Study of Agbor Dance Theatre and Its Role in Delta State Cultural Tourism

Agbor dance theatre is an internationally recognised performance tradition from Delta State that combines acrobatic, narrative, and musical elements into a distinctive theatrical form with significant cultural tourism potential. This study examined the role of Agbor dance theatre in promoting cultural tourism in Ika South and Ika North-East Local Government Areas, Delta State, South South Nigeria. A mixed-methods design employed interviews with 12 Agbor dance practitioners and 6 Delta State Tourism Board officers, surveys distributed to 100 domestic tourists attending Agbor performances, and observation of two dance theatre festivals. Results showed that Agbor dance theatre was the primary cultural attraction cited by 61 percent of domestic tourists visiting Agbor. International visitors represented 18 percent of festival audiences, a figure that practitioners reported was growing. State government investment in Agbor dance festivals had increased over the preceding three years, positively impacting performance frequency and practitioner income. However, formal academic documentation of Agbor dance theatrical techniques was identified as severely insufficient. Intergenerational transmission was at risk as only 30 percent of young community members were actively learning the form. The study concludes that Agbor dance theatre is an important cultural tourism asset whose preservation requires urgent documentation and succession planning. Recommendations include UNESCO cultural heritage designation pursuit, comprehensive video documentation, apprenticeship programmes, and secondary school cultural arts curriculum integration in Delta State.

Keywords: Agbor dance theatre, cultural tourism, Delta State, performance tradition, heritage preservation