The Tempo Community Space will be the venue for an exciting new event to let young people express themselves, build confidence and engage in open conversations about mental well-being.
Push the Tempo is taking place on Saturday, February 22, and the vibrant, youth-driven initiative will have a unique fusion of dance, fitness and open dialogue.
With over two decades of dance experience behind him, Rudy Mbunzama is bristling with enthusiasm and on a super-charged mission to improve the lives of young people.
He said: “I’ve been in Scotland for 22 years and I’ve danced for 22 years, that’s all I’ve done, I’ve danced. I’m using what I learned as my way of living to empower others, teaching and creating new ideas for other people.
“The main thing I want the kids to get is to acknowledge a super power, young kids are the future, if we can equip them with the tools that they need to be the best versions of themselves, not what society wants them to be, then they will be able to be creators and we can support them while they are being creators, so the message I want to send to the young people is to let them know that I’m using dance, fitness and wellbeing as a tool to help them find their super power.”
Rudy added: “I teach dancing already, that’s what I do for my living, I’ve been teaching for the past 20 years, and I’ve taught all over Glasgow. Everything we’ve done has been very public sector, showcases, performances, events, dance battles, dance competitions, and the dance industry is becoming very very competitive, resulting in the young people losing interest, losing the will to want to dance because they are not winning or not really being given the chance, our culture has been turning into a commercialised culture instead of a culture that embraces and appreciates dance.
“I’m launching this project, to make it a one-off event to start to allow young people to come together in one place and dance. I will start with calisthenics and then a dance workshop in which I’ll do hip-hop or Afro-beat or maybe break dancing and then after that we’re going to do a Q&A, sit in a circle and the young people get to ask questions and I get to ask them questions about how did it make them feel, what did they feel about dance, the dance industry, the community, how did dance help them feel and what could we do better to allow them to be more free in dance, because I became the best dancer in Scotland not because I was given that chance, that’s because I took it and I’ve inspired a lot of young people and today they have many stories that I can bring to the fore font but this is my way of giving back to the young people, by not making them focus on the commercialised dance aspect, but by using dance as a tool for having a stronger mental health.”
The free event is open to young people of all ages and the dynamic sessions are not only for self-expression, but to allow for connection and creativity.
Rudy went on: “We do calisthenics to start and a stretch and warm-up, and then a dance workshop which is quick, only about 35 to 40 minutes, and then we’ll do a Q&A where all the children, all the parents can ask any questions. It’s important for them to talk so we can find exactly what the problem is because I’ve dealt with so many young people in the past 20 years in my industry and this is the perfect time to get to speak, and after that we’re going to finish with a bubble tea experience when they all get to taste some bubble teas and make some from scratch.
“This is the first time for this project but I’ve done many things like this before, and it was not just based on mental health, it was based on the dance aspect. This is the first time it’s been done based on the mental health of the young people.
“The mental health awareness Q&A aims to be the foundation for a conversation on resilience and self-care, and the bubble tea experience is set to be a fun and social moment about enjoying refreshing drinks while engaging in positive discussions.”
The Tempo Community Space is all about creating a community-focused movement, and Rudy hopes the dance event will empower young people.
He said: “They basically brought me and helped me with my ideas and product and then allowed me to use the their space to show my talent and then a year after I’m now in charge to be able to coordinate a lot more and then working with each other to be able to push the narrative to the community, the young people, adults also, but this particular one is for the young people, which parents can come to, and if they do come there is initiatives in which they can get involved that we already have in place in Tempo.”
Push the Tempo will take place on Saturday, February 22, from 1pm to 3pm, at the Tempo Community Space, 201 Glasgow Road, G73 1SU. Entry is free for all youths and go to www.eventbrite.com/e/push-the-tempo-youth-dance-project-tickets-1234149076109 for tickets.
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