Thursday 7 July 2011

9th Day

Today was the day we were learning a style called Penenga which is done by the Tumbuka tribe, Muganda from the northern Malawi version and Muganda2 southern Malawi. It was really interesting to go back to the basics to re-shape my vocabulary of african dance. Most of the movement I didn't find it alien to me, I have done some of it along the way or maybe just similar to my own Zimbabwe traditional dances. What really energised me was the Muganda drum which I got to learn a few rhythms of. This amazing drummer could also play the Gule Wamkulu sounds and I got to learn to play one of the rhythms. I have also been looking at songs of different tribes and I enjoyed the humour in the lyrics. We worked on a space that is concrete and outside but it seems the concrete is soft when you bash your knees into it. Maybe I think it's the heat that makes the floor softer. I've learnt a lot from his lectures whilst we were learning the steps, knowing where certain dances are done and what tribe. We will be continuing tomorrow going in detail with the Muganda2 which is my most favourite. After our rehearsal, we met a man who trained Hussein and he is a Director of the National Theatre of Arts in Malawi. So we are going to have a meeting tomorrow at the same place with the committee as they have a festival in October and we are hoping to involve the company to perform nect October.

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