GLEN NORAH-BORN dance coach and performer Ellah Chenai Mugomba believes dance is the easiest means of transmitting and expressing cultural and national values.
She is the daughter of arguably one of the highly rated fitness trainers Moses Nyamhotsi Mugomba who boasts of having trained Zimbabwe and Africa’s strongest woman Chido Maenzanise and Paralympic champion Stellah Jongwe, among others.
“As a family we believe that traditional dances help in preserving our cultural heritage and identity and are an integral part of our culture, serving as a means of expression, storytelling, and community building,” Mugomba told NewsDay Life & Style.
“Traditional dances are performed during harvest ceremonies and on several other special occasions.”
She cut her milk teeth in dancing at Kundai Primary School, where her class teacher was in charge of traditional dance teams at the school.
“I am a student at the Music Consultancy Society of Zimbabwe, where I am taking intensive music lessons including Visual and Performance Arts courses,” Mugomba said.
Her wish is to travel to different countries showcasing Zimbabwe’s culture through dance.
“I have been to so many places through dance and I wish to expand my journeys through my industry,” Mugomba said.
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“I would like to teach others that only the sky is the limit so one is free to aim higher and higher.”
She credits her success to the support of her father Moses, also known as Black Moses, an award-winning fitness trainer.
“My father is so inspirational to me because of his emphasis on promoting cultural values. Dancers are in most cases looked down upon and it takes patience and courage to perfect oneself for universal acceptance. We still need more support for better acceptance in schools and colleges,” she said.
Mugomba said performing at the Sadc summit was a milestone and helped her to gain confidence and popularity as she teaches and trains dance to children in schools and colleges.
She is proficient in teaching dances such as dinhe, mhande, chinyambera and muchongoyo, among others.
Mugomba has a remarkable record of performing successfully at events such as the Chibuku Neshamwari Traditional Dance competitions and as a dance adjudicator, and choreographer.
