Tumbuka Dance Company

Tumbuka Dance Company is one of Zimbabwe’s leading contemporary dance companies. It was founded from the first class of Dance Foundation Course which started as a 10 week pilot project led by Chris and Vivienne Hamblin. The Pilot project was initiated in 1989 followed by the 3 year course which saw the establishment of Tumbuka Dance Company in 1992. kuTumbuka is a Shona word which means ‘to flower or bloom’.

The pioneering artistic director was Neville Campbell a British born choreographer who was
a former Director of UK based; Phonenix Dance Company.

Tumbuka rose to international acclaim in the 1990s, making tours throughout Africa and Europe. They collapsed in the 2000s due to the country’s economic hardships. The group has choreographed dances such as ‘Portrait of Myself as My Father’, ‘Between The Lines’, ‘Can’t Talk About This’, and ‘harvest’.

The group has toured Senegal, France, South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique, German, Angola, South America, Belgium, and Denmark. In 2021, Dance Trust of Zimbabwe who are the custodians of brand Tumbuka Dance Company and Simba Arts www.simbaarts.org agreed to revive the Dance Company, with the efforts to elevate the company to an internationally renowned status and inspire new audiences for Contemporary Dance through: Development Of New Work, Touring And Exposing New Audiences In Schools And Communities.