Simba Dance Ensemble (S.I.D.E)

Simba Dance Ensemble is a newly dance initiative based in Bergen,Norway. Established  by Carte Blanche dancer, Simbarashe  Norman Fulukia a.k.a. Simba...The Company's signature Simba-fusion style blends African ritual, music and dance with softer flowing movements from Western contemporary dance.

Simba is a word from the Shona or Swahili language, spoken by the Bantu people of Zimbabwe and other parts of Africa. It translates as power. Simba Dance Ensemble S.I.D.E is a Bergen-based multi-cultural initiative of performers established in 2011 by Simbarashe Norman Fulukia as a vehicle to educate, preserve and present dance as a communal and spiritual expression of life.Simba creates a nurturing environment that encourages cross-cultural exchange and celebrates their accessibility to the human spirit. Innovative, dynamic, rhythmic and gestural phrases are the essence of Umoja, the Ki-swahili word for unity. Through our ongoing research we continue to adapt aspects of African culture, aesthetics and values that are paramount to our work. Our fusion of contemporary modern and Southern African dance reflects the evolution of movement and spirit becoming one.

 S.I.D.E is not a traditional dance company but an ever-shifting group of incredible artists –dancers, designers, composers and visual artists – who assembles for specific performance projects.

 Simba  Dance Ensemble (SIDE).Like the abbreviation of the company '',SIDE'' the company's goal is to stand SIDE by SIDE as  One people, with One heart,One love ,One Universe  sharing One vision .

Simbarashe believes that we're ''One people with different colors living in One Universe there for we need to love one another, share,care for one another /treat each other the same...  by collaborating with different  nationalists Simba is sending a message to the world  that'' Yes we Can'' make a difference for a better tomorrow by uniting/standing side by side and speaking with one voice!

Simba has choreographed and presented two of his creations at  Try in House 3 a.k.a TIH (Carte Blanche's open stage initiative) These creations are;                                             

 ''Black Gold'' .It was about exploring the duplicity of this metaphor. In one end: the self-worth of black people and Africa as a continent, in the other: oil, capitalism and the weapon industry.

Another creation/choreography was a solo of  Yarden namely ''Suffer in Silence''.It was a abstract installation  inspired by my (Simbarashe's) life, as  a web of pain and despair, with the burden of a secret that he dares never want to share in that case chose to suffer in silence.

Simba  Dance Ensemble
Mission Statement