Gumboot dance

The gumboot dance (or Isicathulo) is a South African dance that is performed by dancers wearing Wellington boots. In South Africa these are more commonly called gumboots.

The boots may be embellished with bells, so that they ring as the dancers stamp on the ground. This sound would be a code or a different calling to say something to another person a short distance away. This was used to communicate in the mines as there was strictly no talking otherwise there would be severe, drastic punishments at the discretion of their superior. The mines were very noisy workplaces, with pneumatic drills at work most of the time; in those days (until the mid 1970s) ear-defenders did not exist in South African mines.

History

Gumboot dancing began in the deep gold mines of South Africa. It started as a way for miners who couldn't talk to communicate with each other by tapping their feet. Today, it has become one of the most exciting dance styles in South Africa.

Description

Gumboot dancers are often seen in tourist areas of South Africa, like the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront in Cape Town. Their steps and moves often copy the actions of officers and guards from the old mines and barracks where South African gold miners worked. This dance uses rhythm and full-body movement, much like other traditional African dances. It creates beats using everyday objects that shake and vibrate, similar to a style called "stepping" performed by some fraternities and sororities in African-American culture.

Appearances outside core context

The gumboot dance is a special part of performances by the Black Umfolosi group, a well-known South African folk group.

Famous American singer Paul Simon included a song called "Gumboots" on his album Graceland. This song features styles from South African township jive and mbaqanga, with help from the Boyoyo Boys.

Composer David Bruce wrote a clarinet quintet named "Gumboots", inspired by the gumboot dance. Carnegie Hall asked him to create it in 2008, and you can listen to it on their website performed by Todd Palmer and the St. Lawrence String Quartet.

A student from South Africa brought the gumboot dance to Pearson College UWC, where students from around the world learn and perform it. Every year in March and April, they perform at the One World festival in Victoria, BC.

Since the 1990s and 2000s, the Drakensberg Boys' Choir School has included gumboot dancing in their shows, wearing white gumboots as part of their costume.

In 2017, World of Step was created to help share the history of the gumboot dance with many people.