Futurelove Sibanda blossoms in Austria

When Chase Skuza remixed his late brother Solomon's track, Banolila, the song became an instant national hit on the strength of its video that featured Inkululeko Yabatsha School of Arts (Iyasa).

Iyasa, donning vintage costumes, blew the nation away with a presentation that mixed incredible dance moves and comical drama.

The fulcrum of the Iyasa performance was Futurelove Sibanda better known as Uglyshia.

Wearing a wig and skirt along with his trademark fake butt, Sibanda was at his comical best as he wriggled his waist with abandon on the set.

Apart from his scintillating performance on the Banolila video, Sibanda also did stand-up comedy and featured on a number of short films locally. But at the height of Zimbabwe's hyperinflationary crisis, the Nyamandlovu-born artiste just disappeared from the local entertainment scene.

"I moved to Austria in 2009 and got a place to study at a private university. I have been pursuing dance pedagogy and it has been a lovely learning process. I am happy I took that step," Sibanda told the Daily News on Sunday.

"My personal greatest achievement was the formation of my own music band Future and The Lovers last year. We mostly play pop music and also incorporate African traditional songs. The reception has been great and we will be releasing our first album early next year."

He has shared the stage with fellow Zimbabwean artistes on foreign stages for example Insingizi, Jays Marabini, Mahotella Queens, Hugh Masekela, Hope Masike and Grammy-winning Angelique Kidjo.

Surprisingly, Sibanda only realised his dancing talent when he joined Iyasa.

"Honestly I never thought or realised I was a dancer. I only knew I could sing as I always sang at home with my mother till I joined Iyasa. At Iyasa I started exploring my dancing ability," he said.

"I started taking dancing seriously at the age of 19 since we became popular for that in our group, I enjoyed travelling around world and within Zimbabwean borders with Iyasa.

"Nothing bad happened between me and Iyasa, I grew up and left, but as we speak we are together in Austria and enjoying the times we have together on and off stage. Iyasa is still going on while I am doing my own thing."

Sibanda told the Daily News on Sunday that he has come to appreciate dance as a form of art which is used as a means of communication in other parts of the world where there is no freedom of speech.

"Now that I have studied dance at university level and came to understand it on an intellectual level not just as entertainment, dance is one of best ways to express feelings or present situations that some people can't express verbally," he said.

"For example, in some countries that do not have freedom of speech, dancers use their body language to express their thoughts or mind on economic, social or political issues. It is a great way of communication."

In his two-member band Sibanda, is the lead singer while co-founder Didi plays the guitar.

"I learnt percussion administration and organising during my time at Iyasa that was around 1999 or 2000. I was a dancer and a singer at the same time but the dance obviously became more popular. I have managed to win awards around Europe."

Sibanda is confident that he will eventually conquer many spheres of the arts industry.

"I'm not really a person who plans for the future but I just have wishes and dreams. I see myself in the movie world doing some films, a lead singer in a pop orchestra band which is what I'm slowly working on," he told the Daily News on Sunday.