Our cultural heritage are incrediblyespeciallyextremely fascinating, beautiful and valuable.

Ayanjo uses her artistic province as a measure to educate, enlighten, inform and to communicate to the society at large. Parading our rich cultural heritage has been our utmost desire to our local and International audience. We consult and offer training programs to our wide varieties of interested individuals, groups, social and corporate organizations all over the world. Ayanjo was founded by Dalmas Omolade and was incorporated in July 2012. Ayanjo has been playing vital role in the popularization and promotion of indigenous arts, dance, cultural value and historical research among all generations. Her performances and workshops are moving the borders of various art styles. Ayanjo inspires a lot of indigenous dance and theatre troupes all over the Nigeria. The group has performed on many international stages, festivals and theatres to mention a few are Greece, Egypt, DR Congo, Germany, China amongst others. “We express ourselves through all genre of art. We feel a need to create and to tell an abstract story through the movement. Inspired by a daily life situation and our intuition we express the beauty and chaos of the world we are living in and the world that we imagine.” Quote by MN….

Our Aim

We aim at maintaining an artistic platform with warm and supportive atmosphere, which is based on satisfying customers. Want to provide a social and entertainment forum for people with diverse interests, background and ages. Dance training for students at all level of dance, from beginners to advanced. Provide continual training, benefits and incentives for staff to encourage a long-term commitment of employees. Also to increase sales to support the Nigerian economic growth, lifting our flag on all stages across the world

Our Mission

AYANJO is offering a platform where people can learn to dance and drum, batik, tie and die, storytelling, research, meet new people, have fun and feel comfortable. The company offers a varied body fitness, aerobic, dance and drumming program with price options for all level of interest, with greater emphasis on ground classes and small package sessions to reach dance skill objectives. Our instructors have access to continual training with some of the areas top professional coaches. This provides students with up to date steps and technique and access to the latest dance trends.

Our Offer

AYANJO is dedicated to bringing the fun and challenges of dance in Lagos at an affordable cost. The company offers private and group Dance instruction for social through competitive level dancers.

AYANJO offer its students a verity of instructional choices. By offering them several options, the company can best serve their individual needs and financial limitations.

Performances

Ayanjo has successfully presents itself for selfless performances across Nigeria and around the world promoting the unreserved cultural value of our nation. Our works are moving the borders of various cultures, dances, music, folklore and all other form of art. The storytelling, historical plays are based either on the true histories, concept or abstract ideas and are supported by a high technical level of performance.

Productions

In Ayanjo, we are not only performing but also producing a whole lot of dance and theatre performances. Our creative team and research team are making it possible to create a nice and unique productions. Endorsement and affiliations with governmental parastatals has supported most of our productions with other organisation team across Nigerian stages/international audience.

Forthcoming Projects

Ayanjo enjoy the process of organizing and collaborating with corporate organizations, rurual and urban festival communities, companies for hosting international art seminars, festivals and symposium. Were we educates young dancers, actor/actresses, enthusiast and gives them the opportunity to learn and work with professionals, in the creative world anywhere around the world. Few of our forthcoming project are ISEDALE, DANCES of OUR LAND, AJALAYE amongst others

Meet Our Director

AYANJO was founded and operated by DALMAS OLUWEMIMO, The founder of AYANJO has been a fascinating dancer, drummer and teacher and has always trained both children and adults for several years. Since his tender age till date he has made it a point to strive for his goals of having a continued best indigenous art, craft, tourism sector and quality dance approach in Nigeria at large.

Being a professional Dance Artiste/Instructor, Theatre Art Percussionist and Art Administrator, who has done lots of professional works both home and abroad, worked with the best hands in his field over a decade, he has been a respected cultural ambassador in all stages he has performed. Omolade is an ex-artiste of the National Troupe of Nigeria 2011 – 2016.

Omolade has work fervently at the following projects, Kaduna state Sports Festival (KADA GAMES 2009), NAFEST MINNA 2010, Under17 World Cup 2010, Kanilai Int’l Festival 2010 (Gambia), Nigeria Cultural Week 2012 (Beijing, China), World Drums Festival 2013/2015 (Cairo, Egypt), Nigeria at 63 (Athens, Greece) amongst others. He was a National nominee as the Dance Guild of Nigeria Best Drummer of the Year award 2010, Omolade was recommended and assigned as the pioneer Chairman of the Equity of Theatre Arts Percussionist (ETHAP), the African witness of the Largest drum in the world for World Guiness Book of Record in 2015, Traditional instruments coordinator at the Launching of Guiness Orijin Drink 2015.

Meet Dances of our Land

Bàtá is attributed to Sango. Sango was a fierce and temperamental king of the old Oyo Empire who emits fire if angered, the drums (Bata) are used to placate and appease him. Bàtá is synonymous with the worship of Sango; being the god of thunder and lightning. Those who dance Bàtá, directly and indirectly simulates Sango’s personality, strength, temperament, grace and dexterity in the constancy of the complexities of his mood, which accounts for the variety of Bata types and categories such as Bata Elese, Ewoo, Alujo and Gbamu respectively. They are Elese, Ewoo, Alujo and Gbamu. These gamuts have their different rhythm, tempo, and dance movements that distinguished them from each other, but with one common movement that synonymous to all the gamut or dance style, it is called “Eja”. The dance is characterized with fierceness, quick and nimble steps of the feet, hands and shoulders (at times, other nuances of the face, nose, mouth or even tongue, etc is used).

Gbamu: is the fastest of the Bata dance styles, with tempo that connotes fierceness, fire and anger. It has the jerking (Eja) of the shoulder from the beginning of the dance movement to the end depending on the instructions of the drummer with a lot of seriousness that involve all part of the body. Gbamu is the most popular of the Bata styles and commonly used in all occasions…. Credit: Steve James Itsewah (Unilag 2014)

ATILOGWU/IKORODO DANCE

Dance is a form of physical exercise and has the potential to motivate people as an active, non-competitive form of exercise. It has a positive effect on physical health as well as mental and emotional well-being actually dance increases the neurotransmitters called endorphins that have a control to increase a state of well-being.

Passion of Dance

Dance is a performance art form consisting of purposefully selected sequences of human movement