The annual Jikinya Dance Festival heads for a showdown this Saturday at the Large City Hall in Bulawayo.
The National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ) announced early this week all provinces had finished their preliminaries and were ready for the national finals.
“With all of the ten provinces having completed their provincial Jikinya Dance Festival competitions, the stage is now set for the national festival to be held on November 19 at the Large City Hall in Bulawayo,” said NACZ marketing and communications manager Donald Chidoori.
“A showdown is expected at this year’s finals because a number of finalists are past provincial winners.”
This year’s finals are different as there will be a compulsory dance to be showcased as opposed to previous festivals where finalists did an array of dances.
The theme dance will be amabhiza. The Jikinya Dance Festival showcases various traditional dances by primary school children from across the country.
The primary aim of the programme is to encourage school pupils to appreciate and perform the rich traditional dances to help preserve the rich cultural tradition Zimbabweans pride themselves in.
This year’s festival is supported by the traditional partner Delta Corporation together with the Culture Fund of Zimbabwe Trust and the European Union.
