Muchongoyo, one of the popular Zimbabwean traditional dances, proved popular among a wide audience at the ongoing Tianjin International Children Culture and Art Festival in China, The Herald said on Tuesday.

The energy sapping dance that involves superb swings and foot stomping, captured the imagination of the multicultural audience with a superb performance by the 2008 winners of Jikinya Dance Festival -- the ZRP Support Unit Primary School.

It was easy to see why the group received a standing ovation at the end of the performance by an appreciative crowd.

The group is representing Zimbabwe at a festival that brought together children and young people from 40 different countries.

Led by Blessing Simango, the versatile young dancer, the group presented muchongoyo to the delight of the audiences before a capacity crowd of 1,500.

The crowd could not help but scream for an encore as the African drumbeat blended with energetic movements, which are uniquely Zimbabwean.

Regina Tambwera, the ZRP public relations officer burst with joy at the support the group received from the sponsors and parents.

"Zimbabwe has made a mark in contributing to the future of a united world through the arts," she said.

The story of Zimbabwean people continued to be told through performances of several dances that included mhande, amabhiza, Jerusarema, isitshikitsha, dinhe and mbakumba.

The performance was held at the Cathay Future Lobby before an estimated 400 people.

Besides the performances, the Zimbabwean delegation also visited the "Temple of Heaven" and the world famous "Olympics Stadium."

The trip was made possible courtesy of the Embassy of China, Culture Fund Trust of Zimbabwe, Delta Corporation, Zimbabwe Tourism Authority and SPAR -- Borrowdale Brook among others with support from the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe.

(Xinhua News Agency August 5, 2009)