including spiritual beliefs, storytelling and symbolism. Nii’s choreography shares his traditional knowledge and creativity with audiences, combining all aspects of his practice, from music composition and recording through to performance.
Describing the experience of working on Peace Process-ion2, Nii said: “Claire’s directing meant that she was not saying it is only the other people’s stories, I came away feeling that our characters and who we are were also part of the story. Even the audience were part of it and today the stories still have references.”
Claire Webster Saaremets, Artistic Director at Skimstone Arts, said: “Nii brought a great sense of understanding, gravitas and willingness to continue to extend his range as a performer. I respected very much his warmth towards the rest of cast and his direct understanding and experience of some of the stories of prejudice. Nii has a great stage presence and this brought a strong dimension to the light and shade of the work, particularly in this site specific context.”