Saturday 31 January 2009

Gumboot Dancing...

Josh C's stamping about in the Hums corridor at breaktime the other day reminded me of the "gumboot dancing" that some of the boys at the school I worked in in South Africa used to do.

Gumboot dancing originated in the gold mines of South Africa during the Apartheid years, when the mine workers - forbidden to speak - slapped their gumboots and rattled their ankle chains to send messages to each other. It has since developed into a "working class art form with universal appeal".



This is one of the many gumboot dancing videos on YouTube - none of them are quite as spectacular as "the real thing", but will give you a taste of what it's all about...

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