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THE DRAMATIC ESSENCE OF DANCE IN THE IHUEN – 

EGUARE ANNUAL FESTIVAL PERFORMANCE OF 

EGORO KINGDOM IN ESAN WEST LOCAL 

GOVERNMENT AREA OF EDO STATE – NIGERIA 

 

Okhaifo Phillandar, Eseigbe 
Department of Theatre Arts, Igbinedion University Okada 

Edo State, Nigeria. okhaifo.eseigbe@iuokada.edu.org.  

 

Abstract  

Traditional African festival performance is the conglomeration of 

the entire life and culture of the African worldview. The major 

problem with traditional African festival performances is that they 

are mostly subsumed in dance and dancing activities. This paper 

aims to validate dance as the central purveyor on which a typical 

traditional African festival rests. The study shall further 

demonstrate that the Ihuen – Eguare festival performance of Egoro 

Kingdom in Esan West Local Government Area of Edo state; is a 

mirror of the way of life, an embodiment of the people’s 

philosophical and religious thought and generic symbol and a 

reflection of their art form; verbal, visual and mimetic. 

Methodically, the paper utilized the participant and observation 

methods of data gathering. The literary method of research also 

aided the study as primary and secondary sources. The paper noted 

that one of the telling qualities of the Ihuen – Eguare annual festival 

performance is its graceful and uncluttered prose, coupled with its 

ruthless exclusion of convoluted, tortuous or obscure expressions 

from the musical expressions. The study however discovered that 

the festival of Eguare Egoro people is founded on dance as dance 

is what made up the actions that brought about the excitement and 

euphoria of the entire celebration. Therefore, this paper 

recommends that the traditional festival of African inclination 

could be extrapolated as an intellectual discipline with the 

introduction of a viable guild system; with specialists in music, 

mailto:okhaifo.eseigbe@iuokada.edu.org


AMA: Journal of Theatre and Cultural Studies 

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dance and drama as well as other aesthetic articulation so that our 

festivals can become a repertory in the search for an alternative in 

contemporary performance module in Theatre or Performing Arts.  

 

Introduction 

The role of dance in the festival is most dramatic and 

entertaining, although some of these dances are ritualistic in form 

and style. By dramatic, it means that the dance is responsible for 

the entertainment and communication experienced in the entire 

celebration. This is because the dance forms the core and it is 

captured as the confluence stage where the physical and the 

supernatural interact to affirm a leadership role.  It must be noted 

from the onset that there is no specific number of dances that are 

exhibited in the Eguare – Egoro annual festival. There are no 

specific dancers as well. They dance according to the motivation 

of the rhythm of the music. As already established, dance in the – 

Eguare festival thrives on spontaneous action caused by mood 

resulting in improvisation created through the structural content. 

As long as dance has something to transmit through its medium; it 

certainly belongs to art in the widest sense of this word. In these 

dances, particular shapes (designs) are employed but their 

arrangements are not consciously selected. This contributes to the 

promotion of unified mood and action. Whereas, the imitation of 

‘action’ is the essence of drama or poetry as the case may be. In 

reality, though, it seems more probable that the universality of 

human nature secures a similar response in similar conditions: 

producing certain social attitudes and similar forms are applied. 

The functions are for amusement and solidarity. Everyday 

activities of life are wrapped and exhibited in the process of the 

dance accompaniments. Improvisation is a basic feature of the 

Eguare – Egoro festival performance, with dance as its focal point 

‘’… whereby individuals have the license to, within the confines 

of the performance; exhibit different styles of movements that may 

be different from the groups’ performance – but still maintains the 



Okhaifo: Dramatic essence of dance in the Ihuen-eguare annual festival… 

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general rhythm (atmosphere) of the performance. It is 

instantaneous (spontaneous) in nature, lasting but for a few seconds 

or moments’’ (Abbe, 154). Logically, the ritual of the dance 

performance captures the sociological essence of the Egoro 

people’s cultural artefact portraying communal interaction among 

the people. With this unified background; the community thrives 

in all spheres of human interaction. To buttress this point, 

Emoruwa asserts that, ‘‘dance as an art, communicates, interprets 

and expresses ideas, thoughts and emotions of human minds 

through movements, gestures, symbols, colours and other non-

verbal theatrical elements’’ (101). 

Being that the problem of the traditional African festival is 

subsumed in the art and act of dancing, therefore this study shall 

specifically be relevant in scholarship in that it shall narrow down 

the effects and excitements of traditional African festival 

performances to the issue of dance. Whereas, researches about the 

particular relevance of dance in traditional festival settings of 

African inclination has not been sufficiently available since 

emphasis had usually been centred mostly on the shadow rather 

than the substance of the indigenous festival performances. 

 

The Role of Dance in the Ihuen – Eguare Festival Performance 

Dance is one of the core aspects of the festival. Without dance, we 

cannot have a total theatre. As dance plays a substantial role in the 

theatre, so does it in festivals. At the festival, the communicative 

spell of dance comes into play. This is heightened by the 

simultaneous participation of the whole community in the dance. 

So, the role dance plays in the festival culture can be seen in this 

instance. When acquiring a special function, the dance shape is 

accordingly adjusted by the dancer(s). In the process, the easily – 

found symbolic elements in dance are employed to make the action 

meaningful, different and unusual. 



AMA: Journal of Theatre and Cultural Studies 

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Plate 1: A comic dancer doing a solo dance as a prelude before the 

king’s dance. Photo: The researcher 

 

In the Ihuen – Eguare Egoro festival, irrespective of the 

style, the dances remain didactic; to promote obeisance. This 

movement is the warp (influence) of dance designed to induce mass 

psychosis (general participation). Thus, the art of imitation sets in 

and the performers articulate thoughts and ideas in the dance – 

mime, or gestures. Nevertheless, all these are realized in the 

complex interweaving of rhythms and movement patterns. In the 

Eguare – Egoro festival, the actions in the dance - drama the 

imitation of the action of the ancestors. Consequently, a high sense 

of observation is needed to be able to understand what you are 

seeing as the festival lasts. It can as well be easily determined by 

the style of the dancer at a given point in time. 

In the Eguare – Egoro festival, the simplicity of the Esan 

language variety, not only aids the dancers; but also makes it easy 



Okhaifo: Dramatic essence of dance in the Ihuen-eguare annual festival… 

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for the spectators to be involved in the dramatic enactments of the 

dance procession. As the dance procession moves, you are likely 

to hear phrases, words and exclamations to nativism and to 

contextualize the Esan language. The aesthetic of Esan language 

lies in the simplicity but subtle phrasing of sentence structure and 

style. Ordinarily, the language of Esan as used in the Egoro variety 

is affable. It is not bombastic diction or jargon–plated syntax but 

the prose vernacular of everyday life. The emphasis of the Egoro 

dialect of Esan is on directness and clarity. The dialogue is often 

vivid and evocative. So, for this reason, the Eguare festival 

employs the full range of linguistic resources of traditional African 

theatre – like proverbs, riddles, legends, jokes, metaphors, 

allusions, hyperboles and rhetorical devices of conversation and 

public oratory in the whole performance. So, dance is the soul of a 

people’s culture and tradition.   

 

The Dance and the Dramaturgy of the Eguare – Egoro Festival 

Performance 

The essentials of the dance are contained within the melody 

of songs and the harmony of the instruments. This is because 

performance includes all the activity of a given participant on a 

given occasion, which serves to influence in a way, any other 

participants. In the concept of the dance, every dancer has a 

relationship with one another, propelled by the musical sounds that 

they hear. Folk songs are spontaneously formulated, within the 

Eguare – Egoro kingdom’s progeny, to suit the context of the 

dance. 

The urge to move is biological and significant to man in 

revealing his thoughts and freeing himself of a psychological 

strain. In this direction, one can postulate that dance evolved from 

three major sources; ‘’emotional impulse and improvisation’’, ‘’the 

need by man to release psychic tension using rhythmic movement’’ 

and ‘’the performance of ecstasy’’ or ‘’magic’’. Thus, the Ihuen – 

Eguare festival (dance) performance creates room for solidarity 



AMA: Journal of Theatre and Cultural Studies 

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and social cohesion as it embodies doctrines and integrates 

thoughts and actions (efforts) through exaggeration and repetition 

which are the same processes employed in the realization of any 

dramatic experience. 

This dramatic content is understandable as a purely 

expressive entity: it cannot be explained by other media than dance. 

In the dance, the most important element, which is stressed first, is 

the flow of movements. In this perspective, Ugolo points out that, 

“dance that is motivated by songs tend to be mimetic and tend to 

make use of gestures to dramatize the text content of the songs. 

Movements, however, conforms to the rhythmic beat of the song” 

(173). Significantly, the participants are interpretative instruments 

in the dance performance; they bring dance to life and give it its 

qualities and meanings through symbolic movements. 

The dances in the festival of Ihuen – Eguare performance 

are very spectacular in form and context. On the one hand, the 

rhythm of the music dictates the dance. On the other hand, in some 

movements, the dancers seem to dictate the rhythm of the music by 

way of body movement and facial expression and other related 

gestures that the temperament of the dancer(s) may reflect. The 

songs play a vital role in that it helps to carry the dancers to a realm, 

thereby stimulating the intellectual sensibility of every performer 

and spectator alike. This is because; the songs are the variables 

which constitute the main dialogues in the dramatic experience, 

providing the basis for the performance. Self-expression and 

physical release can be seen as the two basic motives for dance. 

The point here is that dance communicates and propagates culture, 

and it is pertinent to state that every form of dance communicates. 

Whereas communication is a conscious or intentional process in 

which feelings and ideas are expressed, and verbal and non-verbal 

messages are sent, received, and comprehended. Dance as a form 

of non-verbal communication is capable of passing across intended 

messages. Thus, the context of a message has an overall bearing on 

the message itself. It may be said that dance is the mother of all 



Okhaifo: Dramatic essence of dance in the Ihuen-eguare annual festival… 

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languages, an original language of total bodily gestures we call 

speech and the other kinds of language are only parts of it which 

have undergone specialized development. Consequently, dance as 

drama serves as a strong tool to identify, depict, and communicate 

images, characters, and cultures. Obviously, dance can function as 

drama in that dance is ultimately related to man’s basic need to 

communicate what he is through body movements. 

Conversely, Obongko and Onwuka postulate: 

Like every art, dance mirrors society. It is a reflection of 

what obtains in the society, in which it is created, reflecting 

the styles, attitudes, codes, mannerisms, and the totality of 

the way of life of the members of the society. It expresses 

the totality of lifestyles and experiences just like other 

forms of art. Dance interprets, reproduces and expresses 

the lives of the people in the society; therefore, it can be 

said to constitute the integral part of human existence that 

performs ritual functions in society (93). 

 

Nevertheless, the Ihuen – Eguare festival dance is like what was 

asserted by Nettleford:  

 

All of the writers acknowledge the mediation of dance in 

Africa itself by social reality, associated, as those activities 

relating to birth, puberty and death, war, recreation, 

initiation, ritual et al. this indeed, makes dance in Africa a 

traditional source of communication and often of history 

re-enacted through movements… As with the art forms 

emanating from their civilizations or cultural complexes, 

it merely means that viewers of African dance need to 

understand Africa’s cultural heritage if they are to 

understand and critically appreciate in any depth the true 

meaning and aesthetic authority of what is being seen… 

The Africans in their rituals and masquerades at home 

usually transform thoughts and ideas into spectacles. 



AMA: Journal of Theatre and Cultural Studies 

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Abroad in the diaspora, their task may well be to transform 

their spectacles (sports and entertainment), into thoughts 

(xiv, xviii). 

 

 No wonder then that Primus observes that, “Dance in Africa is not 

a separate art, but a part of the whole complex of living. Dance is 

only a part of the whole or the complex. The ceremony [festival] is 

the complex… Geniuses draw music from everywhere. Dancers 

become filled with supernatural power’’ (4). The Ihuen – Eguare 

festival dance is mostly made up of war and victory dances – some 

nod their heads, rock their necks, tilt their heads and pause. They 

shake their shoulders; throw them back and forth, and bounce their 

breasts to thank God who ordained that they be alive. They 

rhythmically shake their buttocks, their stomach, and their legs in 

quick and slow marches; dribble, quiver and tremble while their 

feet perform. The dances are full of emotions. Hence, Primus 

observes: 

 

To understand African dance adequately, one should have 

some knowledge of African religions, for in the ecstasy of 

a religious experience – the dancers become a god – form 

and the body frees itself of its structural limitations. Legs, 

bodies, arms, and heads may move in seemingly 

impossible counterpoint (10). 

 

Therefore, “in the raw, traditional African dance is the integrated 

art of movement that is controlled by her music which is governed 

by her languages… African dance translates everyday experiences 

into movements” (Green 13, 14). Green further contends: 

 

Dance is a way of life for African people and is associated 

with everyday activities… Dance in Africa is always 

accompanied by music which ranges from hand clapping 

and singing to massive orchestras of instrumentation… 



Okhaifo: Dramatic essence of dance in the Ihuen-eguare annual festival… 

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Dance in Africa is a way of life, a source of communication 

and history enacted through movement (26). 

 

From the above assertions, it is correct to observe that such 

festival dances that are motivated by songs tend to be mimetic and 

tend to make use of gestures to dramatize the text of the songs. 

Therefore movements conform to the rhythmic beats of the musical 

accompaniments. Through the form of dance, the performance 

elicits a response from the spectators and mobilizes them to 

participate in the performance thus breaking “the fourth – wall”. 

Dance does not only bring the festival closer to the ritual origin of 

the festival, but even more importantly enhances the aesthetic 

appeal to the spectators. However, there is no history and no 

culturally fixable limit as to what is or is not performance; what is 

important is that there is an “action” which is ‘framed, prescribed, 

highlighted or displayed’. Whereas, performance is a didactic flow 

that is a spontaneous movement in which action and awareness are 

one and reflexivity in which the central meanings, values and goals 

of culture are seen in action as they shape and explain behaviour. 

 In the Ihuen – Eguare festival performance, artistic talents are 

utilized to the fullest in the form of dance movements. Dance is 

both a sign and a vehicle of communication. It can express an 

action or an idea and, it is at the same time the “action” and the idea 

it expresses. Since a sign derives its meaning from its nature, and a 

tool assumes its significance from what it is used for; the use of 

dance in the festival has both intrinsic and cultural imports. 

Through the movement patterns, dance kinetically conveys verbal 

information; the music gets visually interpreted and in particular – 

through dance motions. 

In the Eguare – Egoro festival, the voice also maintains a 

great effect as it sings out rhythmical sounds such as “ugh”, “ah-

ha,” and “unh”. Hence, the dance can be seen as “saying 

something,” or “telling a story.” The instruments are played with a 

percussive bias and the dance which is also percussive consists of 



AMA: Journal of Theatre and Cultural Studies 

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stamping, clapping, taps, and rattles. Vocalizing in the form of 

voice ululation, and calls are prevalent throughout the celebration. 

As the drums communicate on a verbal basis, the dancers also 

speak out in bodily rhythms of particular gestures and steps. For 

example, if the secret is beating upon the drum, that secret will be 

revealed in dance; in the process, a lot of comic movements are 

also made to tincture the instinct of the audience and thus make 

them feel excited. At certain points in the performance, some of the 

dancers would move around slowly as if in a trance; a reflection of 

a soothsayer or herbalist who is trying to invoke a mysterious 

power to diagnose or even suggest a solution to a particular ailment 

or riddle. Thus, in the process of performance, the art of 

dramaturgy and several others are utilized in a manner not 

dissimilar to their usage in other dramatic traditions like Europe, 

America or Asia. 

 

The Dramatic Essence of Dance in the Ihuen – Eguare Festival 

Performance 

Adesina Adegbite however defines festivals as an ‘’event, 

usually and ordinarily staged by a local community that centres on 

some unique aspects of the community. A festival can also be seen 

as a series of performances involving music, plays, dances, etc., 

usually organized annually or as agreed upon, where people of a 

particular community come together to dine and wine; to celebrate 

and share common tradition’’ (133). 

The theme of the festival creates the mood for the actions 

thereafter. These in turn determine the dance contents that are 

improvised. The elements are basic components of any dramatic 

performance. In the Ihuen Eguare – Egoro festival, the dance not 

only marks the rhythm of life, worship, and harvest – but also 

expresses the continuity of their culture of farming, hunting and 

sometimes going as far back as the ancient times. In the real sense, 

the Eguare Egoro festival performance in action of reality, 

constitutes the theatrical implications and articulations. 



Okhaifo: Dramatic essence of dance in the Ihuen-eguare annual festival… 

11 

 

 
Plate 2: The procession warriors brandishing their dane-guns in a dance 

style. Source: Ebhos Photos, Ikhido, Egoro 

 

 
Plate 3: The warriors doing the war dance steps 

Source: The Researcher 

 



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The Eguare – Egoro festival is full of dance and 

movements. The cast, costumes, orchestral accompaniment, solo 

and chorus differ little in spirit from the mystery and passion plays 

enacted in medieval Europe in the cathedrals. The dances are apt 

to become ecstatic. Once a state of such frenzy is attained, some of 

the main participants seem to become impervious as it were, 

capable of amusements, pleasure and entertainment; education and 

enlightenment. No wonder then that Nwabuoku contends that: 

 

Dance occupies a central position in Nigerian music. 

Indeed, in many Nigerian cultures, the fusion is such that 

the words for music and dance have come to be 

synonymous. To illustrate the point, the vast majority of 

the ethnic group in Nigeria, in attempting to translate the 

term music into its indigenous equivalent provides the 

word for dance… In reality, music as a concept is a signal 

for many things and therefore acts as a trigger for other 

behaviour as movements (dance or mime), songs and 

creative speech (43). 

 

Following the dance movements diligently, the soul of the 

performance is mirrored through the beauty of the dances that run 

through the entire process of the festival. Hence, the dramatic 

essence is seen in the transformation of everyday events and 

behaviour into live performances through dance and related 

gestures. All the antecedents of the people, both origin and history, 

are expressed in dance, which in turn holds the spectators 

spellbound. Most people want to dance because it is therapeutic, 

educating, active and entertaining. Every kind of word is expressed 

in the dance. 

The dances in Eguare – Egoro festival interpret and 

transmit epic content. The essentials of the dance in the festival are 

contained within the melody of the instruments. The movements 

are sensational because they are intertwined and interwoven with 



Okhaifo: Dramatic essence of dance in the Ihuen-eguare annual festival… 

13 

 

the rhythms and harmonic patterns of the instruments – combined. 

The instruments, though they are so simple and easy to construct, 

yet when played accordingly; are capable of producing great 

rhythms which can motivate anyone to make some improvisational 

movements in response. The essence of the dance styles is mainly 

for entertainment and to pass a moral message to the audience 

through the songs, mostly wrapped in proverbs, adages and 

traditional idioms of the Esan extraction. It serves as oral literature 

to the people, an avenue for them to sensitize and admonish 

spectators. The dance is propelled by the sounds that you hear. 

 

Plate 4: Female celebrants lead the dance procession 

Source: The Researcher 

 

In Eguare – Egoro annual festival, there is no audience 

separated from the performers; when the drums sound, 

accompanied by folk singing, dancing follows. However, when the 



AMA: Journal of Theatre and Cultural Studies 

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audience feels like dancing at any time during the performance of 

the dance, they spontaneously start dancing. Similarly, one would 

ask: what is it that propels the audience to get up and dance? It is 

all about the excitement that has been generated by the entire 

ensemble. The vast majority of the movements are acquired by 

learning; because of this automated unconsciousness one meets 

great difficulties in verbally formulating the characters, and 

structuring the manner of exact performance of the movements that 

is including them in the cognitive process. 

Plate 5: The dance moves on towards the palace ground with the 

researcher in front. Source: Ebhos Photos, Ikhido, Egoro 

 

In dance, the most important element, and that which is 

stressed first, is the flow of movement. Without respecting the 

continuity, without stressing the element of flow in movement, 

there is no dancing action: the flow of movement is the warp of 

dance. So, a dance exists only as long as the dancer is dancing. The 

relationship of music and dance is stronger and more intimate in 



Okhaifo: Dramatic essence of dance in the Ihuen-eguare annual festival… 

15 

 

the African context. Dance is born into African life and it is fully 

expressed or evident in the traditional festival scenario as the 

people venerate their ancestors and worship their gods. While 

discussing “Music in Nigerian Traditional Dance Performance” 

Ugolo postulates: 

 

 In a typical African festival theatre, the art forms of music, 

dance, sculpture, painting and drama exist side by side… 

Music and dance in traditional Nigerian societies happen as 

religious (ritual) and social (ceremonial) events. In effect, 

to some extent, dance is a reflection of the social dynamics 

of music … the social conditions that motivate both (music 

and dance) are principally the same; the forms overlap, and 

the compositional and choreographic techniques are the 

same principles, thus giving a keen observer the impression 

that the two are inseparable, especially in the African and 

indeed the Nigerian context (171). 

 

Another prominent motive why the African festival is 

interwoven with dance is due to its musical bias, codifying the 

norms and nuances of the people into oral literature. Because of 

this, Ugolofurther puts it thus: 

 

As in most musical traditions, melody constitutes one of the 

chief characteristics of African music apart from rhythm. In 

other words, African dancers relate to the music based on 

both melody and rhythm. Movements that are motivated by 

the melody of the music are usually emotionally based and 

are therefore very expressive …In most traditional festival 

performances, dancers play the role of musicians by singing 

while dancing or playing some instruments. Some dancers 

wear musical instruments around their bodies, like leg and 

hand rattles, bells or iron chains. Such instruments act as 

body idiophones that help to give an accent to the rhythm 



AMA: Journal of Theatre and Cultural Studies 

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of the step pattern of the dance… Dance and music 

cooperate: they often coexist. There is no doubt that there 

is music in dance and most kind of music induce dance; or 

if not dance, some agitation of bodily movement. Thus 

music and dance exist in a symbiotic relationship in 

Nigerian traditional performance (174 – 175).     

 

In the Ihuen – Eguare festival performance, the dance of the king 

(Onojie) appears simple. Okewola emphasized that ‘’there is 

something very unique about African dance. Although in general, 

dance uses a progression of steps and movements to resonate with 

the beat of a piece of music and coordinates the body in a cadenced 

manner, most African dances are segregated body movements that 

can be very hard to organize intellectually’’ (4). These are known 

as polyrhythm and polycentric movements. Polyrhythm is the 

layering of different rhythms over one another and polycentrism is 

the idea that movement can initiate from any part of the body. 

These two qualities play together because different parts of the 

body dance to different instruments that are playing at different 

rhythms. For instance, my hands and my feet were to keep time 

with the gongs, my hips with the first drum, and my back and 

shoulders with the second. Whereas, these elements of music are 

displayed clearly in the body and nothing is left out. Hence, 

dancing is a way of incorporating and valuing the entire body and 

bringing together the music and dancing; thus, the artist’s body is 

in some sense separated so that different parts of the body are 

moving autonomously of each other.  



Okhaifo: Dramatic essence of dance in the Ihuen-eguare annual festival… 

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Plate 6: The king moving and dancing graciously 

Source: Ebhos Photos 

 

Discussing the essence of music, song, dance and mime in 

the Eguare – Egoro festival, these elements function jointly and 

severally almost inseparable. Music functions as the language and 

it is ethnic–bound, so to speak. Although some very specific songs 

are peculiar to the festival, sometimes the music-making may be 

organized as a concurrent activity, such as incidental or 

background music for some incidences, like visiting the Odionwele 

or chiefs of certain quarters of the community to pay homage and 

receive gifts of kola nuts and money. In the process of the dance, 

the music may be related to the needs of the performers in a variety 

of ways. The dance is performed to attract the audience by 

performing work or occupational dances; both for their enjoyment 

and as a source of attraction and entertainment for the spectators. 

The dance or music in the festival is more like a social activity, one 

that emphasizes artistic as well as social, political and religious 

values. The dance is also performed for the messages that it 



AMA: Journal of Theatre and Cultural Studies 

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communicates, or for the outlet that it provides for social 

interaction or the sharing of community sentiments; whereas the 

music, some of which are war songs while others are a tribute to 

past kings and heroes, offerings to a deity or a general rendition of 

myths, legends, proverbs, parables and riddles. The approach to 

music links the festival moment and ensures spontaneous 

participation and identification with the musical life of the people. 

Hence, Awodiya notes “Thus, the music, song and dance of the 

African people are artistic expressions of their humanity and 

society; the people’s philosophy features prominently” (181). 

It must also be emphasized that the music or songs in the 

Eguare – Eguare festival is participatory; everyone may participate 

in the chorus as the song leaders of the procession sing. The songs 

evoke responses from the people who either shake their heads or 

tap their feet or make spontaneous body movements. The music 

and songs are very scintillating and compelling in their rhythmic 

bearing. The songs are like imagery, witty and contain some 

proverbs and supplications. They form the basic make–up of the 

festival performance – whereby they become systematically 

interrelated parts of the entire dramaturgy. 

The most incredible feature of the performance is how the 

dancers can follow the harmony of the instruments and the 

melodious songs, to produce those steps which can be likened to 

contemporary dance-drama. In the entire performance, audience 

participation is spontaneous both in songs and in basic elementary 

movements. In the process of the performance, a lot of comic 

movements are also made to tincture the instinct of the audience 

and thereby make them feel excited. In some instances, the dance 

steps of the people may not be new each time they dance, but they 

always have one or two new revues (improvisations) to add to their 

flow of movements. Hence, the aesthetics and social relevance of 

the festival are enhanced. Sometimes the exuberant agility with 

which these people (old and young) jump, turn, sing, shout, run, 

leap, thrust, float, glide, flick, dab, etc dazzles the spectators. This 



Okhaifo: Dramatic essence of dance in the Ihuen-eguare annual festival… 

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is so as there are some steps and movements in the process that are 

incredibly fantastic. 

In the process of the dance movements, the performers 

normally exhibit characters of domestic behaviours as well as 

occupational movements. The very typical dancer would make his 

or her movement to replicate some wild and domestic animals 

mimicking their postures in such a funny way as would be in tune 

with the melody of the music, particularly the lyrical 

accompaniments.  

 

Conclusion 

EduBirdie observes that ‘’in African culture, dance is for 

enjoyment, celebration and honour… dance has always been a big 

part of African culture – long before they were even oppressed or 

taken from native lands. It had always been a very fundamental part 

of the lives of Africans. Special occasions like childbirth or 

marriage were a cause for celebration and we use dances to do so’’ 

(1). 

It also suffices to note that the action of the dancers at 

certain movements of the performance is akin to man and his 

relationship with the spiritual world, which seemed to be a 

complete mystery, beyond the expression of words. The songs in 

Ihuen – Eguare festival have a way of stimulating the brain and 

mind of the dancer and the people including spectators – to activate 

the reality and the significance of the show, thereby enhancing 

excitement. Any pattern of dance is relevant as long as it’s in tune 

with the melody of the songs and the harmony of the instruments 

in such a funny and intricate manner to re-enact life within the 

scope of the people.  

Therefore, the dance structures in the Eguare – Egoro 

festival, when exposing some content, become meaningful shapes. 

They take on more or less abstract symbolic features. These are 

recognizable through their common movement expression, or they 

acquire secondary or conventional meaning. It must however be 



AMA: Journal of Theatre and Cultural Studies 

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understood that dance as an art, includes all those movement 

manifestations which take us above everyday life level. This may 

be achieved in different ways, varying in different times and places. 

Those movement structures that become meaningful shapes, 

acquiring the status of symbols, contribute to the outcome of forms, 

which constitute the dance on the art level. 

In the Eguare – Egoro festival performance, every dancer 

has a relationship with one another about the sound that you are 

hearing. Hence, for you to identify the dramatic essence of dance 

in the festival, you need to look very closely and see so clearly as 

the performance moves in the procession across the whole 

community. The dramatic essence involves what you see and how 

you understand what you see. This will involve discerning 

differences within movements and other elements such as costumes 

and props. During the climax of the performance, the dance styles 

use some of the humanly possible actions of the body, selected 

gestures, bends, extensions, twists and turns. These activities may 

be combined with stepping, jumping, running and even falling. 

How the dancer uses space can also determine the pace of the 

performance. 

Analytically, the dance movements used in Eguare – Egoro 

festival are simple. They glide, leap and freeze. They make their 

performance theatrical that it combines mimic, and pantomimic 

elements amongst others. 

Because the festival is all about happiness, the excitement 

becomes inevitable. Since happiness is like pregnancy that cannot 

be hidden, it naturally finds expression in dance and gestures. Once 

a state of frenzy is attained, few of the dancers suddenly seem to 

be impervious as it were; to amusements and ecstasy; pleasure and 

entertainment, education and enlightenment. 

In the end, the actual dramatic essence of the dances in the 

Egoro festival is propitiatory, sacrificial and laudatory using which 

the people acknowledge the blessings of the supreme creator, lesser 

deities and the ancestral spirit – manifested in good health, good 



Okhaifo: Dramatic essence of dance in the Ihuen-eguare annual festival… 

21 

 

harvest, etc. So, dance functions as drama in the interpretation and 

transmission of epic content of the people. According to Adegbite, 

he points that, ‘’for effective communication, dance has been 

playing various roles that are functional in all the major 

manifestations of human endeavours. Indeed, dance has also 

helped in the shaping and re-shaping the history of different 

cultures all over the world’’ (133).  

The festival performance in its manifestation, maintains a 

link with the people’s cultural, social and political inclinations. The 

Eguare festival is not a complicated creation; but an art form with 

an acute critical perspective that enables the people to reflect on the 

origin and history of the community. The dance reflects the 

people’s cultural antecedents, beliefs, occupations and religion. 

Moreover, the dance thrives on the stylish steps, gestures, and 

dynamics – which are so heightened to achieve a certain level of 

aesthetics. The dance dramatizes the historical life and cultural 

beliefs of the Eguare people of the Egoro kingdom in Esan land. 

As the festival moves, it rotates and revolves around the dance in 

its evolution; motivated by music in the vivid manifestation of the 

whole process. Dance, therefore, is not merely an art form – for 

art’s sake, entertainment: it could serve serious issues such as the 

ones addressed by the festival performance; that dance is the 

vehicle on which the festival performance moves and takes or 

navigates its course. 
 

 

Works Cited 

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Ugie – Oro Ritual Dance of the Benin People of Nigeria 

(unpublished PhD Thesis) Ibadan: Institute of African 

Studies, University of Ibadan, 2014. 

Adegbite, Adesina. ‘’The Impact of African Traditional Dance: 

Orosun Example’’ in Journal of Media and 

Communication Studies, Vol. 2(6), Available online 



AMA: Journal of Theatre and Cultural Studies 

22 

 

http://www.academicjournals.org/jmcs, ISSN 2141 – 

2545, July, 2010. Retrieved on 11th October 2022.   

Awodiya, P. Muyiwa. The Drama of Femi Osofisan: A Critical 

Perspective. Ibadan: Kraft Books Ltd., 1995. 

EduBirdie, Writing Platform. ‘’The Role and Significance of 

Dance for African Cultures’’. February 17th 2022 in  

EduBirdie. Retrieved October 11th, 2022, from 

https://edubirdie.com/examples/the-role-and-significance-

of-dance-for-african-culture/ 

Emoruwa, F. O. “Forms and Meaning in Biripo Dance of Ilaje in 

Ondo state” in Journal of Humanities, Unilorin, 2006.  

Green, Doris. Traditional Dance in Africa. In African Dance: An 

Artistic Historical and Philosophical Inquiry (K. W. 

Asante Ed.), African World Press, 1996. 

Nettleford, Rex. “Forward” in African Dance: An Artistic 

Historical and Philosophical Inquiry (Kariamu Welsh 

Asante Ed.), African World Press Inc., 1996. 

Nwabuoku, Emeka. The Realities of Music and Dance in Africa. 

Benin City: Uniben Press, 1998. 

Obongko, Enem and Onwuka, Esther. “The Place of Dance and 

Music in Democracy in Nigeria’’, in Nigerian Theatre 

Journal (Ameh Dennis Akoh Ed.), Vol. 16, 2016. 

Okewola, M. Morajeyo. “The Role of Dance in African Culture” 

in Global Sisters Report: 

https://www.globalsistersreport.org/news/spirituality/colu

mn/role-dance-african-culture, July, 2021. Retrieved on 

11th October 2022. 

Primus, Pearl. ‘’African Dance’’ in African Dance: Artistic 

Historical and Philosophical Inquiry. African World Press 

Inc., 1996. 

Ugolo, E. Chris. ‘’Music in Nigerian Traditional Dance 

Performance’’ in Music and Social Dynamics in Nigeria’’ 

(Bode Omojola Ed.), New York: Peter Lang Publishing 

Inc., 2017.  

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