Azonto: The Dance from Ghana

Greetings!

I had a very sweet experience yesterday that brought back a whole lot of memories. It was praise time in church with a very hot, danceable beat, and before I knew it, the guy next to me started dancing Azonto dance style. I was wowed. Come on, that's a dance from about ten years ago, and anyone still dancing in that style must have really loved it when it first came out.

Azonto is actually a Ghanaian thing, popularized by the songwriter Fuse ODG with his songs "Azonto" and "Antenna." Back in 2014 and 2015, these songs were on top of the world, especially with the signature dance that came with them, the Azonto dance. And hey, the dance is simple! I used to dance it and can still picture myself doing it now, but I would probably only dance it in my head to avoid being laughed at. I think @wongi did this in one of the clips I watched of her dancing.

The Song "Azonto":

According to Fuse ODG, he saw people dancing this style in his area and thought he could make something bigger out of it. That birthed the "Azonto" song and the viral dance craze that followed.

When the song became very popular, it left the shores of Ghana and entered Nigeria. That's when Nigerian artists hopped onto it, enhanced everything about it, and even made it seem like a Nigerian thing. Ohhhh! The Nigerian music industry is so big and too good at adopting foreign trends, making them their own (our own), and sometimes causing the original source to be forgotten.

So yeah, Wizkid did his own song titled "Azonto," and wow, it overshadowed the original by Fuse ODG.

The beauty of Wizkid's "Azonto" is that whenever you hear it, it brings a nostalgic feeling because it's one of the singles from the early days of his career. Those were the days when he was creating songs effortlessly, playfully. Yes, the lyrics weren't serious—he just wanted to join the Azonto wave—and the song came out as a banger. The dance was also displayed really well then, and Wizkid's version made many of us forget the original song by Fuse ODG.

Things got even better when Psquare released their own version with a more refined and sweetened style, which they called "Alingo." Although it wasn’t exactly in the same tone as the first two Azonto hits, this track was still rooted in the Azonto vibe. And in this case, the dance was even more beautifully executed.

Psquare, apart from their great singing, were also known for their dancing, led by Peter. He and his dance crew did such an excellent job with the Azonto style in "Alingo" that whenever someone watches the "Alingo" music video, the main part they look forward to is the captivating Azonto dance.

Also, whenever this song comes on, the dance moves from the video pop into your head, tempting you to bust a move. It's like that because the song and the video were incredibly popular back then.

Nigerians and Ghanaians reading this, please tell me—did you know how to dance the Azonto back then, and can you still dance it now?

Thanks for reading.

Photo

Videos were collected from YouTube