About The Artists
Anokye Agofomma is a Ghanaian Royal Court traditional music group founded by Master Drummer Yaw Amponsah in Seattle, Washington. Anokye’s mission is to continue the Royal Court legacy of the traditional drumming and dance of the Asante people. Over the years, Anokye has expanded its repertoire by drawing inspiration from and including other west African drumming and dance traditions. Operating with respect, versatility and pure musicianship, Anokye is a multi-cultural group dedicated to promoting world music at its best. The group has performed in the Seattle area on many festive occasions such as Folklife, Spirit of Africa and World Rhythm Festival as well as many events in the broader community.
Eugene Yaw Asare Amponsah
Yaw, the Founder and Director of Anokye Agofomma, began studying music and percussion as a small child in Ghana. Under the guidance of his father Koo Nimo, he spent hours immersed in the study of his craft. Growing up he founded a student percussion group in his primary school and performed with his father’s group, Addadam Agofomma.
A versatile percussionist, Yaw records and performs frequently in the Pacific Northwest with many artists and organizations including Anokye Agofomma, Gansango, and Seattle Theatre Group. He is a percussion accompanist for the University of Washington dance department. In service of his vision of cultural preservation, he teaches students of all ages from 4 years old through 70 years old.
Dede Gjanmaki Akornor-Tetteh
Ms. Dede Gjanmaki Akornor-Tetteh is a Mellon Fellow of Dance and Wellness, performer, and researcher exploring dance as a non-pharmacological wellness intervention. She holds a BFA in Dance and Theatre Arts and an MPhil in Dance Studies from the University of Ghana, where she trained under noted Ghanaian dance scholars. Her Mellon-funded thesis examined dance movement as a somatic practice for elderly wellbeing. She founded Soma-Wellnessgh, delivering Ghanaian dance-based cardio therapy to corporate clients including the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF), and served as an Assistant Lecturer and Dance Instructor in the University of Ghana’s Department of Dance Studies. She now resides in Washington State, where she continues Soma-Wellnessgh, partners with Seattle-area non-profits on community dance instruction, and serves as Lead Dancer at Anokye Agofomma.
Ellen Badukusi
Artist bio coming soon.
Greg Campbell
Based in Seattle, Greg Campbell plays drums, percussion, and French horn. He has performed with artists such as clarinetist Bill Smith, saxophonist Don Menza, Wayne Horvitz’s Electric Circus, the Jim Knapp Orchestra, steel guitarist Alvino Rey, Quincy Jones, guitarist Nels Cline, drummer Stewart Copeland, pan player and arranger Ray Holman, and many others. He has studied with Dave Holland, Cecil McBee, Bob Moses, and Ghanaian palm wine guitarist Koo Nimo. He teaches at the Cornish College of the Arts.
Edmond Hyde
Hyde graduated from the University of Ghana specializing in Theater Management, Dance and Music. He is a multi-instrumentalist, and the founder of Dzeŋ Nako. Before attending the University of Ghana, Hyde played with Indigen Africa at the National Theatre.
He joined Ayekoo Drummers of Ghana and toured with them to many international events including the Verona Jazz Festival in Italy, the Rivertone Donau Festival in Germany, and the Osangol Music and Heritage of Africa Festivals in Ghana. The group also played in Switzerland at the Montreaux Jazz Festival, the Afro-Pfingsten Festival, the Sedartis Forum ft. Alina Amuri, and the Glarus Nord Festival.
Hyde is passionate about empowering youth and is driven to positively impact socio-psychological challenges people face through experiences of African music and culture.
Michelle Doiron
Michelle is a Seattle-based musician and educator whose work bridges classical training and global musical traditions. Originally from Connecticut, she began playing piano and singing at an early age and later earned her Bachelor of Music in Classical Piano Performance from Cornish College of the Arts in 1998. She has been teaching private piano lessons to students of all ages ever since.
While at Cornish, Michelle discovered Indonesian Gamelan music, leading to over a decade of performing, recording, and teaching as a member of Gamelan Pacifica. In 2013, she expanded into hand drumming and has since spent nearly ten years studying, performing and recording with Anokye Agofomma.
Michelle continues to teach piano and percussion and manages a K–8 enrichment program, bringing a cross-cultural, community-centered approach to music education.
Guest Artists
Born in Accra, Ghana, Abbas began drumming as a child on homemade instruments and went on to teach music in Ghana's public schools as a teenager before touring internationally for five years with the Ghana National Dance Ensemble. He later performed and recorded with the traditional group Brekete while living in London, then moved to Portland, Oregon, where he performed alongside musicians like Obo Addy and White Rhino, taught privately and in schools, and released his own album, Gye Nyame. He now teaches and performs throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Abbas Saeed
Originally from Togo, West Africa, Kokou has built a wide-ranging international dance career, touring professionally across West Africa and Europe, training at Senegal's renowned Ecole des Sables, and developing his own movement technique, Magan, blending martial arts, traditional Togolese dance, and Pan-African contemporary styles. He has taught extensively in schools in Lomé and through international residencies and festivals. Since relocating to Seattle Kokou has collaborated with companies including Gansango Music and Dance, Anokye Agofomma, and Velocity Studio, while also producing music and video under his own label, Alnuzan Productions.
Kokou Gbakenou
A passionate educator with a degree in Basic Education, Maame Yaa is a preschool teacher dedicated to nurturing young minds. Currently pursuing a degree in Nursing, she blends her love for health and education seamlessly. As an interior designer and artist, she expresses creativity in various forms, while her talents as a cultural dancer and spirit-filled gospel musician enrich her life and the lives of others. Maame Yaa cherishes the connections she makes with families and friends. Above all, she has a big heart and a deep love for God and the things that concern Him.
Ohemaa Maame Yaa
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