COMMUNITY PROJECTS

Youth Activites
Tawanda muChinyakare youth classes, workshops, and school assemblies integrate a dynamic musical and cultural learning experience. The classes explore not only music, song, and dance, but also African culture and history. Rich cross-cultural dialogue seeks to inspire personal growth and to facilitate self-expression for youth of all ages, backgrounds and life experiences. Youth dance classes are currently being offered at Fruitvale Elementary, Hawthorne Elementary & Oakland Unified School District through the Music of Our World Program of the non-profit Oakland Youth Chorus. Marimba classes are currently held at Head Royce School also in Oakland. For more information, contact Russ Landers at russ@chinyakare.com

Adult Activities
Tawanda muChinyakare adult workshops and retreats highlight the expertise of master dancers and intrumentalists from Zimbabwe and America. Students receive instruction in dance, instrumentation, and song as well as cultural and historical discovery. While conveying accurate cultural significance and technique, the classes and retreats also endeavor to convey the "feeling" and passion essential to the experience of the music and dance. All levels and backgrounds are welcome.

Cultural Center in Zimbabwe
Eight members of the Chinyakare Ensemble traveled to Zimbabwe in July 2002 and began construction of a cultural center in Hatfield, Zimbabwe. Four traditional style buildings were completed including a ceremonial/meeting hut, two smaller huts for workshops and a large dance studio. We began planning and developing guest quarters and an outdoor dance/meeting pavilion for future classes and retreats.

This cultural center is designed to be a place where master musicians and dancers from Zimbabwe and beyond will teach and inspire both Zimbabweans and friends from abroad.

Bembero Mudengu Project
A year-long community-building and cultural-learning project of Tawanda muChinyakare in 2004-05. Under the direction of Julia Tsitsi Chigamba, the project was a collaboration between the Chigamba family the Chinyakare Ensemble, and the Oakland community including youth, families and adults of diverse ages and backgrounds. The project was comprised of a series of experiential community workshops in music, dance and culture, rehearsals and intensive training with the Chigamba family guest artists, and a world premiere performance of Bembero Mudengu (Sharing my Story) on June 4, 2005. See photos, flier.