Music is a language that 19-year-old Honore Manzi Murengezi understands best, and this is captured in the way he dances—he is talented in diverse styles, such as afro-urban, afro-house, dancehall, hip-hop, and contemporary. Unlike many children who dream of becoming doctors, pilots, engineers, and other admired jobs, as a child, he just yearned to dance body to any tune. On many occasions, he heard people say that if you love something, go for it, regardless of the obstacles. And so he gave dance a shot. Murengezi recalls breaking the news to his parents that he was joining dance as a profession, a thing that displeased them, but he assured them that he wouldn’t let them down. He says, so far, they have started tasting the fruits of his labour. “At the start, dance was how I felt confident, and kept my mental health fit. However, two years back, I transformed my talent into a profession,” he says. While joining dance, Murengezi looked up to Ibrahim Zethy, a Rwandan dancer, instructor, choreographer, and artistic director who changed the face of dance, as he was the first and only Rwandan dancer to open a dance studio in the country. “He also organised events and dance competitions that offered dancers a platform to showcase their talents,” he says. The dancer says that his dream was to start classes to allow young people learn how to dance and profit from its benefits—and he recently fulfilled that dream—he now instructs people at a dance studio in Nyamirambo known as ‘Ze Dance’ every Sunday. He anticipates establishing an inclusive school or organisation that teaches dance, spiritual growth, career guidance, and art. He believes that the platform will give a chance to passionate dancers to raise the confidence and hopes in what they love, and build meaningful connections from the channel. Some of the challenges he encounters as a dancer is that dance is constantly evolving, which is why he often has to learn to adapt to new choreography and styles of dance to compete not only locally but also internationally. For him, dance is just like any other job, some days are exciting as he is in the mood to try out a number of styles and movements, or when he succeeds in a performance, whilst other days are not the best, especially if he is nursing a painful joint, or not chosen for a dance prospect. When he starts talking about dance, his face lights up, because he has witnessed the benefits of dance, such as crafting bonds with different people in society, creating a sense of identity and belonging, recognising culture, promoting wellbeing, expression, and self-confidence. Murengezi says that one can earn from dance by taking part in performances, and events that entertain people. “Dancers can also participate in advertising campaigns or reach out to institutions and companies that use art in sending messages to their clients and the public. “And also by using social media as a platform to share their videos and content as they capture big audiences, or YouTube channels that are expected to earn them some money once they grow,” he says. The professional dancer adds that alternatively, dancers can partake in movie scenes, music videos, dance fitness movement, and offer dance lessons. Murengezi performed at the Zimbabwe Independence Day celebration this year at their embassy, concerts of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), competitions such as Kigali Breaking Cypher this year in afro-house, MTN ATHF Festival, and fashion shows, among others.
