NACZ pleased by seriousness exhibited at Jikinya provincials

Millicent Dube, Showbiz Reporter

Matabeleland North’s Lwendulu Primary School from Hwange has become the latest school to qualify for the Jikinya Dance Festival national finals after winning the provincial finals held at George Silundika Primary School in Nyamandlovu on Wednesday.

The school is set to join Queen Elizabeth Primary School (Bulawayo), ZRP Support Unit Primary School (Harare) and Mtshabezi Primary School (Matabeleland South) who booked places at their respective provincial competitions last Friday.

The competition which features traditional dances by primary schools from around the country will see the Midlands province stage its provincial finals at the Winery Hall in Gweru on Friday. The provincial event is primed to serve as a dress rehearsal for the national finals that will be held at the same venue next week Thursday. Ten schools will battle it out for the top spot.

But before that happens, this week, other provincial finals will be held in Manicaland (Vhengere Hall Rusape), Masvingo (Mucheke Hall), Mashonaland Central (Mt Darwin Primary School), Mashonaland East (Mbuya Nehanda Hall, Marondera) and Mashonaland West (Norton 1, Primary School).

Event organisers said preparations for the national event are in full swing.

“Fireworks are expected in the finals as the first batch of provincial finals has shown a high level of preparedness by the schools with well-choreographed dances, immaculate costumes and a very high level of competitiveness. The NACZ (National Arts Council of Zimbabwe) is pleased with the level of seriousness and competition exhibited at the provincial events.

“Schools continue to take the event seriously and have invested in the required time and materials in line with the objectives of the competition,” event organisers, NACZ said.

Running under the theme, Building Zimbabwe through Dance the Jikinya Dance Festival has been held since 2001 with the aim of encouraging primary school children in the country to appreciate and perform local traditional dances.