ILuba Lemvelo on cloud nine

Emmanuel Ndlovu Saturday Leisure Correspondent
ILUBA Lemvelo, a break-away outfit from Thandanani Women Ensemble, is on cloud nine following their participation at the International Carnival held in Harare recently. Their first appearance at the carnival was remarkable as it elevated them to a household name.  The outfit which was established by former members of Thandanani Women Ensemble, Marvis Chisale, Phathisa Nyoni, Angeline Ndaba and Muchaneta Dube, seems to be ready for any challenge as its membership has also incorporated young blood.

The young blood is made up of five young women who have already shown how gifted they are in traditional dance.

Barely seven months in existence, the 13-member group has clashed with other Bulawayo giants on the dance floor.

Recently, it proved to traditional dance lovers what it is worth as the group outperformed its rivals, Thandanani Women Ensemble during the Joshua Nkomo commemorations that were held at Stanley Square in the City of Kings.

However, the major challenge for this up-and-coming group is its similarity to Thandanani Women Ensemble in terms of attire and dance moves which to a certain extent tends to confuse people.

The group is slowly gaining popularity in the entertainment circles.

“We were privileged to get an invitation to perform at the Harare International Carnival held in May this year. The experience was so valuable especially to us as budding traditional dance group.

“As Iluba Lemvelo we are happy with the way our followers are receiving our dances. We are aware that some people still mistake us for Thandanani Women Ensemble because our attire is quite similar,” said Dube, the group director.

She said the group had introduced the gumboots dance as part of moves to distinguish itself from its rivals.

“We will put extra effort to ensure that in future our work largely differs from Thandanani because at the moment it is hard for people to distinguish the two groups,” Dube added.

Iluba Lemvelo is expecting to drop more surprises this year in the forthcoming cultural events such as Intwasa Festival which is held annually in Bulawayo in September.