Please see attached and below photographs and copy for circulation to everyone in your address books, newspapers, dancing communities etc etc. The sooner we get this message out to as many people as possible, the quicker we can get the centre rebuilt. Funds are URGENTLY required from well wishers and lovers of dance to resurrect The National Ballet Centre. As much newspaper/magazine coverage as possible would be much appreciated, so please call in as many favours as possible from anyone and everyone you can:-

“The National Ballet Centre was destroyed yesterday morning after the roof caved in leaving the building unsafe and unusable. The Dance Trust of Zimbabwe announced that the collapse of the centre, which was built 35 years ago and has housed and trained the national dancing community for decades, is a national disaster and throws doubt over the future of dance in Zimbabwe. All dancers, teachers, parents and friends of dance were devastated by the news as it leaked out yesterday.

The National Ballet centre, situated on East Road, Harare (behind Reps Theatre) has staged many shows over the years including its annual dance festival Starlight Dancing. It is also registered as a Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) examination centre and its facilities are used daily by many of Zimbabwe’s top dance studios and dancers including the Tumbuka Contemporary Dance Company, The Dance Foundation Course, The Outreach Project and the National Ballet dancers themselves.

When the Ballet Centre initially opened, it focused on classical ballet. Later it was then realised that it was essential to take dance to the community as a whole, especially to the high-density suburbs. "Vana vano tamba" (children who dance) was soon launched in 1984 - a project initially confined to children under twelve in Harare's high density areas who would otherwise have had no exposure to dance other than traditional. The teachers went to various schools and a class was given on a Saturday morning to teenagers, who formed the City Youth Group. A few dancers, who showed potential, were awarded scholarships to learn ballet at a more advanced level from classical teachers.

This initiative soon led to the first workshop. So successful was this course that the training was extended and culminated in a formal three year Dance Training Programme specifically aimed at talented young schools leavers from economically constrained backgrounds. The course was free of charge and all students were provided with daily transport and lunch money. The first course was completed in 1992. The graduates were then employed either by the newly formed Tumbuka Dance Company, or the community based Outreach Team. This was an innovative and exciting move because of its employment creation policy and the possibilities for future expansion.

Since then, four further three year long Dance Foundation Courses have been successfully run, which has highlighted the interdependency of all three projects. The fifth Dance Foundation Course started in July 2008 and is currently running.

The Outreach Team has identified talented youngsters in the community, who were invited to audition for the Dance Foundation Course. Talented course graduates have been taken into Tumbuka as professional dancers. Tumbuka Company members are an integral part of the training course as they are involved in teaching the students on a regular basis, are disciplined role models, and inspirational leaders.

In 1999 two of the students on the Dance Foundation Course were offered a one-year scholarship with the Oslo National College of Ballet and Dance. The scholarships were extended by a further two years. Both of these dancers gained employment in the field of Dance in Europe. Since then six more students have benefited from these scholarships.

The Outreach Programme, that was initiated as "Vano Vano Tambo", developed into a formal programme with an Administrator and a Co-ordinator. Currently there are four teachers, one of which doubles as the Co-ordinator, who teach 4500 children. The classes are given free of charge. Outreach Dance Festivals are attempted every year to afford the children an opportunity to dance in public and one is currently in rehearsal and due to be staged on 26th November 2011 at The Dutch Reformed Church, Samora Machel Avenue, Harare at 10am. A morning not to be missed!

Chairman of the Dance Trust of Zimbabwe Tereza Carter, said that “Rebuilding The National Ballet Centre, is critical to ensure that all the gains over the past 35 years are not jeopardised. Dance in Zimbabwe must continue and it’s important that The National Ballet Centre remains at the hub of that national project.”

Well wishers, friends of dance and the corporate world are requested to contact The Dance Trust of Zimbabwe on dtz@ecoweb.co.zw for more information”.

Best Regards…Joe

Congratulations to Amy (nee Henderson) and Grant Froneman

Congratulations to Amy (nee Henderson) and Grant Froneman on the birth of their beautiful little boy Dylan, born on October 21st in Cape Town.


Proud grandparents Anne and Donald are so happy to be grandparents at last. We thought long and hard about it but eventually decided that, despite the financial considerations and our advancing years, we should put aside our reservations and make this sacrifice for the sake of our children. Ultimately, it was not a difficult decision to make as we had the help of Amy and Grant from the beginning. Sandy and Chelle have prepared meticulously and will heap love and gifts from their royal home in Dubai.

Phew!

From Jenni Williams

My name is Jenni Williams, national coordinator of Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA). I am persecuted for being a human rights defender, just getting over my 39th arrest and recovering from my 3rd stint in a Zimbabwean jail as a unconvicted prisoner. Arrested on the 21st of September 2-11 World Peace Day, I spent 2 days in horrific conditions at Bulawayo Central Police and then 10 days at Mlondolozi female prison in Khami complex. This brings my tally to 73 days of my life spent in jails wearing the bright green dolly rocker tunic of a remand prisoner. Despite so many arrests, the state has been unable to criminalise my right to peaceful protest so they through a particular officer with personal grudges have now resorted to criminal charges of kidnapping and theft. Anyway that is just a bit of background, the real reason I write this is to make a heartfelt plea to Zimbabweans.

In Zimbabwean jails, you have nothing to do except watch and SEE what happens and to talk to other prisoners. Life in prison is dreary, many nights spent on hard floors, dirty blankets, stinking cells, long hours (16 hours) of lock down in small overcrowded cells can surely drive one up the wall. I slept next to murderers, car jackers, thieves , fraudsters, prostitutes, all of them human beings trying to survive. I was not there to judge them but to share in the battle to eke out some form of dignity for oneself and avoid being harassed or beaten or tortured by prison guards.

Counting the hours and days in your head or watching how the shadows change as the sun sets as you are not allowed to know the time becomes a favourite past time of many. A prison is supposed to be a place for correction and reform , but Zimbabwe's prisons become places of slow death and places where one's dignity and self esteem are stripped. I have seen none of the correction and reform except forced labour or nonsensical things like the daily watering down to clean the 12x25 meter concrete yard.

During 2008, time in prison was hell as there was such widespread hunger and skeletons habited most of Zimbabwe's jails. Things have improved somehow in terms of supply of food in Mlondolozi but I am afraid to say the food is badly cooked and hungry eyes tell the stomach that it cannot finish the meal served on plastic plates as it is so unappetising. Sadza and spinach is such a simple meal to prepare if cooked in clean pots with clean water and with care but both are lacking at Mlondolozi. The sadza of an indescribable colour with relish of either spinach drowning in it water and not a drop of oil or beans swimming in an Olympic pool of liquid are the 11:30 lunch and 3pm dinner menu. Porridge too is a burden to eat as it is cooked in yesterday's unwashed pots and 20% of inmates have that magic item called a spoon. Those with the other scarce item called a toothbrush use one side for brushing and another for dribbling porridge into their mouths. And so I learn that eating is half hunger and a whole lot to do with how appetising the food is, the result, inmates don't get their basic right to a decent cooked nutritious meal. Due to my friends and relatives I am able to get a meal and something for breakfast delivered to me daily but as before I find I cannot eat in those conditions and lost 4kgs despite spending most of the day sitting in the tiny yard. One appetite killer is the thought that someone in the cells who d s not have relatives to visit and cannot stomach prison food will go for days without a morsel. My colleague Magodonga spent many meal times urging me to eat so I could take my antibiotics to treat the infection of my recent surgery. There was no bathing or shower facilities in Hotel Central Police station and my pleas for clean water for me to cleaning my wounds for 3 days fell on deaf ears, it was if I was asking for a rock from the moon. By the grace of God the antibiotics worked, and the infection has cleared.
I have three things to ask of anyone reading this note but I am no expert but just sharing based on experience. Firstly talking to convicted prisoners, it becomes so clear that that people can be too trusting and this sets them up for a fall. Please take time to study and analyse people and take more seriously advice on how to prevent crime or carjacking. Don't leave your keys in the ignition and step out. Don't trust strangers no matter the gender, smile or eloquence. I am not saying go through life being suspicious and lose confidence in the basic good of a human but take the time to THINK before you act. This will and can save you from injury, harm death and or even losing your property.

Following on from the basic good point, some of the crimes that resulted in prisoners being given the yellow dress of a convicted person could have been solved my facilitated dialogue processes. Again, I ask us to think and try to find other ways than to send someone to a prison that cannot feed them in a country that will not reform or correct them. Instead of prisoners coming out as reformed members of society they re-enter society as hardened criminals with little hope of being reformed. I am also talking to employers of domestic staff. The police and justice systems in our country are not working as they should so in the meantime society must find another way to peacefully deal with crime that involves genuine reform and correction and restitution. By the way I have had lots stolen from me and many break ins but because of who I am, I am deprived of my right to walk into a police station and report a crime as it had resulted in my personal persecution for my human ights work.

If you have a relative in jail, please visit them, they need to see you even if you have nothing to give except your smile and a teaspoon or an empty container to use as a lunch box! If you can donate food or practical things to Mlondolozi for the 100 women there, please do so but make sure there is a record of the donation or demand to give it to a prisoner direct or through charitable organisations. Send body cream but not face cream. Don't send deodorant or things that women like to use to make themselves pretty and feminine because so strange undisclosed reasons feeling feminine is not allowed. During my stints I normally coped by reading magazines or short simple romance novels and prisoners and guards alike had always loaned these books to read so it is something that you can do to help pass the day or night, while waiting for Zimbabwe's slow wheels of justice to take their course.

May I take this opportunity to thank the many whom I know had me and my colleagues in their prayers.
God bless
Jenni

Reps Reporter – October 2011

Greetings in a hot October as we all start the countdown to the festive season and the new year ahead. The highlight of the past month has been the Special General Meeting and the subsequent launch of the Debentures, aimed at funding Reps, so that not only can the society continue to function but that it can do so fully confident of great things ahead.
Debentures now on offer

There have been many messages sent out about these, so all we need do here is encourage each and every member to get involved and to encourage friends, family and colleagues to do so, too. The Debentures can be taken up by members and non-members alike. If you feel you don’t know enough please call the Reps office for more details.

Stars of Tomorrow can be seen this month

National Ballet’s annual show presenting the younger dancers from all the dance schools will be staged from November 11 to 19, with performances most nights at 6.30pm and matinees on both Saturdays at 2.30pm – and a Sunday matinee on Nov 13 at 2.30pm. Fans of dance will enjoy seeing the ‘littlies’ and you will be joining many family members and friends coming to see the dancers in action. During Stars of Tomorrow there will be colouring competition related to the upcoming Reps panto, with prizes of tickets to see the panto, so young members of the audience have something fun to look forward to.

Dreamcatcher will feature song and dance

On the evening of Sunday November 13, Reps and the National Ballet will jointly present a fundraiser show, starting at 6pm. This has been a feature of the November calendar for a few years and the show will, as before, feature a mix of song and dance and a good way to spend a Sunday evening. Performers for the show are being lined up at the moment – if you would like to volunteer, please let Philippa in the Reps office know.

Spar Zimbabwe supporting Reps and the panto

Spar Zimbabwe has kindly agreed to sponsor the panto this year – Robinson Crusoe (Main Stage December 1 to 23). This is very exciting as it will allow us to put together a great production and help promote it widely. Graham Crutchley has started rehearsals and it looks like being a winner. The Spar connection will bring in Childline, which we hope will benefit from this involvement, among which will be collection of toys and children’s items through a foyer collection box throughout the panto run. Members can help by promoting Robinson Crusoe far and wide and making sure everyone in town knows about it. This year’s panto will be a blockbuster and its stars include Marc Thomas, Sue Bolt, Martin Bolt, Emily Wetzlar, Stephane Thomas and a number of brand new faces! Two gala nights have already been sold so book early – it’s going to sell quickly and well!

Get going for Boeing Boeing

The return of the new year brings Boeing Boeing back to the stage – one of the best and funniest farces ever written! Zane E Lucas will direct this and as a special extra, there will be a members’ early booking window giving members preferential booking for the opening night on New Year’s Eve. See in the new year with this top rated farce and the fun in the members’ bar afterwards, or go on from the show to whatever event you will be attending that night.

Social events aplenty

Mails are coming out all the time about all the socials coming up, so no need to repeat them here. However, all members are encouraged to come along to these events – there’s always a lot on offer and people end up having a grand time. Sometimes these socials are open to the general public and this is a good way of letting people see just what goes on at Reps and they can then be encouraged to join as members themselves. Coming up on October 29 is The Rocky Horror Picture Show being screened in the theatre and linked to associated Halloween events before and after the screening. November 4 sees a Portuguese-themed bar party and November 6 has another Sunday pub quiz … and there’s lots to follow.

Hire charges standardised

A set of standard hire charges have agreed to and a schedule of these is available from the Reps office – everything from hiring the theatre to hiring equipment.

Members’ information

On our members list are many people whose whereabouts is no longer known, and we would appreciate it if people could assist us in identifying where they may be now. Among these are a reasonable number of Theatre Foundation Members and Life Members. We cannot publish all the names but if you get a chance to visit the Reps office and look at the list, perhaps you can advise if you know where some of these missing people can be found. Sadly, we have come across information indicating some have passed away and we have taken them off the list. Many people have moved abroad and we don’t have their contact details. Some may well still be in Zimbabwe but are not receiving our information and news.

Membership drive still on

Although the competition for the Blue Swallow Lodges prize for signing up new members has ended, the drive for new members continues. We have had a good number of newcomers coming on board in the past few months and we would like this to continue. Everyone’s a potential member and it’s a matter of drawing to their attention what Reps offers its members. Forms can be obtained in the Members’ Bar, the Spotlight or Reps office.

Reps website offers information on everything about Reps

All you need to know about Reps should be found on the Reps website, www.reps.co.zw, run for us by Mark Hyde. Please visit the site and give us feedback on what you find. It’s easy to reach and visit, and very much quicker than those huge websites which sometimes take a long time to get into.

Did you know …

… that Reps members get a 20 percent discount on tickets bought for Repertory Players productions on the Main Stage? It’s just one of the benefits of being a member. Sometimes this benefit is also accorded to members coming to see hire shows on our stage.

And some great news on subs

Exco has been decided that subscription fees for 2012 will remain at the levels of 2011, and a call for payment of subscriptions will be sent out later this year. Deadline for renewing is January 14. Work on streamlining the membership categories is taking place at the moment and information on this will be sent out with the call for subscriptions payments.

Until next time, keep cool!
Exco

ondolences

York - Jessie Elizabeth (nee Greeff) Passed away peacefully on 20th October 2011 at home aged 94 after a long healthy life. Mother of Fred, Geoff, Connie and Lionel. Mother in law of Cynthia, Anita, Harold and Lesley. Grandmother of Richard, Candy, Michael, Joanne, Alister, Grant, Siobhan and Patricia. Great grandmother of Matthew, Ethan and Joshua. Funeral to be held at Hillside Methodist Church, Limerick Road on Thursday 27th October 2011 at 2:30pm. All friends and relatives are invited for refreshments after the service at the home of Fred and Cynthia York, 5 Southway, Burnside, Bulawayo.


++++Passing of Chris Dixon

It is with deep regret that I advise you all of the passing of Chris Dixon at 05h00 on October 21, 2011 in Harare, Zimbabwe.

As we know Chris battled with the dreaded 'C' and let us rather rejoice and celebrate his life knowing his pain is over and now he can rest in peace.

Chris attested with 16 PTC in March 1962 ad gained his Wings in June 1963.



The Pilot
By Gene West



I hope there's a place, way up in the sky,

Where pilots can go when they have to die.

A Place where a guy can buy a cold beer,

For a friend and a comrade whose memory is dear;

A place where no doctor or lawyer can tread,

Nor a management type would ere be caught dead;

Just a quaint little place, kind of dark, full of smoke'

Where they like to sing loud, and love a good joke;

The kind of place where a lady could go

And feel safe and protected by the men she would know.

There must be a place where old pilots go,

When the paining is finished, and the airspeed gets low,

Where the whisky is old, and the women are young,

And songs about flying and dying are sung,

Where you'd see all the fellows who have flown west before,

And they call out your name, as you came through the door.

Who would by you a drink, if your thirst should be bad,

And relate to the others, "He was quite a good lad!"

And then through the mist, you'd spot an old guy

You had not seen in years, though he taught you to fly.

He'd nod his old head, and grin ear to ear,

And say, "Welcome my son, I'm pleased that you're here."

"For this is the place where true flyers come,"

When their journey is over, and the war has been won."

"They've come here at last to be safe and alone"

"From the government clerks and the management clone,"

"Politicians and lawyers, the Feds and the noise,"

"Where all hours are happy, and these good ole boys"

" Can relax with a cool one, and a well deserved rest,"

"This is heaven, my son... You've passed your last test!"

"Rest in Peace Chris'"



Deepest sympathies to Gail and family and also all of Chris's Course mates on 16 PTC



Messages of sympathy can be sent to Gail on dixon@zol.co.zw



Kind Regards

Eddy Norris

++++
HASTINGS - Emma. Beloved mother of Hugh, Margaret and Sheila, mother-in-law of Peter, and grandmother of Justin and Katy, passed away peacefully in Pietermaritzburg, on Monday 17 October 2011, age 87. Emma embraced all she knew with love and wisdom, lightened life with humour and enriched our lives with her graciousness and pure spirit. Rest in peace, darling Emma, your soul is free.


HASTINGS, Emma. Late of Bulawayo. Peacefully in Pietermaritzburg, on Monday 17 October. Much loved sister of Dawn (nee Summerton), and loving aunt of Tracey and family in Queensland. Deeply missed and forever loved

Congratulations

To Donald and Ann Henderson a grandson ! Born to Amy and Grant in Cape Town.

Great grandson of the Late Jimmy and Theresa McGroarty.
Much love and congratulations from Rick and Maggie
++++++

Travis and Kim Craddock proudly announce the safe arrival of their little girl, Chelsea Rebecca on 20th October 2011.
Congrats to Travis and Kim on the long awaited arrival of Chelsea Rebecca. Lots of love Rob, Lynne, Kylie and Lorna. xoxox

Richard David Thompson

Richard David Thompson loving husband and father to Trish Thompson, Darren Thompson, Belinda Thompson and Jason Thompson. Passed away Monday 24th October 2011,


We know you are at peace on the river with a brandy and coke or Whiskey and soda in hand and the Beegees playing full blast in the background, fishing for tiger!! May you catch that big one!!

Our Father, Loving Husband and mentor to many will dearly missed! He was one of a kind! And we will always love you and are blessed to have had him in our lives!

MEMORIAL WILL BE HELD AT WINGATE GOLF CLUB MONDAY 31ST OCTOBER 2011 COULD EVERYONE BE THERE 2:30PM TO START AT 3:00PM DRESS CODE IS CASUAL CASH BAR FOR AFTER bathompson29@gmail.com