Sandra Ndebele's dance crew set for a UK tour

Sandra Ndebele's dance crew, Intombi Zomqangala, is bringing its captivating song and dance routines to Sheffield in the United Kingdom in June this year.

Intombi Zomqangala will grace the National Student Drama Festival at Sheffield University, UK between June 22 to 30 in 2012.

The group, comprising young women aged between 16-30 years will be performing at the International Student Drama festival from June 22 to 30. It was formed by renowned dancer and musician, Sandra Ndebele in 2008.

The name Intombi Zomqangala comes from a traditional Ndebele instrument called Umqangala (Breast Calabash) which was used by young women back in the days. The young women in the group all play this instrument.

The group aims to advocate for culture preservation while empowering young women with various talents with an opportunity to freely express them through drama, song and dance. In addition there is also a focus on show casing Zimbabwean tradition therefore the dances performed by the group are mostly traditional.

Intombi Zomqagala premiered their first show at the Harare International Festival of Arts (HIFA) in 2008 performing Princess of Africa. The show was well received and marked the beginning of a new era in the dance arena.

The dance prowess Sandra Ndebele exudes on stage is visually enthralling. Born and raised in Bulawayo, Sandra has risen to great heights claiming an undisputable position as one of Zimbabwe’s top young artists.

Sandra is known to exhibit exhilarating energy on stage. She is a bold vocalist, actor and dancer whose style and character will not disappoint. Sandra’s creative prowess was realized at Mpopoma High School in Bulawayo, where she was involved in theatre, music and dance with the group IYASA. She worked with IYASA for sometime before she decided to pursue a solo career. Her debut album was an instant success. The song, ‘Mama Mama’ propelled her to greater heights and soon enough she was competing on radio charts with Zimbabwe’s greats such as Oliver Mutukudzi and Chiwoniso Maraire. The rest is history. Today she is one of the most sought after Zimbabwean female artist. She continues to grow and vow many of her fans in through local, regional and international tours.

The line-up of shows selected to perfrom is as follows.
CryHurtFood (Harvard Uni - USA), Stains (Kibbutzim College -  Israel), Good (Kibbutzim College -  Israel), Gaza Monologues (ASHTAR Theatre - Palestine), Moderate Light Fastness (University of Cologne - Germany), Fatherly (City of Mashhad/Khorasan Razavi Art Bureau  - Iran), Umfazi (Intombi Zomqangala – Zimbabwe), Tainai (NNT Drama Studio – Japan), Wake in Fright (La Trobe University and the Festival of Australian Student Theatre – Australia), Our Town (Shota Rustaveli Theatre & Film State University - Georgia), The Birthday Party (Leeds Uni), Sweeney Todd (Newcastle Uni), Inheritance Blues (Leeds Uni), The Lives They Left Behind (The Miskin Theatre at North West Kent College), Zombie Haiku (Cambridge Uni), Five Names (Aberystwyth Uni), Leather (Lincoln Uni), If Room Enough (Various), Unlovable (Loughborough Uni), Mephisto (Oxford Uni).

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