Our Programmes
The Dance school
The Muda Africa dance school offers a 3-year training in contemporary African dance and arts management. A maximum of 30 students, between the ages of 18 and 25, are selected through a competitive audition process. Successful candidates study free-of-charge and receive scholarships to support their transport to school and meals. Trainees follow daily classes in dance techniques, drama, performance, composition, choreography, teacher-training, touring and life skills. They learn to develop portfolios, business and marketing skills, events management skills, computer and English language skills.
Women in dance
To address the under-representation of women in dance, Muda Africa works with women trainers and women choreographers who are the best role models for our current and future women students. Regular mentorship sessions are given by experienced women artists and we promote positive images of women in dance in our media. The families of women trainees are invited to attend training sessions and performances so they can witness dance as a respectable profession. The number of women trainees continues to rise, from 20% in 2013 to 35% in 2022.
Building audiences
To bring African contemporary dance to all communities, Muda Africa dancers perform in schools, youth centres, cultural centres, private companies, hotels, orphanages, youth rehabilitation centres, on the street and in festivals around the world.
The Muda Africa dancers participate in at least 50 performances every year and attract audiences of over 6,500 people.
In their final year of study,the dancers tour 10 government schools in urban and rural districts and the dance piece addresses a social challenge. Previous tours have focused on gender-based violence, deforestation, substance abuse amongst youth and the benefits and challenges of the mobile phone.
Time 2 Dance festival
The Time 2 Dance festival, formerly known as Visa 2 Dance, was started in 2007 by Mionzi, the very first contemporary dance company of Tanzania. Now in its 15th edition, it is currently produced annually by the Muda Africa organisation during the month of September. The festival showcases the work of the Muda Africa dancers and welcomes dancers and dance companies from all over the world. We are particularly interested in festival applicants who can create choreographies on our dancers and give masterclasses.
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East African applicants: fully funded.
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International applicants outside of the East African region: we can offer you accommodation and help you apply for funding.
Mti & Mwiri
Deforestation is the central theme to the exchange programme between 12 dancers from Muda Africa and Royaume des fleurs in Mayotte. Entitled Mti & Mwiri (meaning tree in Swahili and Mahoran) the project was awarded a grant from 2021 -2023 by Access Culture, a programme funded by the French Development Agency and the Institut Francais. The project will create an original choreography which will tour festivals, youth centres and schools promoting awareness and gathering youth solutions on deforestation.
Strengthening the contemporary dance scene in East Africa
UNESCO's International Fund for Cultural diversity (IFCD) has awarded Muda Africa a grant for its project entitled Strengthening the contemporary dance scene in East Africa, from 2021-2023. The funds will support the creation of a web portal which will profile young talented professional dance artists from Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda as well as give marketing and teacher training workshops to 120 East African dance artists. With a special focus on women, the project offers 30 East African women dancers choreographic capacity building and organises a 5-day conference with the AMDA network to develop policies to promote gender equality on dance platforms regionally.
Dansi Tena
Supported by the Goethe Institut from 2020 to 2022, this project started in response to the Covid-19 lockdown measures in Tanzania when all public performances were banned. Dansi Tena (meaning 'Dance Again' in Swahili) is a series of dance films promoting young upcoming Tanzanian choreographers and dancers with the intention of building more Tanzanian audiences for contemporary dance. The formula is simple:
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Watch the dance
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Listen to the choreographer in Swahili (English subtitles)
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Watch the dance again
You can enjoy all the dance films on our Youtube channel.
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