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Sophia Chese Arts Correspondent
Tumbuka Dance Company has promised fireworks at this year’s edition of Harare International Festival of the Arts. The festival is running from April 28 to May 3 under the theme “Articulate”

In an interview with The Herald Entertainment, Tumbuka Dance Company spokesperson Gladys Hwami said the group is ready for the festival with a lot in store but most of their performances will not be suitable for children.

“This year at HIFA, Tumbuka will take you on a journey through the hearts and minds of the Zimbabwean people, telling stories about childhood, community and cultural beliefs

“Unfortunately, the stuff is not suitable for very young children,” she said.

She said the work is sourced from the dancers themselves and offers a mature insight into the things that that Zimbabweans deal with everyday. “It will not be about politics and economics, but other things that affect our lives and souls,” she said.

Some of the group’s performances will include Snoden Filimon’s lastest work, “We Were Made Men”, explores the childish traits that linger in the adult character when people are made to take on the role of an adult too soon in life.

Hwami had this to say on this performance: “The writer recognises the fact that the things that drive adults don’t always come from an adult place, giving rise to a power play and a need to dominate,” she said.

They are also perfoming Maylene Chenjerayi’s “Movement of Life” which incorporate the movement of the heart, the circulation of fluids throughout the body and the projection of joy.

Chenjerayi is the longest standing member of Tumbuka and her choreography has a complexity and nuance that reveals her experience.

They will also perform “Equals 24” by Stanley Wasili that looks at the hidden rituals that underpin peopl’e everyday lives.

Meanwhile, Tumbuka, has just returned from the Johannesburg Dance Umbrella Festival where they performed to enthusiastic audiences and received great reviews.