DAZ calls for dancers’ discipline

Liberty Dube
DANCERS Association of Zimbabwe president, Harpers Mapimhidze, has hailed the coming in of new dance groups in the entertainment fraternity, saying it will improve competitiveness and diversity in the entertainment scene that is mainly dominated by music.

Mapimhidze who is also the manager for the leading erotic dancer, Bev, however, called for professionalism and discipline among the dancers, saying they have a critical role to play in maintaining the image of the industry.

The dance group industry has been affected by allegations of prostitution and immoral behaviour, a situation that has led most of the groups – mainly dominated by female dancers – failing to sail through and win the hearts of many.

He took a swipe at promoters who are taking advantage of the struggling arts industry and abuse dancers by underpaying them.

“The coming in of new dancers is plausible. We are actually happy that new guys are joining the dance group industry with verve and passion. We wish them the best and always encourage them to work harder and professionally. We formed an association to protect the dancers from issues such as abuse and prostitution.

“In Harare, most groups are making good money because of professionalism and discipline. We urge groups in Mutare to also take the industry professionally and shun promoters who takes advantage of dancers and abuse them, in different forms such as underpaying them. Such promoters should be exposed,” he added.

Mutare has seen most dance groups sinking into oblivion because of lack of seriousness and professionalism, the likes of Jika Majika and Amagruvaz.

However, late last month saw the birth of a new dance group, Mandisa Queens, which stormed the scene with a bang after a scintillating show at Club Mandisa alongside Juicer Mpostori.

The charming dancers who comprised locals received standing ovation from the club patrons who enjoyed every second of the waist-wriggling antics.

In an interview on the sidelines of their maiden show, one of the dancers and founding members, Rumbi, said they intended to play a critical role in resuscitating the dance industry which died a natural death.

“Mutare has got talent. Dance groups are a vital cog in the arts sector. We have a role that we play. We share the same objectives with other artistes and artists. We are there to entertain fun lovers and we hope other dance groups will start following suit as we intend to place Mutare on the limelight. We are quite aware of the challenges that our colleagues in other cities are facing but we will always try to do it professionally,” she said.

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