By Giyani Moyo
SCORES of primary school teachers from schools in Bulawayo and Matabeleland North on Monday converged at St Patrick’s Primary School for a traditional dance coaching and competition adjudication workshop facilitated by National Merit Award winner Taurai Moyo of Chenhaka Dance Academy in Mutare.
Nearly 150 teachers took part in the workshop as they prepared for the annual Jikinya National Dance Festival, organised by the National Association of Primary Heads (NAPH).
The workshop was organised by Chenhaka Dance Academy in partnership with NAPH Bulawayo Metropolitan Province.
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Moyo, whose work in traditional dance has taken him to South Africa, Zambia, Mozambique, Ethiopia, Algeria and Italy, said he was pleased with the level of participation.
“Teachers have long relied on outsourcing traditional dance coaches and adjudicators, this workshop has come at the right time in preparation for this year’s setpiece, the Chinyambera dance. They had first hand practical experience in coaching and adjudication and we’re quite able to critique both processes,” said Moyo, whose 28-year career in traditional dance began in Bulawayo with Hloseni Arts.
One of the participants, Alice Sibanda, said the training would help teachers become more confident in coaching traditional dance at their schools.
“Relying on outsiders has often cost us because without any dance knowledge such as we got today we find ourselves unable to guide our pupils well. The coaching and dancing knowledge will go a long way in empowering our involvement in dance coaching in our schools. We needed about three days to perfect our newly acquired skill,” she said.
Jikinya Dance competitions are scheduled to begin at zonal level this September, with the national finals set for Victoria Falls in October.
The country’s 10 provinces will each send a representative to the national finals.
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