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African dancers electrify crowd

Song, dance and thick Zimbabwean accents filled the RH Channing Auditorium last week as Black Umfolosi took to the stage.

Song, dance and thick Zimbabwean accents filled the RH Channing Auditorium last week as Black Umfolosi took to the stage.
Made up of five men from Zimbabwe, the a capella dance group entertained 300 audience members as they shared stories and songs with special meanings.
Very few of the songs had English words, but that didn’t stop the audience from enjoying the much-anticipated show.
Black Umfolosi members shared stories between their songs, as they introduced the meaning of each piece.
Some songs related to raising children while others celebrated special occasions such as birthdays and weddings.
Black Umfolosi’s lead singer and choreographer, Sotsha Moyo, asked if there were any birthdays in the audience. Hearing none, he asked, “What about newlyweds?”
Still hearing none, the men joked that they were right all along.
“Canadians really don’t wed,” Moyo laughed. “We’ll take all the ladies back to Africa with us.”
The ladies in the audience cheered as the group performed a celebration dance in which they marked their coming to Flin Flon.
More jokes followed each song and dance.
Stops
The African group has been touring across Canada with stops that include Montreal, Toronto, North Bay, Ont., and what they referred to as “Winterpeg.”
“The people are kind,” said one of the group members, “but the weather is not.”
The group joked that their attire wasn’t ideal for this time of year, but the dancing kept them warm.”
Black Umfolosi has been flying to their venues, lugging baggage around with them for the past two weeks.
The group encouraged everyone to purchase merchandise from their table for the simple fact of excess baggage.
Their stories made the audience laugh and their singing and dancing talents left them in awe.
The group’s final song was “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” made famous by Disney’s The Lion King. Black Umfolosi asked the audience to participate in their seats with hand motions and foot stomping.
The Gumboot Dance was maybe the most anticipated dance of all and was saved for the end of the night.
The dance was originally created by miners in Zimbabwe to communicate, but later turned into a form entertainment.
The group returned to the stage in their gumboots – or rain boots – with bright coveralls tied around their waists and hardhats on their heads for their final dance.
The audience showed their appreciation with foot stomping on the raised seating, as they encouraged Black Umfolosi to do an encore.
Moyo joked he would have to explain the meaning of an encore to his group and asked the audience to make more noise.
The group of five returned for one last song and dance that included various animal and creature costumes.

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