Behind the Scenes: Preparing for Our US Tour

A glimpse into the preparations for our upcoming One Voice, One Mission Tour in the United States. Join us as we navigate the logistical challenges, artistic decisions, and cultural bridges that go into creating our most ambitious international tour to date.

The Genesis of a Tour

When we first conceived of the One Voice, One Mission Tour last year, we knew it would be our most ambitious project yet. The vision was clear: to bring the rich tapestry of African performing arts to audiences across the United States while creating meaningful cultural exchanges in each city we visit. What we didn't fully anticipate was the incredible complexity of turning that vision into reality.

"A tour like this is like planning a wedding in twelve different cities, but the bride changes her mind every week," jokes Mandla Khumalo, our lead tour coordinator. "Except the bride is actually 25 performers, 10 crew members, hundreds of costumes, and a ton of instruments."

Artistic Decisions: Crafting the Program

One of the earliest challenges we faced was designing a performance program that would be both authentic to our cultural traditions and accessible to American audiences with varying degrees of familiarity with African arts. Our artistic director, Grace Ndlovu, spent months creating a program that balances educational elements with pure artistic expression.

"We're not interested in simplifying our cultural expressions," Grace explains. "Instead, we're finding ways to create context and points of connection so that audiences can engage more deeply with the richness of what we're sharing."

The resulting program flows between high-energy dance performances, intimate musical pieces, storytelling segments, and interactive elements where audience members are invited to participate. Each segment is introduced with brief narrative context that helps frame the cultural significance without overwhelming the artistic experience.

Rehearsal Process: Preparing the Ensemble

While our performers are all accomplished artists, preparing for a major international tour requires a different level of stamina and consistency. For the past three months, the ensemble has been rehearsing six days a week, often for 8-10 hours per day.

"It's not just about perfecting the performances," explains lead dancer Thabo Mkhize. "It's about building the ensemble's collective energy and resilience. We need to be able to deliver the same quality and passion on our twelfth show in a new city as we did on opening night."

Logistical Challenges: The Unseen Work

For every hour our artists spend on stage, our logistics team spends dozens behind the scenes. The complexity of moving 35 people and all their equipment across multiple states is staggering. Our operations director, Priya Naidoo, walks us through some of the considerations:

• Visas and immigration: Securing performance visas for our entire team from multiple African countries
• Transportation: Coordinating flights, ground transportation, and accommodation in 12 cities
• Technical requirements: Ensuring each venue can accommodate our specific staging, lighting, and sound needs
• Instruments and costumes: Transporting delicate traditional instruments and hundreds of costume pieces safely
• Health and wellness: Maintaining the team's physical and mental well-being through a demanding tour schedule
• Community engagement: Coordinating workshops, school visits, and community events in each city

"The logistics are overwhelming at times," Priya admits, "but there's something beautiful about solving all these complex puzzles to create a seamless experience for both our performers and audiences."

Cultural Exchange: Beyond the Stage

While the performances are the centerpiece of our tour, equally important are the community engagement opportunities we're building into our itinerary. In each city, we'll be conducting workshops with local schools, community centers, and arts organizations.

Our education coordinator, Sarah Nkosi, has been working with partners in each city to design meaningful exchange experiences. "We're not just coming to perform and leave," she emphasizes. "We want to create spaces for genuine cultural dialogue, where we share our traditions but also learn from the communities we visit."

These exchanges will include drumming and dance workshops open to all ages, storytelling sessions with local community elders, and special programs for underserved youth. In several cities, we'll also collaborate with local musicians and dancers to create unique fusion performances that will be incorporated into our main stage shows.

Countdown to Departure

With just six weeks until our first performance in Washington, DC, the energy in our rehearsal space is electric. There's still much to accomplish—final costume fittings, technical run-throughs, media training sessions, and countless other details—but the vision that inspired this tour is now taking tangible form.

"When I watch our full ensemble rehearse now, I get goosebumps," says Johnson Lamar. "What began as a dream is becoming something that will touch thousands of lives and hopefully change perceptions about African arts and culture in meaningful ways."

We invite you to follow our journey as we prepare for and embark on this tour. We'll be posting regular updates on our social media channels and here on our blog. And if we're coming to a city near you, we hope you'll join us for a performance and experience the magic of Ubuntu Rhythm Fusion for yourself.