“Mbira music and dance is a life-affirming gift,” say members of the Zimbabwe-based band, dzeMuninga.
The four-person traditional mbira and dance ensemble will perform on Denman Island July 8 and Hornby Island July 9.
With its circular layers of interwoven rhythmic melodies, the music of the mbira (pronounced mm-beer-ah) can calm your nerves and invoke a dreamy trance-like state. But when the precise rhythmic pulse of the hosho (rattles) is introduced, the music can stir up the life force within and propel you to move your feet whether you remain seated or find yourself happily enticed onto the dance floor.
The mbira dzavadzimu (mbira of the ancestors or spirits) has been the heartbeat of Shona traditional life for more than 1,000 years and the members of dzeMuninga are dedicated toward “keeping the spirits happy.”
Their mission is “to build bridges across cultures and generations” by sharing their music because, as they explain, “It makes the music more powerful and shows that our culture is valuable.”
So, come out and enjoy this rare opportunity to intimately experience the transforming possibilities of mbira music when offered by Africans themselves.
Musicians Jacob Mafuleni, Tonderai Ndava and Peacheson Ngoshi, along with accomplished dancer, Martha Thom, will be sure to arouse and keep your spirits happy with their mesmerizing polyrhythmic melodies, singing and yodelling, drum and hosho percussion, and invigorating dance moves.
Mbira dzeMuninga will perform July 8 at the Denman Island Back Hall and July 9 at New Horizons on Hornby Island. Doors open for both events at 7:30 p.m. and their performance begins at 8.
For more information or to arrange individual lessons and/or group workshops with band members, contact Sheila at 250-335-0843.