Abubakari Meriga Salifu, known to most as ‘Yaya’, has been a senior member of the Ghana Dance Ensemble (National Dance Company) for the past thirty (30) years. He has carved a niche for himself through various performances and consistently exhibited his talent both as a highly disciplined performer and teacher. He is conversant with dancing (both traditional and contemporary dance forms) and the playing of Gonje (a one stringed fiddle instrument) which he inherited from his royal family in the northern region.
He has worked with renowned choreographers such as Prof. F Nii-Yartey, H Patten, Germaine Acogny, Arthur Hall, Reginald Yates, Nanna Nilson and others.
Yaya has travelled extensively, teaching, performing and conducting workshops in music and dance in Denmark, Korea, Japan, Germany, Indonesia, Zimbabwe, France, Denmark, Norway, Angola, Senegal, Ivory Coast, The Netherlands, Qatar, Nigeria, India, Algeria, Ethiopia, United Kingdom and the United States.
Yaya will be joining Kakatsitsi for their 2025 UK tour.
