People will find any reason to dance. There are dances for weddings, for funerals, for religious ceremonies and war dances. It's one of the easiest ways to express how you feel. In South Africa, there is a dance that managed to transcend cultures and became a form of communication and it is all thanks to the arrival of rubber boots.
The story begins in the latter part of the nineteenth century, with the discovery of gold in an area that became known as the Witwatersrand. People came from all over in a feverish gold rush. A large mining camp developed into a bustling town that by the turn of the century was a city. Today Johannesburg is one of the largest cities on the African continent and much of South Africa's economy is still built upon its mineral wealth, especially its gold.
In order to get the gold from the ground, more and more workers were needed. They came from all over the world and many Chinese South Africans are the descendants of indentured workers brought in by the mining magnates. However, right from the start, most of the men working the mines were from the black tribes living in Southern Africa. Today they come from all parts of the country but also from neighboring countries such as Mozambique, Botswana and Zimbabwe. The mines are a melting pot of cultures and languages.
In order to get to the gold, the mines became deeper. Many of today's gold mines stretch about a mile into the depths of the Earth. Working in those depths is not easy, with intense heat and high levels of humidity. Underground streams mean that you will often find yourself up to your ankles in water and it wasn't long before a standard part of a miner's kit was a pair of waterproof boots, which in South Africa are known as gumboots.
In the early days, workers weren't allowed to talk during their shifts. Using signs was often futile too, since it's dark underground. However, the workers soon found another way to communicate. They developed a system of coded messages by slapping on their gumboots and on their chests.
Africans are born with dancing in their blood and it wasn't long before the miners turned their secret codes into dance moves. They would often sing while they were working, so their superiors accepted the movements as part of the act. Over time, the mine bosses realized that the dancing was a way for the men to alleviate the boredom of life in a miners' hostel and they encouraged the development of gumboot dancing.
When gumboot dancing became a legitimate art form on the mines, it didn't stop the secret messages. The mine bosses never knew that in the dances, they were often being made fun of. The dancers would do parodies of particular superiors and would use their dances to talk about the terrible conditions they were working in, the long hours underground, the low wages and life in the miners' hostels where they were being housed.
While gumboot dancing still exists on the mines, today it's a legitimate art form more often seen on stage. It's popular with tourists visiting South Africa. There are even professional troupes that tour the world to showcase the dance that started with a pair of boots.
The story begins in the latter part of the nineteenth century, with the discovery of gold in an area that became known as the Witwatersrand. People came from all over in a feverish gold rush. A large mining camp developed into a bustling town that by the turn of the century was a city. Today Johannesburg is one of the largest cities on the African continent and much of South Africa's economy is still built upon its mineral wealth, especially its gold.
In order to get the gold from the ground, more and more workers were needed. They came from all over the world and many Chinese South Africans are the descendants of indentured workers brought in by the mining magnates. However, right from the start, most of the men working the mines were from the black tribes living in Southern Africa. Today they come from all parts of the country but also from neighboring countries such as Mozambique, Botswana and Zimbabwe. The mines are a melting pot of cultures and languages.
In order to get to the gold, the mines became deeper. Many of today's gold mines stretch about a mile into the depths of the Earth. Working in those depths is not easy, with intense heat and high levels of humidity. Underground streams mean that you will often find yourself up to your ankles in water and it wasn't long before a standard part of a miner's kit was a pair of waterproof boots, which in South Africa are known as gumboots.
In the early days, workers weren't allowed to talk during their shifts. Using signs was often futile too, since it's dark underground. However, the workers soon found another way to communicate. They developed a system of coded messages by slapping on their gumboots and on their chests.
Africans are born with dancing in their blood and it wasn't long before the miners turned their secret codes into dance moves. They would often sing while they were working, so their superiors accepted the movements as part of the act. Over time, the mine bosses realized that the dancing was a way for the men to alleviate the boredom of life in a miners' hostel and they encouraged the development of gumboot dancing.
When gumboot dancing became a legitimate art form on the mines, it didn't stop the secret messages. The mine bosses never knew that in the dances, they were often being made fun of. The dancers would do parodies of particular superiors and would use their dances to talk about the terrible conditions they were working in, the long hours underground, the low wages and life in the miners' hostels where they were being housed.
While gumboot dancing still exists on the mines, today it's a legitimate art form more often seen on stage. It's popular with tourists visiting South Africa. There are even professional troupes that tour the world to showcase the dance that started with a pair of boots.
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