Gumboot dancing was born in the gold mines of South Africa
at the height of the migrant labour system and during the
oppressive Apartheid Pass Laws.
The mine workers were not free to move around at will and
were separated from their families for long periods of time.
At best, working in the mines was a long, hard, repetitive
toil. At worst, the men would be taken chained into the mines
and shackled at their work stations in almost total darkness.
The floors of the mines were often flooded, with poor or
non-existent drainage. For the miners, hours of standing
up to their knees in infected waters brought on skin ulcers,
foot problems and consequent lost work time. The bosses discovered
that providing gumboots (Wellington boots) to the workers
was cheaper than attempting to drain the mines. This created
the miners uniform,
consisting of heavy black Wellington boots, jeans, bare chest
and bandannas to absorb eye-stinging sweat.
The workers were forbidden to speak, and as a result created
a means of communication, essentially their own unique form
of Morse Code. By slapping their gumboots and rattling their
ankle chains, the enslaved workers sent messages to each
other in the darkness. From this came an entertainment, as
the miners evolved their percussive sounds and movements
into a unique dance form and used it to entertain each other
during their free time.
Gumboot dancing has developed into a working class, South
African art form with a universal appeal. The dancers expand
upon traditional steps, with the addition of contemporary
movement, music and song. Extremely physical, the dancing
serves as a cathartic release, celebrating the body as an
instrument, and the richness and complexities of South African
culture.
GUMBOOT DANCING IN SOWETO
In 1974, Mrs M Makhudu formed the Thabisong Youth Club in
Soweto, with the purpose of bringing youth off the streets
to learn about the ways of their people and to teach them
some of the traditional tribal dance which was gradually
being lost. Many forms of dance were taught to the young
people, including the unique South African dance bred out
of the hardship of working in the mines, the
Gumboot Dance.
Members of the youth club went on to form the Rishile Poets,
who performed songs and poetry around the townships of Soweto
to nearly 15,000 people in two years. This company
eventually became the Rishile Traditional Dancers in 1990
and then the Rishile Gumboot Dancers of Soweto, combining
the magical African rhythms of song and poetry with the excitement
and exhilaration of the Gumboot Dance.
Zenzi Mbuli (Director) and Tale Motsepe of Future Artists
Empowerment then consolidated the group to form a top performance
ensemble, performing such numbers as the haunting Mabele
and the surprising I'm Too Sexy. For the
next two years, the company toured the community festival
circuit in South Africa, and then went on to tour the international
festival circuit performing in Australia, Belgium and South
East Asia.
In 1998, Zenzi, Tale and the Rishile members began working
in partnership with SFX Back Row, Fifth Amendment, and Columbia
Artists Theatricals, Inc to create a new version of their
show, GUMBOOTS.
GUMBOOTS premiered at the Standard Bank National Arts Festival
in Grahamstown, South Africa on June 29, 1999. The production
sold out within days, earning standing ovations at every
performance.
Since then the production has successfully toured the UK
and North America; Following its UK premiere at the 1999
Edinburgh Festival, GUMBOOTS embarked on a nation-al tour
of the UK including a three week engagement at the Lyric
Theatre in London's West End. It then
played to great critical acclaim in venues across North America,
including an extended sell out run at the Just For Laughs
Festival in Montreal.
