Workshops

ManLuckerz concentrates on dancing styles from the general Southern Africa area. We have also adopted dances from Zimbabwe’s provinces. Each province has its own dance. Some of the dances we perform are as follows (click on the names to go to its description)

a) Mbakumba
This is the prime dance of the Karanga people of Masvingo Province. It was traditionally performed after harvest and is still danced for entertainment purposes. The main movement of the dance is JEKECHERA, which means a poly-rhythmic dance. It is accompanied by a single, seated musician playing two short, pitched drums with his hands and by songs in solo-chorus and response.
The male and female dancers often put on skirts of furs hanging from the waist, and the men wear pointed fur hats and both sets have rattles (magagada). The dancing is accomplished by men and women entering the dance space alone, in pairs, or in small groups.
During an active session, dancers may also include leaps and forward and backward steps. When the men and women are divided into two lines, they pass through each other and then turn to face one another once again during the time for rest. The dance tells of different social activities in life. Two couples dance, the women carrying a reed basket or clay pot on their heads and rattling the instruments tied to their calves. It is normally performed outdoors for recreational purposes.
The origins of MBAKUMBA are hard to locate. It is probably an ancient dance amongst the Karanga. Its association with CHIRIMO, a period for slowing down after the harvest, is significant. The Karanga have traditionally emphasised the need to give human beings and nature time to rest and recover. The Chisi day illustrates this trend. When MBAKUMBA emerged, it was to celebrate the coming of restful days and to entertain the communities.
The vigorous dancing style indicates the celebration of life as well as the value of physical fitness in a community with little technological help. The communal participation in Mbakumba illustrates the importance of group solidarity for the Karanga. The dance is for the entire community and no one is discriminated against.
African philosophy says, I AM BECAUSE WE ARE; one is closely linked to all other members of the community.
The participation of women in MBAKUMBA also points to the special place of women in traditional dances in Zimbabwe. Women are not prevented from participating in dances; they are in fact allowed to get to the dance floor and express their artistic abilities.
MBAKUMBA is an example of a Zimbabwean dance in which life is celebrated and the values of the community are clearly shown. It captures the vibrancy of life for rural people.

b) Mhande
A dance performed by old people for the ancestral spirits when asking for the rains.

c) Dinhe
Found among the Korekore. Associated with the beer in honour of the ancestors. People dance in the kitchen, where the beer for the ancestors is placed on a raised platform, CHIKUVA (shelf). The dance style is individual, with acrobatic moves as well. This dance has a lot of war movements.

d) Jiti-Chinungu
It is a dance mainly for the youths, used to celebrate the arrival of a daughter-in-law or at a wedding and ceremonies such as appeasing the ancestral spirits. Jiti is a fast-paced, recreational type of drumming and dance.

e) Shangara
This is a social dance found in the country, particularly in central Mashonaland. It refers to fast rhythmic footwork by one or two people at a time within a circle of gathering of other participants and observers. There is often mbira and hosho accompaniment. The name of Shangara creates a happy, versatile, and expressive nature, with good business judgement and a fine sense of responsibility, which should enable you to establish congenial relationships in positions of trust where you are dealing with the public.

f) Zihwere
Played in the evening by ladies as a way of expressing their feelings to their husbands.

g) Madanha
A courting dance used to demonstrate the artistry of the forefather. The dance is used to display such things as strength and flexibility. It’s done throughout the year and was mainly done by men to please their partners.

h) Chinyambera
It’s a hunter’s dance originating from Bikita and Chipinge districts. The songs are sung by hunters before going into the bush and danced to by elderly men and women.

i) Muchongoyo
This is a social dance originating from the eastern border town of Chipinge (Ndau) and also performed by the Shangani people/tribes, dressed in traditional regalia known as “zvihlabhu” and “zvichakati”. It was performed in preparation for war and after a victorious battle. It is a competition dance in which the winning prize is a designed cloth. The cloth rotates among the winners who in turn brew beer to convene a competition.

j) Chimutare
A dance adopted by Zimbabweans from Malawi. It is used by women to provoke men. It’s like a parading dance after which men choose their would-be partners.

k) Ingwenyama
A dance performed by the Ndebele people. The dance shows elements of strength, which is likened to that of a crocodile.

l) Shield Dance
A dance performed by Nebula warriors to celebrate the victory. After a successful raid, there is a celebratory party thrown and this is one of the dances performed. It is a war dance that demonstrates fighting skills.

m) Jerusarema (Mbende)
A dance performed at night by men and women of marrying age. It is performed in pairs any time of the year. The dance is basically an exhibition of sexual prowess. The women show their flexibility while the men show their strength. Individual men and women boast of their sexual prowess and challenge each other to a “contest”. They then dance the sexual encounter and, more often than not, the men are defeated by their mates and they stagger away, ashamed of themselves.

n) Spiritual Dance
This dance was done as a means of communication with the ancestral spirits. They use this practice to help lost “soul parts” return home, and bring about the ecstasy of spiritual wholeness. It was performed by elderly people when confronted by problems.