Incredible Zigi: Meet the Ghanaian choreographer in Kuami Eugene's music video Dollar On You
- Incredible Zigi, born Michael Amofa, is a Ghanaian professional choreographer
- His career began with the help of his brother, who helped him to travel and participate in dance workshops
- The young artiste is credited as the creator of the Pilolo and Kupe dance steps as elements in Afrobeats/Azonto
- Zigi has graced major platforms and appeared in the music videos of renowned talents including Patoranking, Kuami Eugene, Stonebwoy among others
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From Hip-hop to Afro-dance, Incredible Zigi, born Michael Amofa, has gained international prominence for his wide range of dance steps and ability to create.
Amofa is credited as the creator of the Pilolo and Kupe dance steps as elements in Afrobeats/Azonto, which have been infused in choreographies by internationally acclaimed musicians and dancers, including American singer and dancer, Janet Jackson.
But he did not attain the feat on a silver platter. He had to defy odds and push against his father's original desire to become a doctor.
Source: Instagram
Early days
Born to a Ghanaian father who was keen on his education, Amofa's dad wanted him to work in the medical field.
His mother died when he was very young and this was a difficult period for the entire family including him.
Young Amofa discovered his ability to dance at an early age and against his father's wishes, he took time off his book to practice.
''There were days I had to sneak out from the house to dance and came home to find the door locked. I had to beg my big brother to open it before I could get into the house,'' he told YEN.com.gh.
After completing junior high school at Crown Prince Academy, his father enrolled him at the Odorgonno Secondary School just to keep a watchful eye on his activities despite gaining admittance to his first-choice school.
But his inherent talent thrived whilst he was in senior high school, becoming notable as one of the most skilled dancers at Odorgonno Secondary School at the time, which earned him the moniker Zigi.
The nickname was originally the accolade of a senior colleague who had earned a credential as the best dancer on campus before he arrived and many who compared his rare dance steps to the senior named him Little Zigi.
''I added incredible later after a foreigner thought I had incredible dance steps after I started performing at the malls. He kept calling me incredible anytime he saw me dancing. So, I added the accolade to be known as Incredible Zigi.''
Daring dance and academic strides
Whilst in senior high school, Amofa was gracing the stages of local shows to perform to earn money.
''I was performing at events for small money,'' he said. "But my father did not like the idea that I was not concentrating fully on my studies.''
Though his drive to dance competed against his father's desires, Amofa complete Odorgonno Secondary School as a Science student.
He would later enrol at Ghana Telecom University to study Computer Science.
During his years in the university, his quest to be recognised as a global dancer earned him the attention of major eyeballs.
''I started performing at major events and I was getting paid,'' he said.
His first breakthrough came after he completed Ghana Telecom University, earning a degree in Computer Science.
At this point, he had become a forerunner amongst his peers as a dancer, widely known as Incredible Zigi, at least in Ghana and Nigeria.
Dance and stage
Having been recognised as someone with incredible dance moves, his skill earned him a spot in the music video Available by Nigerian reggae-dancehall musician, Patoranking in 2018.
He subsequently travelled to Russia for a dance workshop that year and to Rwanda to perform with the country's best dancers at an event.
By 2019, he had become known as a mover and shaker to warrant a tour in the United Kingdom.
Covid stalling deals
Amofa admitted that 2020 was a difficult year because he was compelled to cancel a planned tour in the United States.
''I had plans to go on a tour in the US but because of COVID-19, I had to cancel.''
Despite the major drawback to his flourishing career, he capitalised on his large following on social media to sell his brand, creating dance challenges and new dance steps during the lockdown.
Between 2020 and 2021, he landed major ambassadorial deals from reputable brands such as Coca Cola, Wooden, Infinix, among others.
On May 22, 2021, he performed at the dancehall artiste, Stonebwoy's virtual concert marking the first anniversary of his Anloga Junction album, and previously appeared in the highlife artiste, Kuami Eugene's music video, Dollar On You.
Michael Amofa's years of hard work is yielding results and he plans to impact the lives of rural folks by helping young people to discover their talent.
From a family of five including his father, late mother, and two siblings, Amofa now-Incredible Zigi, has become a torchbearer in his family and gracing the platforms of renowned artistes and making Ghana proud.
In a separate story, an American Ghanaian author, Isaac Addae, has notched another academic milestone as he earns a PhD in Business Administration and Management from Morgan State University.
Addae has recounted his journey to attaining the feat in a recent post on LinkedIn.
The author of Black Boy Fly, a book he is set t release in the Summer this year, disclosed it seemed impossible when he first began the journey to acquiring a PhD in 2010 but God made it possible.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
