Gumboot Dancing

Isicathulo, gumboot dance, came out of the mines on the Witwatersrand. Miners worked in flooded shafts and were issued rubber boots instead of the drainage being fixed; they were also, in many workplaces, forbidden to talk. What developed was communication by rhythm - slapping the boots, stamping, and chains rattling - which became a form with its own repertoire and then a performance tradition carried back to rural areas by migrant workers and later onto stages worldwide. The migrant labour system that produced it is the uncomfortable substance behind what is now often presented to visitors as cheerful entertainment, and good performers and guides say so. You see it at mine museums, cultural villages, township tours and in professional dance companies; the difference between a rushed tourist show and a group who know the tradition is immediately obvious in the timing.

Highlights

• The boot percussion - rhythm made by slapping rubber boots, stamping and chains.
• The silence rule - a form that developed where talking underground was forbidden.
• The migrant route - a mine dance carried to rural areas and then to world stages.
• The framing - good performances name the labour system behind the dance.

When to go

All year. An hour. Mine museums and cultural centres schedule regular performances.

Before you go

Tourist-show versions are often rushed and thin - seek out companies or community groups rather than a five-minute hotel act. The history is grim and some presentations skip it entirely. Prices vary widely for similar length performances.

Nearby

Gold Reef City and the Apartheid Museum are in Johannesburg; Soweto tours include performances.