Tumbuka Dance Company’s former artistic director, McIntosh Jerahuni has formed his group, Jerahuni Movement Factory, following the closure of the once-vibrant contemporary dance ensemble, Tumbuka, due to financial constraints.
BY LORRAINE MUROMO
Speaking to NewsDay, the dreadlocked Jerahuni said he formed the group because he was passionate about keeping the dance culture in the country alive.
“Tumbuka Dance Company was closed last year, but I have since formed a new dance company and we are still finalising about the space to use. With the formation of this corporation, we seek to enhance the efforts that are being spearheaded by other arts organisations,” he said.
Jerahuni expressed hope that the company would be able to withstand the current biting economic crunch that has led most arts organisations relying on donor funding.
“We are currently working towards producing work to sell outside of the country and through this initiative the company stands a better chance to survive in this prevailing economic environment,” he said.
Jerahuni has, however, lamented the bad economic situation in the country, which he said has made it diffficult to sell their work in Zimbabwe, leading to the closure of Tumbuka Dance Company, as they had mainly relied on donor funding.
“We are set to attend the Lin2IT dance residency, which is going to be held in Norway from March to April. During this programme, I will be working with Compassionate2Dance Company and Sunndal Kultureskole, all based in Norway,” he said.
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“The first edition of the work completed during the residency programme will be expected to premiere in April on the international dance day this year.”
Jerahuni said the since the formation of the company, they had participated at the 321 festival in Antananarivo, Madagascar and Awaji Art Circus in Tokyo, Japan.
