Elmina Dance Academy, founded by choreographer and urban dancer Francis ‘Jaybog’ Hagan, is rewriting what it means to dance in Ghana—blending Afro rhythm, Hip Hop energy, and a fierce social conscience into one unstoppable movement.
In a coastal town celebrated for its historic castle and the rhythms of the Atlantic, a new legacy is being written — not in stone, but in movement. Elmina Dance Academy, established in 2018, has quietly grown from a local passion project into one of Ghana’s most dynamic and socially engaged dance institutions, and its founders say the world is only beginning to take notice.
At the heart of it all is Francis Hagan, a choreographer and dancer known across Ghana’s urban dance scene by the name Jaybog. Jaybog, a veteran of the respected B-13 Dance Crew, channeled the energy of its dissolution into a new venture: a formal academy where young Ghanaians with a gift for movement could get professional training, mentorship, and a real pathway to a career in dance.
“Some of the guys from B-13 decided to move on and focus on their personal lives,” Jaybog explains. “I looked at that moment and saw an opportunity. There were so many talented young people in Elmina with nowhere to go, no structure to grow. That is why I built the academy.”
What distinguishes Elmina Dance Academy from the pack is not just the breadth of its curriculum but the cultural intentionality behind it. Students train in Afro Dance, Afro Pop, Asokpor, Hip Hop, Bboying, House Dance, and Steeze Groove—a lineup that deliberately bridges Ghana’s indigenous rhythmic traditions with the global languages of urban movement.
Jaybog says this fusion is no accident. Inspired in large part by the achievements of HNH Dance Crew—multiple-time winners of the prestigious Ghana Guinness Street Dance competition—the academy was built on the conviction that Ghanaian dancers can compete at the highest levels when given the right foundation.
“HNH showed us what was possible,” he says. “Their talent and everything they achieved lit a fire in us. We wanted to create a place where that same hunger could be nurtured from the ground up.”
For Elmina Dance Academy, art and activism are inseparable. The academy runs Afrovibes Dance Workshop—a campaign that uses performance as a platform to confront teenage pregnancy and drug abuse in Ghanaian communities. Through school visits, public performances, and community events, the academy has carried this message to thousands of young people across the Central Region.
Their reach extends beyond Ghana’s borders. The academy has participated in the OIADA International and Kean University cultural exchange programs, where its instructors have taught American students African modern and traditional dance forms—a cultural diplomacy that flows both ways, deepening appreciation on both sides of the Atlantic.
Closer to home, the academy partners with the Freeplay Playing, Learning, Active Youth (PLAY) Program, working with children as dance instructors and mentors—embedding creativity into the everyday lives of young people who might otherwise lack access to structured arts education.
The academy’s performance record is impressive for a group still less than a decade old. They have graced the stage at the MOE Concert—held annually at Elmina Chapel Square—for three consecutive years, 2022 through 2024. They have performed at the Genesis Fashion Show, the Africa Breaking Nation showcase in Accra, and the Onga Spice Carnival, as well as delivering annual performances at Edinaman Senior High School.
Their own annual concert has become a signature event on the regional calendar—drawing over 15 dance teams, 30 individual dancers, and audiences of more than 5,000 people from across the country each year.
On screen, Elmina Dance Academy has worked with a remarkably diverse roster of artists. Their credits include music videos for Ghanaian acts like FUSE ODG (Sundiata), Kweku Bany (Monday Morning), and Teetonie, as well as international collaborators including Vida Sunshyne from Australia, G-Terra from Jamaica, Amalyn from Colombia, and The Ruggeds from the Netherlands. Each project has added a new dimension to the academy’s growing global profile.
The industry is paying attention. In 2025, Elmina Dance Academy claimed the coveted Best Dance Group of the Year award at the Central Music Awards. This landmark recognition validated years of disciplined work and community commitment. That same year, they received a nomination at the Dance Awards Ghana in the same category. In 2026, the academy earned a further nomination for Best Dance Performance of the Year at the Ghana Dance Industry Awards, reinforcing their standing at the top of Ghana’s dance scene.
These accolades follow multiple nominations at the Central Business and Entertainment Awards in 2021, 2022, and 2023—a consistent acknowledgement of a brand that has been building steadily, deliberately, and with purpose.
Yet for Jaybog, trophies are a by-product, not the goal. His eyes are on something bigger: making Elmina Dance Academy an international institution that will expose the depth, diversity and dynamism of Ghanaian dance culture to the world.
CONNECT WITH ELMINA DANCE ACADEMY:
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +233 257 593 170 / +233 545 845 004
Social Media: @ElminaDanceAcademy on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok & X
