adminSophia Chese Arts Correspondent
Preparations for the seventh edition of the Jibilika Dance Festival have gathered momentum with 16 dance groups ready to battle it out in the finals.This year’s edition which will be held at the Harare Gardens on October 4 is running under the theme “Urban Rootz”.
In an interview with The Herald Entertainment, founder and director of the festival Plot Mhako said all is in place for the festival and people must expect explosive acts from all the 16 groups. He said this year’s edition will see the groups performing two acts, one a free style and another a fusion urban dance forms and traditional styles.
“In this year’s edition, the festival seeks to merge and celebrate traditional and urban dance cultures. Each of the qualifiers will perform two acts , one of their own and another with a fusion of urban dance forms with traditional styles as a way to remind the youth to remain rooted to their traditions whilst celebrating cultural diversity,” he said.
“Our goal this year is to get young people to know and appreciate their culture and preserve it at the same time giving them the liberty to be creative and use their own preferred art forms, thus creating unique dance styles.”
Some of the groups that qualified include Prototypes from Masvingo, Unit Edge from Mutare, Heavenly Hosts of Marondera, Swag Turn Up from Harare and Glotex of Bindura among others.
The festival is supported by the Culture Fund of Zimbabwe and the Swedish Embassy. Winners at the national finals will dance away with cash prizes of $500 for the first group, $300 for the second and $200 for the third position. In addition to the monetary accolades,
champions will benefit from a number of mentorship and development opportunities for a year.
To cater for individual talent the festival has added a solo dance championship category with awards for best dancehall, pantsula, hip hop, new school and old school. During the preliminaries dancehall style popularly known as “Clarks” proved to be the most popular among the youths.
Founded in 2007, the festival aims to promote dance as a vehicle for youth talent development and a platform for recreation. The festival has matured over the years, growing into a formidable national event.
It has exposed and nurtured a number of dancers and groups such as Magesh, Flip Floppers, Ghetto Kreepers and many other outfits that remain prominent on the arts scene.
Online Reporter