Adedayo Liadi, Artistic Director, Ijodee Dance Company, has appealed to the Federal Government to assist indigenous dance companies with annual subventions to boost the industry.
Liadi, the Olori Oko dance performer, made the call in a telephone interview with the the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
He said this had been the practice in other climes which was deliberately done to ensure the culture of the people did not perish.
According to him, the annual subvention will help the dance companies in the area of research, preparing for performances and to build formidable structures obtainable in other climes.
He said to generate huge revenue from the industry, government must live up to its responsibility through investment.
Liadi noted that enlivening the nation’s culture should be a collective responsibility of all.
“Talking about the dance profession in Nigeria, government’s responsibility has never been done compared to the other countries I have visited.
“As a dance artiste of over 35 years, I have been to different countries and I observed that their dance industry is fetching them serious income unlike Nigeria.
“I noticed this was as a result of their investment in the dance industry. In other climes, if a dance company is legally registered, the government gives them annual subvention to take care of their activities.
“The subvention goes for research, preparing for performances at different locations, maintenance and all, but this is not done in Nigeria, dance artistes are only struggling on their own.
“When this is not done, Nigerian dancers will continue to struggle for survival, most of them look out to feature in musical videos to survive,” he said.
Liadi said dance was a lucrative business if well structured and managed.
“Nigerian dance industry has been badly handled that is why we can only boast of two dance companies with good structures that can withstand western dance structure. The Nigerian government needs to do more,” he said.
The Olori Oko performer who is currently based in France said he had been involved in a lot of collaborations and on tours to some countries in Europe, Asia and America.
He said he had been organising youth dance workshops, festivals and seminars, among others to help dancers excel in the profession.
Liadi noted that he had assisted no fewer than 100 Nigerian dancers for further studies abroad through his dance company as he looked forward to a more vibrant dance industry in Nigeria.
According to him, he was able to do this because his dance company was affiliated with a lot of dance organisations like the International Dance Council under the umbrella body of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).
