KUALA LUMPUR, March 8 — A total of 29 individuals from all walks of life will be representing Team Malaysia in the upcoming global event called Ginga Flashmob under the Europe’s World Kizomba Project.

This year, over 70 countries will be participating in the global event by performing a pre-set Kizomba dance choreography which will be compiled into a video and will be shared online in unison.

The event is also held in conjunction with International Women’s Day (IWD).

Kizomba is a family and community dance originated from Angola and derived from the Kimbudu word ‘Kizombada’ which means to party or to celebrate togetherness through food, drinks, music, and dance.

In conjunction with the global event and IWD, the Kizomba and Semba Malaysia community has partnered up with Birbiz Studio and has formed a team of 29 individuals to represent Malaysia in the global video and to express themselves through the Kizomba dance.

The Ginga Flashmob comprises a diverse team of individuals from different backgrounds and ethnicities. — Picture by Yusof Mat Isa

According to Birbiz Studio’s Kizomba Fusion Instructor Mabel Kok, the purpose of this dance is to unite people from all around the globe through dancing.

Team Malaysia will be supporting the Women’s Aid Organisation’s Power Up project which helps in building economic and emotional empowerment amongst women.

They will be wearing a specially sewn mask made by the women supported by the Power Up project.

"The team comprises both local and international women from various ages and a very brave gentleman. Our youngest is around 28 years old while the oldest is nearly 60.

"They are a mix of professionals from the creative industry, IT, medical field. We also have a legal director, a hypnotherapist, business owners, homemakers.

"So, it’s really a wonderful and diverse group of individuals from different ethnicities and backgrounds,” Mabel told Malay Mail.

Birbiz Studio's Kizomba Fusion Instructor Mabel Kok. — Picture by Yusof Mat Isa.

She added that over the span of six weeks of training with these individuals, she has seen their confidence build up as they break their own barriers and go outside of their comfort zones as this is a first time for most of their participants.

As every country will be bringing their own identity in the video, Team Malaysia has chosen batik as their main theme and their video was shot at the Heli Lounge Bar in Kuala Lumpur facing the iconic KL Tower and KLCC.

"We wanted something that can represent us as a nation. Batik is synonymous with our culture and it's really beautiful too.

"The reason we’ve chosen these Batik patterned pencil skirts is because we’re ladies and we want to look feminine.

"We also got all our hairs bun-up to make it look clean and professional. We are trying to achieve that little Nyonya style,” Mabel said.

Kizomba and Semba Malaysia founder Cherie Thum who has been teaching Kizomba and Semba for over 10 years, described Kizomba as a ‘down to earth’ dance.

"A lot of dances from the African continent today, their dance came from their tribal dance and what makes it special is that when Africans perform their tribal dance, they dance down because they believe in drawing energy from the earth.

"So, there’s no posture that you would usually see in ballets or other ballroom dances. They dance for themselves, their tribes, rituals, weddings, funerals and all these things.

"Even when Kizomba is recognised by the world, they still followed the original way which is by dancing with their posture down,” Cherie said.

The founder of Kizomba and Semba Malaysia community, Cherie Thum. — picture by Yusof Mat Isa

She added that unlike other ballroom dances that have lead roles, usually helmed by men, Kizomba can be considered as an equality dance as there are no restrictions as to who would lead the dance.

"Because Kizomba and Semba is a family dance, sometimes a mother would dance with her daughter or sometimes the uncle would dance with his niece.

"So even though they’re close together, the energy and the way the posture is actually non-sexual.

"That’s why women and women leading in Kizomba is fine and sometimes there are also men and men who lead as well,” she said.

As for first-time participant, 56-year-old Rodziah Zainudin, joining the Ginga Flash Mob is a way for her to break out of her comfort zone and in line with IWD’s theme this year, she’s also looking to break the bias.

"Because as a corporate person, I always celebrated IWD in a very corporate world.

"I’ve participated in IWD conferences, doing training, mentoring circles but this is breaking my own bias to challenge myself that I can dance, and I can perform at this age, after 50.

"I think it really challenges my comfort zone. As a lawyer, we are very careful. Dancing means you need to have a free spirit. So, it is very challenging to embrace the beauty of Kizomba," she said. 

Shell Malaysia legal director and first time participant, Rodziah Zainudin. — Picture by Yusof Mat Isa.

Rodziah who is the legal director for Shell Malaysia also said that by participating in the flash mob dance, she hopes to inspire her daughter and become a role model in breaking the bias in areas she’s not comfortable with.  

"I have two children, my daughter, and my son. When I first told them about this, the first thing they said was, you’ve never danced before, you are too old to dance.

"For me, that builds up the fire in my belly even more. I wanted to prove them wrong, and I think that is why it's important for us to show our children that we need to be courageous not minding the age, the gender, or culture,” Rodziah said.

Talking about gender equality progression in Malaysia, she said that although the energy business is still dominated by men, men can actually be the key in pushing for equality.

"I still think men can help in breaking the bias and have the potential to become the catalyst for people to be inclusive.

"Men can also bring forward the agenda to the workplace to make sure both our daughters and sons get equal opportunity,” she said.

Apart from uniting women from all over the world to work towards one global event, The World Kizomba Project is also donating part of their flashmob registration fees to the charity organisation ‘Women for Afghan Women’.

The final video will be released online by World Kizomba Project in early April on their social media page.