Zimbabwe’s traditional dance troupe Hwamanda charmed guests at the International Dance Festival at Shreyas Foundation here with their energetic and beautifully choreographed dances in the fiesta’s opening act.
BY WINSTONE ANTONIO in Ahmedabad, india
The two-day festival, which ended yesterday, was part of the World Heritage Week commemorations following Unesco’s declaration of the host city India’s first world heritage site.
The Mufakose-based dance ensemble — which shared the stage with artistes from Vietnam and India — was the crowd favourite on and off stage, with audiences and officials requesting photo shoots with the ensemble.
The group first captured the guests’ attention with their multi-coloured outfits from the street procession which culminated in the concert, organised by the FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO) in collaboration with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations and Avanti Foundation.
Their performance of Chinyambera, Jerusarema, Madanhi and Dinhe traditional dances from Zimbabwe was a marvel to watch.
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FLO’s Ahmedabad chapter chairperson, Pavani Bakeri Agarwal, said the festival was significant to them.
“We aim to achieve an artistic high with the festival. For those who appreciate performing arts, this will be an ideal celebration — the best place to interact with global and domestic participants,” he said.
Hwamanda’s manager, Linnot Laimbo, applauded Zimbabwe Tourism Authority and the Indian Embassy in Harare for facilitating their participation at the festival.
“We had a good performance at the festival where we showcased some of our prominent traditional dances,” he said.
“The festival provided us with an opportunity to learn how other international groups choreograph their set for such an event as we compared notes.”
The festival was curated by FLO in collaboration with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations and Avanti Foundation.
Since its formation in 1998, the globe-trotting dance troupe has performed at several high-profile cultural festivals in countries such as Japan, Belgium, Seychelles, Algeria, China and Denmark.