Works

(Please reach out for video excerpts)

Ghana Must Go (2026) – Choreographed by Ishmael Konney

Inspired by the 1983 expulsion of Ghanaians from Nigeria, Ghana Must Go uses this historical event as a lens to examine the broader human story of movement: forced and unforced migration, relocation, and the search for belonging. Through the metaphor of the body as a bag, the piece explores what we carry with us: memory, identity, and the invisible weight of home. It also reflects on the human connections that emerge through migration, the encounters, relationships, and shared experiences that form as people move from place to place. In Ghana Must Go, movement becomes both burden and bridge, revealing how displacement can also create new forms of community and resilience.

We Play Outside (2025) – Choreographed by Ishmael Konney

Choreographed for Indiana University, department of Contemporary Dance, We Play Outside is inspired by the spirit of childhood play and the sense of community and belonging it creates. Drawing from games played in Ghana as well as memories of games familiar to the dancers, the piece celebrates the joy, creativity, and resilience found in children’s play. Through rhythm, movement, and community, the dancers reimagine the playground as a space where friendship is built, traditions are shared, and everyday play becomes art.  At the same time, this work invites the audience to reflect: Do we ever truly outgrow the art of play? Or have we come to see games as belonging only to children?

Kpatsa (2025) – Choreographed by Ishmael Konney

Kpatsa is a traditional dance performed by the Ga-Adangme people located along the southeastern coast of Ghana. History has it that a hunter went into the forest to hunt and chanced upon some mysterious creatures engaging in a performance. The hunter hid, witnessed the whole performance, and came back to his community to describe what he saw. He taught the community the movements he saw as he explained to the community that the creatures had an unbalanced/uneven step. The unbalanced hops became the basic movement of the dance and the name of the dance, “Kpatsa” which means unbalanced/uneven. Over the years, Kpatsa has evolved into a lengthy dance which is performed at various social gatherings.

Galamsey (2025) – Choreographed by Ishmael Konney

This piece responds to the urgent and ongoing crisis of illegal mining commonly referred to as “Galamsey” in Ghana. Galamsey has led to unimaginable consequences: the contamination of vital water bodies, deforestation, environmental degradation, and increased health risks. Communities have faced not only the loss of lives and livelihoods, but also the damage of natural heritage. This piece serves as both a reflection and a call to conscience. It seeks to amplify the voices of those most affected, and to support the broader movement toward environmental justice, sustainable development, and the preservation of Ghana’s natural and cultural wealth.

Djole (2024) – Choregraphed by Ishmael Konney

Djolé is a mask-dance from the Temine people in Sierra Leone. Choreographed for non-major dance students at Brigham Young University for their Christmas Around the World Concert.

Threads (2024) – Collaboration

This was a collaborative piece by GSA dance faculty; Theresa Bautista, Sanjay Saverimuttu, Ishmael Konney and John Cartwright. Session solely choreographed by Ishmael Konney is 11:21 – 15:41. Our commonalities and pasts are what connects us together; our present will be woven together because of the time and experiences we share; our futures will be shared by the threads that stay connected; but sometimes those threads break.

Djole (2024) – Choregraphed by Ishmael Konney

Djolé is a mask-dance from the Temine people in Sierra Leone. Choreographed for students at GSA 2024.

Fusion (2024) – Choregraphed by Ishmael Konney and Jenn Meckley

Fusion celebrates community through various cultures, identities, movement, and music, and emphasizes the dynamic interweaving of traditional West African forms, American house dance, Afro-house, dancehall, Afrodance, and Hip-hop. We hope this show evokes joy, communal essence, and we encourage the audience to feel the energy and connection through movements and music that this piece intends to extrapolate. Let the spirit move you!

W)gb3j3k3 (2023) – Choregraphed by Ishmael Konney

W)gb3j3k3 is a Ga phrase meaning, “we have journeyed far/we come from far away.” It can also mean; “we have a long way to go.” Thus, can be used to describe a past journey or future journey. Emulating the Ghanaian storytelling tradition, this piece is a celebration of the ancestors for guiding the Ga people to their current settlement. It is also to seek blessings from the creatorand ancestors for abundance in the coming year. It is said that the Ga people migrated from Israel through Egypt, Sudan, Nigeria, Benin and Togo to their present-day settlement in Ghana, located around the southeastern parts of the country. This project was informed by research that I conducted in Ghana and the link to that research can be found here.

We Play Outside (2023) – Choregraphed by Ishmael Konney

In Ghana, children engage in a variety of fun games during recess and after school. This piece was inspired by the joy that children share with each other and the community they develop playing outside.

Baajo (2023)– Choreographed by Ishmael Konney

This piece was influenced by a creative dance performed in Ghana called Goree.

W)gb3j3k3 2 (2023) – Choregraphed by Ishmael Konney

Choreographed by Ishmael Konney and taught to the dancers at Thiossane West African Dance Institute. It is being performed by Ishmael Konney (master drummer during the performance) and Thiossane West African Dance Institute senior and junior group.

Sacred Paths (2022) – Choregraphed by Ishmael Konney

This is a solo performance by Ishmael Konney. Life always presents to us choices and as humans, we are always in a dilemma to make the best one. I am taking this journey to a new place of hope, joy, and prosperity but I do not know what lies out there. All I know is every journey begins with a single step and I am heading out with you as my guide. Whether I make it or not, we are in it together and we shall try again and again and again.

Fun Project avec mes amis (2022) – Choregraphed by Ishmael Konney

This short dance film is choreographed by Ishmael Konney to “UP” by Cardi B. This piece was developed as a solo, then taught to a friend as a duet. I figured it will look amazing with extra bodies performing, so I taught more people, and we made a short film. “Mes amis” include Rosely Palanco, Kei Kei Mock, Eboni Edwards, Yukina Sato, Ricarrdo Valentine, Quianna Simpson, Orlando Hunter. Shot by Katie O’Loughlin and edited by Ishmael Konney.

Songs of Nightmare (2021) – Choreographed by Ishmael Konney

This is a three-section solo work about domestic abuse. In this auto-ethnographic work, I intend to express the trauma, anxiety, and depression I went through growing up as a child experiencing domestic abuse. I still remember all the events, and it mostly plays out in my memory like it was just happening. These daunting events had an effect on me growing up and I always asked myself when it was finally going to end. I have been thinking about making this work on domestic abuse for a long time, and I believe this is the right opportunity to tell the story from my perspective. Music by Richard Bona and Ishmael Konney.

https://vimeo.com/user215406587

• Choreographing and teaching kids is something I love to do. This is a video of a simple choreography I did and taught kids in the UK. (2019)

• This is a dance from the Northern region of Ghana called Jera. I rearranged it for the 2019 World Music and Dance Concert. I performed with four other dancers and I am the leader with the blue pillow around my waist. (2019)

• “Pipa” is a Chinese Contemporary dance choreographed by Changqing Pei from Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. It was performed as part of the World Music and Dance Concert. (2019). I am the male dancer of color and in the turquoise skirt.

• Group collaboration by myself and the other performers in a piece titled “Liminality Between Movement and Language”. Directed by Zelma Badu-Younge for the World Music and Dance Concert. (2019). I appeared with a white cloth around my neck and my head. I later appeared joggling hats.

• I choreographed an African popular dance piece and taught the African dance class at Ohio University. (2018 & 2019 freshmen class)

• I was the accompanist of the African dance technique class at Ohio University and this was a flash mob organized by Professor Zelma Badu-Younge and Paschal Younge. I am the master drummer/accompanist with the djembe drum strapped around me. (2018)

• Accompanist for Ohio University’s African dance class (School of dance) . Dance Professor for the class is Zelma Badu-Younge.(2018)

• Below are a few popular dance solo works I choreographed and performed. (2018 & 2019) 

• I choreographed this piece and performed with Francisca Modedzi who is a member of the National Dance Company, National Theatre of Ghana. We performed this piece at a musical concert of one of Ghana’s best female vocalist called Efya. (2015)