The Sunday News
NAMA 2014 award winning ROLX Dance Trust founder, Sean Mambwere, who scooped an award for outstanding choreographer is a man on a mission, with his latest feat being conducting workshops in Germany where he spent 10-days exchanging ideas and culture in Berlin and Hannover.
The all expense paid trip was made possible by Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, which is a political foundation, closely associated with the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU).
While in Germany, Mambwere also met German parliamentarians, mayors and universities’ art and culture faculty presidents, to share his views and thoughts about art and culture in light of African development.
“I got to meet a lot of important people while I was in Germany where I conducted four workshops and I must say they were all well attended and that blew me away. I shared my experiences with the dance community and also held question and answer sessions along the way. This is huge and I understand the gravity of it though it is hard to comprehend that God would choose me for such. He saw it fit to entrust me with much but I am fully convinced that once you begin to influence the influential (policy makers, nation builders, culture shapers) that is when you begin to make a lasting impact and change culture for the better and for me my faith greatly informs my passion, movement and worldview,” he noted.
Mambwere, a graduate in Applied Mathematics from Nust also managed to get a video of himself dancing to Beethoven by seasoned director and producer, Philipp Serba.
“I was out of my league but I really did my very best. Serba is a man of great acclaim in the world of film and having him shoot me is an honour that I cannot even begin to comprehend,” he said.
Added Mambwere: “I was really hosted well and I enjoyed everything that took part in the 10 days I was there. KAS has also been teaching me leadership and their investment in the country is of great note.”
According to their official website, KAS co-operates with governmental institutions, political parties, civil society organisations and handpicked elites, building strong partnerships along the way.
In particular they seek to intensify political co-operation in the area of development at national and international levels on the foundations of their objectives and values. Together with their partners, they make a contribution to the creation of an international order that enables every country to develop in freedom and under its own responsibility. Mambwere has also been invited to Finland for the 15th World Gymnaestrada Event to showcase gymnastics and represent the country there.
“The event is meant to showcase dance mixed with our craft there as well . . . and I was chosen to be the hip hop choreographer together with three other choreographers in African, ballet/contemporary and Indian dance to start preparing the team now ahead of this world stage. I might not go though because I have to raise the funds myself but I am grateful to God to get to choreograph for this team,” he said.
As the founder of ROLX, Mambwere and his crew have to date won the Zimbabwe National Hip Hop Dance Championship Finals in 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2012. ROLX has also represented Zimbabwe around the globe in the USA, Australia, Cape Town, Johannesburg and Botswana during tours and cultural exchange programmes. They have also had the privilege to share the limelight with the world’s top gospel artistes namely Grammy nominees rapper Flame, renowned hip hop artistes Lecrae, the 116 Clique comprising Tedashii, Trip Lee, Andy Mineo and KB, Nicole C. Mullen, Broadway celebrity actor Bruce Kuhn and Bonnie Deuschle.
