Entertainment / Local
Iyasa off to Japan
22 Jul 2011 at 06:41hrs | Views
Bulawayo and Zimbabwe's award winning dance act, IYASA's flirtation with Europe for the past decade has earned them a cutting edge, enabling them to open up new markets in Asia.
The group embarked on their first tour to Europe in 2001 and has since then held overseas tours every year.
The group's director Nkululeko Dube said they had rubbed shoulders with groups from diverse backgrounds during their European tours and in the processing acquiring empowering knowledge.
"I think being exposed to different worlds of the arts has not only improved our status and maturity as a group but also helped us to manage our brand.
"We have gained a lot of experience crucial in our creativity and how we create performances for varying cultural backgrounds and we are still learning more every day," he said, in an interview from Austria where they are on tour.
"As a person and director I manage things differently. I have greater dreams after seeing what possibilities there are out there."
Dube said it was unfortunate that there was still a gulf between local arts and European arts world.
"I am worried because I feel the gap between our country, despite its potential, and what I have learnt in Europe is vast.
"In Europe the arts industry is thriving, respected and for most it is rewarding, hence this has shown me the potential that we need to nurture in our industry back home," he added.
Dube said he was happy that 10 years in Europe has seen them getting recognition as an international act from Zimbabwe.
"We have evolved over the years and for me doing collaborations, various as they came, with international theatre houses, companies and individuals, winning international awards and sharing the stage with the world's best has been a great achievement for us as a group," he said.
Among some of the prominent artistes that IYASA has shared the stage include Hugh Masekela, Willi Resataris, Amahotella Queens, Stella Chiweshe and Oliver Mtukudzi.
Dube said he was excited when they signed a deal with international distributing company ARC music, an agreement that ensured that their music would be available all over the world and on internet platforms such as itunes, Amazon and other sites.
He added: "Some of our artistes like Noma Mkwananzi, Silethemba Magonya, Siphephiso Magonya were signed by big international productions like Mother Africa, and seeing them on billboards in most European countries has been a huge statement about our country and its artistes.
IYASA left the country on Wednesday for a maiden tour of Japan.
"We have sent some of our members to different projects in Japan before but this is our first tour.
"I hope it's just the beginning of a new chapter for us. We hope this will open up new avenues for us as a team, as a country and also for our artistes in their individual capacities," he said.
The tour is expected to run for three weeks with the outfit performing in Okinawa and Shizouka.
IYASA is touring alongside Austrian theatre house Dschungel Wien.
The two acts will showcase their co-produced play entitled African Fairy Stories written by Dube and Stephan Rabl from Austria.
It's a musical, theatre and dance production on childhood in Africa.
"We will also present our dance and musical production Streets of Africa, which narrates how dance has evolved in Zimbabwe until today.
After the Japan tour, the group is set to return to Austria, where they will wrap up their tour before returning home in mid-August.
The group embarked on their first tour to Europe in 2001 and has since then held overseas tours every year.
The group's director Nkululeko Dube said they had rubbed shoulders with groups from diverse backgrounds during their European tours and in the processing acquiring empowering knowledge.
"I think being exposed to different worlds of the arts has not only improved our status and maturity as a group but also helped us to manage our brand.
"We have gained a lot of experience crucial in our creativity and how we create performances for varying cultural backgrounds and we are still learning more every day," he said, in an interview from Austria where they are on tour.
"As a person and director I manage things differently. I have greater dreams after seeing what possibilities there are out there."
Dube said it was unfortunate that there was still a gulf between local arts and European arts world.
"I am worried because I feel the gap between our country, despite its potential, and what I have learnt in Europe is vast.
"In Europe the arts industry is thriving, respected and for most it is rewarding, hence this has shown me the potential that we need to nurture in our industry back home," he added.
Dube said he was happy that 10 years in Europe has seen them getting recognition as an international act from Zimbabwe.
"We have evolved over the years and for me doing collaborations, various as they came, with international theatre houses, companies and individuals, winning international awards and sharing the stage with the world's best has been a great achievement for us as a group," he said.
Dube said he was excited when they signed a deal with international distributing company ARC music, an agreement that ensured that their music would be available all over the world and on internet platforms such as itunes, Amazon and other sites.
He added: "Some of our artistes like Noma Mkwananzi, Silethemba Magonya, Siphephiso Magonya were signed by big international productions like Mother Africa, and seeing them on billboards in most European countries has been a huge statement about our country and its artistes.
IYASA left the country on Wednesday for a maiden tour of Japan.
"We have sent some of our members to different projects in Japan before but this is our first tour.
"I hope it's just the beginning of a new chapter for us. We hope this will open up new avenues for us as a team, as a country and also for our artistes in their individual capacities," he said.
The tour is expected to run for three weeks with the outfit performing in Okinawa and Shizouka.
IYASA is touring alongside Austrian theatre house Dschungel Wien.
The two acts will showcase their co-produced play entitled African Fairy Stories written by Dube and Stephan Rabl from Austria.
It's a musical, theatre and dance production on childhood in Africa.
"We will also present our dance and musical production Streets of Africa, which narrates how dance has evolved in Zimbabwe until today.
After the Japan tour, the group is set to return to Austria, where they will wrap up their tour before returning home in mid-August.
Source - Chronicle
