A GROUP of determined youth in Bulawayo have turned to dance as a tool for transformation, emerging as a creative response to the surge in drug abuse and teenage pregnancies in local schools.
The grassroots initiative, Jaiva Connections, based in Njube, has been using dance and storytelling since November to reshape young lives, offering discipline, hope and a vision for a brighter future.
Speaking to NewsDay Life & Style, artistic director and founder of the project, Alexander Mhlanga, said his aim in gathering young people was to collaborate with local communities and organisations to develop dance‑based projects that drive social change.
“We use dance to transform our community, to share our storytelling and shape the vision so it becomes achievable. We saw that we can beat the rise in drug use and pregnancies in schools," he said.
He added that the idea was achievable through helping the youth to realise that they have what it takes to dream big, know their brand and believe that dreams come true.
The movement covers a wide range of dance disciplines, including amapiano and pantsula.
“Bulawayo is full of talent and it is up to us leaders to groom and protect the future of the young ones in the arts,” Mhlanga said.
His previous works — Amawumbo Dance Company, Phakama Mfazi, and Alexander Dance Lab — have been staged internationally.
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In France, he presented choreography at Couleurs du Monde, featuring five different countries and a cast of 50 artists.
He also co‑choreographed Tose/Sonke, which brought 50 artists on one stage and has toured extensively in Spain, France, Belgium, Sweden, Italy and Greenland.
