Zimbabwean dance

The tradition & historical record

Dancing in Zimbabwe is an important aspect of the Zimbabwean culture, tradition, spirituality and history. There are many dances that reflect the culture of the people, although the dances may have changed throughout the years. Ethnic diversity is also a key factor in influencing the dances of the Zimbabwean culture. These dances are self-reflective, for the entire community because all music and dance are communal events. Dance to Zimbabweans is a very spiritual, powerful tool that carries on traditions, and chronicles the important events of their history and culture. ²

The Republic of Zimbabwe has a population that is about 16 million people; the majority, about 76%, live in rural areas. This is a very important detail in light of how many crops are produced by Zimbabwe: coffee, corn, wheat, sugar, tea, and cotton. This agricultural aspect of life is apparent in many of the dances they perform The official language is English, although the Muslim, Hindu, Bahá'í, and traditional ethnic religions are also practiced. There are at least 20 ethnic groups in Zimbabwe, the majority being Shona (about 5 million people), Ndebele (about 2 million people). and others are Ndau, Venda, Tonga just mention but a few. There is some division between these groups due to battles between the Shona and Ndebele people in the previous century. Each group has its own history, subculture, and political significance, yet they share many religious and cultural beliefs as well. Every aspect of their culture influences the dances in which they perform. ²

The three distinctive instruments of Zimbabwe include drums (ngomas), the mbira, (hosho) and the marimba. Different sizes, shapes, tightness of the membranes, and materials used to make drums produce different tones and pitches, just as the different sized wood strips of a marimba create different tones. The mbira is perhaps the most important instrument used. It is plucked with the fingers to produce the melody, and is often used during religious rituals by spirit mediums in order to communicate with ancestral spirits. The mbira, and consequently the mbira dance, has been around for a long time, according to archaeological digs. Mbiras have been uncovered and dated back to the twelfth century. ²

Dances may be performed for enjoyment or entertainment, during many rituals including spirit possession, to re-create history, as an art form, and as a means of courting. Zimbabwean dance has a very distinct, individual style because the tempo of the music and dance is influenced by the spirit of the dancers. This brings a unique, personal element to the dance culture, as well as flexibility in interpretation of the dances. The dances can be very powerful and can be interpreted differently by each performer and each member of the audience. There are many distinguishing characteristics that define Zimbabwean dance. Rhythm is the most important element to all African dance. Polyrhythms are extremely important, just as they are in the music of Zimbabwe, and all of Africa. The performer can pace their movements in a way that creates a new rhythm to the dance. There is a very downward, earth-bound orientation to all Zimbabwean dances. The knees are often flexed, or soft, and there are flat-footed, shuffling movements that represent the belief in the spirit of the earth being the provider of fertility. Other elements to Zimbabwe dances include isolations, angularity (with the body bent at the waist), asymmetry, improvisation, a swinging quality, and movements outward from the hip. Dances are very self-reflective, evident in the improvisation and emotion expressed, and as with the music of Africa, participation is a key element. People either sing, play an instrument, or dance along; there are rarely spectators. Spirituality is very influential to Zimbabwean dance. ²

Traditional dance in Zimbabwe is constantly changing. Traditional dance must adapt to the changing times without becoming too Westernized in order for the traditional culture to remain. The people of Zimbabwe encourage change, but they want to do it within themselves, not change through outside cultural influences. Traditional dances must accommodate change in order to remain tradition, and continue to withstand the test of time. The traditional purposes for many dances have changed, the reason for performing dances change, however the meaning and significance of the dances remain constant. Conventionally, the people of Zimbabwe dance for important people, for example, on the tarmac at the airport at the arrival of Government officials. Traditionally, Zimbabwean dance is not set for the concert stage. A dance, such as a ritual of spirit possession, may last twelve hours, or even days in length. Time is a very important aspect of these dances because the dancer must have time to enter the spirit world of possession, and re-enter the material world. This spiritual experience is difficult to perform on a concert stage with limited time, and is often acted out, or abbreviated in concert-type settings. These dances are preferably performed in a natural setting. In neo-traditional dances, on the other hand, the contexts of the dances have changed, and are considered to be 'traditional-like'. The dance may carry the same importance, and even comprise the same movements, but since the context has changed, the dance is no longer considered strictly traditional. These neo-traditional dances are wonderful keepers of history, and chroniclers of time change for this reason. ²

The text above is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Dance in Zimbabwe”, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. ²

Zimbabwean dance is a tradition recorded in open cultural data, according to the structured record cited below. This entry was generated automatically from that record and has not yet been reviewed by a person familiar with the tradition. ¹