Dance fest on cards:
THE forthcoming Mafuwe International Festival of Dance is set to reignite the lost spark in contemporary dance in Mbare, one of Harare’s oldest locations.
This inaugural event, which will be held from August 16 to 18 at Reps Theatre, will also showcase at Barca Sports Club in Mbare.
Organisers of the event hope this will generate enthusiasm for contemporary dance from Mbare which has produced a number of artistes who attained both local and international acclaim.
“Premised on cultural exchange and growth, the goal is to create a sustainable contemporary dance network in Zimbabwe, across Africa and the world that nurtures professional artistic exchange, as well as encouraging semi-professionals and amateurs to discover the joy of movement and artistic expression,” said Plot Mhako, one of the organisers.
“Performances, workshops, panel discussions and networking events will be part of the festival, as well as projects for younger audiences and the local community.”
The festival will involve various local, regional and international dance companies.
Said Mhako: “We have Coren Oran from German, Renegade Dance Company from Morocco, Espace Darja Dance Company from South Africa, Jessica Nupen - Moving Into Dance Mophatong and Faizzal from Uganda.”
Locally, Mafuwe will host multi-award winning Jerahuni Movement Factory, Chaleen Chimara Dance Company and the Dance Trust of Zimbabwe.
Mhako said they have slots for non-professional dance companies like the The Chozen, Infinity Dance Company and Megatron Crew.
Mhako said preparations were at an advanced stage.
“We took a very bold step to launch the festival at a time when the country is going through a difficult economic phase, but we believe this is the right moment to use creativity to spark new energies and imagination.
“The arts play a key role in inspiring people and Zimbabwe right now needs that,” he said.
Mhako, an award winning choreographer and artistic director, Brian Geza and German theatre director Cindy Janicke are behind the Mafuwe International Festival of Dance .
The festival is supported by the German Federal Foreign Office, US embassy in Harare, Schleswig-Holstein Ministerium für Bildung, Wissenschaft und Kultur, Zimbabwe German Society, Reps Theatre, Jibilika Dance Trust and a number of German cultural and science agencies.