It seems Banyana Bafana have certainly become an unstoppable force ready to conquer the region, following their tour of Malawi that saw them making headlines in various newspapers in that country.
The talented dance group has reportedly stolen the hearts of Malawian revellers with their well-choreographed acts that have made them a household name on the dance scene in Zimbabwe.
According to Malawian daily newspaper, The Nation, Banyana Bafana gave a Chileka reggae show a pleasant turnover when they took over the stage and lit the gig with “a jive like no other” at the Premier Lodge.
“Having given the audiences a taste of their energetic rhumba and patapapa dance moves, the group took reggae fans on a thin line between dancing and watching. During the cameo performance, all eyes were on the female dancers whose footwork, flexible waists and uniformity refreshed the Chileka reggae men’s show, which is often characterised by a predictable playlist and players,” reported The Nation.
Banyana Bafana manager Lwazi Mbowa was quoted saying the group would return to the country for more shows and collaborations. The tour had already taken them to other Malawian cities like Mangochi and Blantyre.
Another Malawian publication, The Daily Times, said the Zimbabwean dance group stood out as “the toast of the night”, with their performance during the “Zimbabwe Night Party” at Sunbird Mount Soche Hotel in Blantyre. Led by its director DJ Dan, Banyana Bafana toured with four female and four male dancers, and displayed their dancing prowess from the famous patapata to ndombolo and then mbira.
Formed in 2000, the youthful and energetic dance group has proved to be a force to reckon with and has staged shows with some of the country’s big names. Locally, they have thrilled audiences dancing to music from big artists like Alick Macheso, Paul Matavire, Tongai Moyo and Leonard Dembo.
Meanwhile, Macheso this weekend goes on a separate regional campaign when he stages shows in South Africa.
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The sungura ace left the country yesterday for two shows at Johannesburg Safari International Hotel tonight and Marafco Club in Pretoria, tomorrow night. He will share the stage with urban grooves musician, Nox, who is riding high with hit song, Ndinonyara. Speaking before his departure, Macheso said he was going to introduce his new band members and some of his new songs to his fans in SA.
“We are going to give them the new team. The last time we went there we had the likes of Slomo (Francis Dhaka) and Elton Muropa, who have left the band. We will also give them a taste of our new songs,” said Macheso.
He said though some of the key dancers were not going, those ready for the journey would do what they knew best on stage.
“We have Peter (Kagomera), who is not going to be part of the crew, but those who are going will do what they know best on stage,” he said. The band travelled with its prodigal son and lead guitarist Noel Nyazanda, who had defected to Sulumani Chimbetu early this year. In an interview from SA, Nox said he was preparing a great act and would complement Macheso in a big way.
“I expect these two shows to be explosive as usual. I will be performing my new album, Ice n Roses for the first time,” said Nox.
“This album has 18 songs and that’s where you get the smash hit song Ndinonyara and the just-released song called Kana Ndinewe. As usual I promise a top-of-the-range performance and this would be the fifth time to share the stage with Macheso.
“I am really humbled by the fact that whenever he comes to SA, he chooses to perform with no one else besides me and he also told me at one point that he is my greatest fan.”
