THE fairly new rhumba musical outfit, Royal Court Musica, left revellers mesmerised by its scintillating performance on Saturday afternoon at Island Sports Bar in Highfield, Harare. TINASHE SIBANDA/AARON UFUMELI
The afternoon was filled with dance and excitement when the 14-member ensemble gave a brilliant performance. Hailing from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the group arrived in the country mid last year and started public performances in November and since then they now command a huge following.
Royal Court Musica comprises of three guitarists, five vocalists, a drummer, four female dancers, a full-time engineer and the Zimbabwean manager, Tawanda Nyikadzanwa. The band’s formation was the brainchild of Josiah Chinherende, a lawyer by profession and consultant in the mining industry who is a great rhumba follower.
“I know this band will go places because they are amazingly talented and I believe Zimbabwe needed some sort of rhumba revival and I’m certain this group will give local rhumba fans performances worth their following,” Chinherende said.
He said he was a strict disciplinarian whose rule was that no band member could consume alcohol and mingle with audiences during breaks so as to avoid unnecessary pitfalls to their budding careers.
With the aim of reviving the rhumba genre in the country, Chinherende said he had gone out of his way to use an entertainment agent in the DRC to scout for the band members.
“The guitarists and the drummer were eventually employed after their impressive showing and contracts were negotiated as well after serious scrutiny,” Chinherende said.
Revellers in Harare have been entertained by the groups’ well perfected performances and well-choreographed rhythmic dance which they call Shumba Yashatirwa mimicking an angry lion and the way it attacks its prey.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
Earlier this year , the group also gave an outstanding performance at the inaugural Rhumba Carnival in the capital where they were the only group that had female dancers that got crowds glued on their flexible moves.
Royal Court also recently introduced a new dance called Touch Me which is causing a stir in rhumba circles.
The group, which is regularly seen at Pensao Bar, is currently in the studio working on their debut nine-track album which has five songs in Lingala and four in Shona languages to be released in July.
