Dance in Zimbabwe

Dancing in Zimbabwe is an important aspect of the Zimbabwean culture, tradition, spirituality and history.

Dance to Zimbabweans is a very spiritual, powerful tool that carries on traditions, and chronicles the important events of their history and culture.

The Republic of Zimbabwe has a population that is about 16 million people; the majority, about 76%, live in rural areas.

This is a very important detail in light of how many crops are produced by Zimbabwe: coffee, corn, wheat, sugar, tea, and cotton.

[1] This agricultural aspect of life is apparent in many of the dances they perform[2] The official language is English, although the Muslim, Hindu, Bahá'í, and traditional ethnic religions are also practiced.

[2] The three distinctive instruments of Zimbabwe include drums (ngomas), the mbira, (hosho) and the marimba.

[3] Dances may be performed for enjoyment or entertainment, during many rituals including spirit possession, to re-create history,[4] as an art form, and as a means of courting.

The knees are often flexed, or soft, and there are flat-footed, shuffling movements that represent the belief in the spirit of the earth being the provider of fertility.

[2][3] Other elements to Zimbabwe dances include isolations, angularity (with the body bent at the waist), asymmetry, improvisation, a swinging quality, and movements outward from the hip.

Dances are very self-reflective, evident in the improvisation and emotion expressed, and as with the music of Africa, participation is a key element.

The griotic dances are specifically used to signify oral history using storytelling, music, and praise songs to convey important historical events.

[2] Classical dance in Zimbabwe is considered the 'high art of the culture', and is very important in meeting the requirements of the aesthetic.

This spiritual experience is difficult to perform on a concert stage with limited time, and is often acted out, or abbreviated in concert-type settings.

This also results in a highly emotional link to the dances and events that they represent because people are relating to their everyday lives and struggles.

[2] The Jerusarema dance represents the Shona culture and it is polyrhythmic with circular motions, and acrobatics and repetition are very prominent.

[2] The Mbende Jerusarema dance was relisted on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2008.

In addition, Mbende/Jerusarema was outlawed by Christian missionaries during the colonial period due to the provocative nature of the movements that characterize this dance style.