Zimbabwe: U.S. arts group donates tap shoes & books to Dance Trust of Zimbabwe

November 29, 2012: United States-based dance group, the Jazz Tap Ensemble, donated tap shoes and books to the Dance Trust of Zimbabwe (DTZ) following a cultural exchange program in Zimbabwe. The donation – nearly 50 pairs of new tap shoes and a collection of dance and music books – will be officially handed over by Jillian Bonnardeaux, U.S. Embassy Cultural Attaché, on Friday at 10 am at the Dance Trust of Zimbabwe offices (109 East Road, Belgravia).

Members of the press are invited to cover this event.

The 10-member Los Angeles-based group was in Zimbabwe in April and May where they facilitated several workshops in Bulawayo and Harare and performed two sold-out shows at 7 Arts Theater during the Harare International Festival of the Arts (HIFA).  The group was part of a cultural exchange initiative, Dance Motion USA, that brings American dance forms worldwide.  The Ensemble was supported by the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York, which later acquired additional shoes to ensure the Dance Trust of Zimbabwe’s dancers had appropriate sizes.

“We are thrilled that this great American tradition, tap dancing, lives on in Zimbabwe following the Jazz Tap Ensemble’s visit earlier this year.  The dance, music, and technical workshops they held– and the shoe and book donations we make today – highlight the U.S. Embassy’s commitment to investing in and supporting the arts in Zimbabwe.  Professionalization of this industry has the potential to make it a driver of economic growth,” Bonnardeaux said.

The Dance Trust of Zimbabwe is the restructured institution resulting from the National Ballet, formed approximately fifty years ago by teachers and lovers of ballet. For more than 20 years, the DTZ has successfully introduced dance in its various forms. The organisation has also implemented five Dance Foundation Course programs in which more than 60 youths were trained in various forms of dance education among which: Ballet technique, Contemporary and Traditional dance disciplines as well as theory.

The books are a critical component of the Dance Foundation Course (DFC) – the three year Professional Training Program of the DTZ which provides trained dancers for Tumbuka Dance Company, the Outreach Team of teachers, as well as other dance or performing arts initiatives. To date the DFC has produced more than 100 graduates of the course; participants also benefit from north-south collaborations, south- south collaborations, and other initiatives.