Nollywood actress Omotola speaks out amid dance-driven movie marketing debate

By Folashade Olorunfemi –

Veteran Nollywood actress and filmmaker Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde has shared her view on the ongoing debate over dancing for movie promotion, following Funke Akindele’s criticism of fellow filmmaker Kunle Afolayan, who insisted he could not dance for promotional purposes.

Omotola spoke during a recent appearance on TVC Entertainment, revealing that she would not dance to promote a movie if compelled to do so, even though she enjoys dancing for fun.

She emphasised that it is unprofessional for producers to force cast members to dance for promotional activities, noting that it is the marketer’s role to promote the film. Omotola further stated that her responsibilities as an actress end after delivering a quality performance in the movie.

The filmmaker explained that the recent backlash against dance-driven promotions stems from the pressure placed on actors to participate, rather than allowing them to engage voluntarily.

In her words, “I think the problem and the reason why a lot of people are kicking back at it is because you want to dance because you feel like it, not because you have to.”

According to Omotola, there is nothing wrong with cast members dancing during promotional activities, as long as it is their choice. She added that dancing should be natural and fun, not a compulsory task, noting that making it routine for promotion renders it unprofessional.