adminJonathan Mbiriyamveka Harare Bureau
Zimbabwe will soon become a force to reckon with in terms of dance for as long as the dancers remain disciplined, Craig Bullock, the chief executive of Danceweb Studios, a dance company based in South Africa has said. Bullock who was in the capital over the weekend for the first ever two-day “Hip-hop Dance Stop”, workshop said dance could be a career path for many talented Zimbabwean dancers.
“I think in the past dance used to be a pastime but now it has become a career path for most people. In South Africa they now study dance in schools. And that is possible in Zimbabwe where there are hard working people.
“In terms of dance development I think Zimbabwe will be a force to reckon with in two to three years to come. The first step is discipline. You can’t call yourself a dancer when you’re not disciplined,” Bullock said.
The internationally acclaimed choreographer said he was in Zimbabwe primarily to educate and develop a structure for either hip-hop, RnB or dancehall professional with help of Kirsten Dan Jansen, who is the secretary of International Dance Organisation and is based in Denmark.
“What we are trying to do is to educate the dancers as well as develop a structure that is recognised by the IDO so that eventually Zimbabwe becomes a member of that world body.
“What this means is that Zimbabwean dancers will then be able to compete against the more than 30 member states in world championships,” Bullock said.
He said he was excited that he would also educate the dancers on Zim dancehall which is currently hitting the airwaves.
Kirsten said there were other career paths that members could pursue such as teaching dance in schools or choreographing videos for international artistes.
She said as a dance teacher and examiner herself, she has also used her experience to be part of the IDO secretariat.
At present, Zimbabwe through the Dance 1st International run by Tendai Guzha, is an affiliate of the South African Dance Teachers’ Association. The 23-year-old professional dancer graduated with a certificate from Danceweb Studios.
According to Guzha, the workshops were also aimed at professionalising dance as a career and art form.
Dance 1st International, is an internationally recognised hip-hop and street dance school that opened in Mt Pleasant under the guidance of Guzha.
The school seeks to provide trained dancers who will be able to perform alongside international acts.
Guzha started out in 2004 as a member of a dance group called Dcronic where he developed choreography skills. In summer of 2007 he formed his own group called Public Felony where he explored his skills as a choreographer. He was the only choreographer in the group.
In late 2009, Guzha realised the need to form a powerful group with both the skill and passion. In early 2010, he came up with the vision of a group that became to be known as High Definition Dance Group, which unfortunately split as Guzha went solo.
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