The sounds of a busy Sunday morning could be heard all across Kuda Vana’s campus. The sounds of children shouting, dishwashing, and sweeping all muddled together in a familiar buzz of what would seem like a normal Sunday, except, it wasn’t just any Sunday, it was the day of Redemptive Dance Ministry’s (RDM’s) launch of the Kuda Vana chapter.

RDM’s mssion is to provide a Christ-centered environment to learn the art of dance for the purpose of glorifying God, redeeming dance and the beauty of every human body for His Kingdom.

Around 9:00 in the morning, Lys Sheyki arrived to set up for the big day. Uncle Knowledge, Lys, and some of her assistants headed to the chapel to set up the projector, screen, and chairs. An internet check was completed and before they knew it, the hour for preparation flew by, and it was time for the program to start. At 10:00, children started trickling into the chapel. The chairs were soon filled with excited children, and anticipation filled the air.

RDM Zimbabwe Director Lys Shyki explains how dance can be an act of self-expression and worship to God in “Beginning Circle”. They shared prayer together before beginning.

Lys started everything off by introducing herself and her helpers Ian, Ashley, and Junior. Then she played some videos of RDM Co-Founder and Executive Director Heather Johnson introducing the program and expounding on RDM’s vision and mission. After presenting the idea of self-expression through dance, Heather challenged the kids to create their own dances to show RDM who they are. The kids broke up into groups based on their houses and were joined by a helper. Even the Mamas created their own group to present a dance. Within 30 minutes, the groups were ready, and they all took their seats to watch each dance. The Mamas danced first, and then the houses went from 1 to 4. Each child wore a smile on their face as they danced.

Dance is a huge part of cultural life in Zimbabwe: harnessing it for worship and self-expression was so much fun!

After Kuda Vana showed Lys who they were through their dances, they took a short break for water and returned to the chapel. For this segment of the launch, they were introduced to an abbreviated version of a RDM dance class to give them an idea of what following lessons would look like. They started by sitting together for “Beginning Circle,” where Lys introduced some basic dance class information and prayed. Then, the

children were taught a short warm-up and then skills instruction for a short dance. They practiced the choreography with joy, even the Mamas and the little ones joined in. Lys would demonstrate one skill, then another, and eventually everyone would combine the moves until they were dancing and jumping all around. When everyone had completed the dance, they broke off into groups by age and had a lesson and discussion about discipleship. When the session was completed, everyone went home for lunch. They would come back together to have a dance party on a live call with Heather and some of RDM’s dancers in Colorado!

Even the caregivers joined in on the dance party fun!

When it came time to come back together for the live call, we were briefly disappointed to see that the previously available internet was not showing up at the chapel. Despite the small hiccup, everyone moved the setup into the multipurpose room at the school building, and we were able to connect with everyone waiting in Colorado. Though it was almost 3am for them, it was such a treat to see their smiling faces.

After we established the call and the audio, they showed us their dances, and the kids at Kuda Vana watched with admiration and awe. They loved seeing the different moves and styles of dance. When the dancers in Colorado were finished, the KV kids showed RDM their traditional dances! Farai, Isma, and Rindi played the drums, while different age groups took turns dancing together. The pounding of the drums, the harmony of voices, and the remarkable dance moves created a vibrant scene. When the traditional dance was over, there was a prayer to dedicate the Kuda Vana chapter and everyone went home, tired from the fun day they had.

We are so thankful for all of the thoughts, efforts, and prayers that have gone into the RDM launch and establishment here at Kuda Vana. We know it will certainly be a blessing for these children.

Written by a Kuda Vana Volunteer

Worship and Dance at Kuda Vana: A Beautiful New Partnership!