Pantsula

Last updated

Pantsula is a tradition and also a highly energetic dance form that originated in the black townships of South Africa during the apartheid era. It developed into a form of social commentary for black South Africans and has undergone several transformations with the country's changing political tides. [1]

Contents

Origins and history

Pantsula dance emerged in the 1950s and 1960s as a response to the forced removals implemented by the apartheid government, shortly after its ascent to power. It began in Alexandra and Sophiatown, two townships in Johannesburg, as groups of older men engaged in informal street dance competitions. Gradually the dance form spread throughout South Africa. [2] By the 1980s, pantsula was practiced by black South Africans of all ages and was no longer limited to men. It began to develop more political overtones. Pantsula was used as an expression of resistance during the political struggle then occurring against the apartheid government, as well as being used to spread awareness about social issues such as AIDS. [3]

After the end of apartheid in 1994, pantsula persisted as an expression of cultural roots for many black South Africans. It also gained popularity in the white community of South Africa and has begun to take on new meanings as a dance form for all. [4]

Technique

Pantsula is a syncopated, quick-stepping, low to the ground form of dance which evokes the urban street culture of which it is a part. It is performed by groups of dancers who practice together for many hours each week. It provides a powerful, stylized form of expression. As one pantsula dancer describes it, "we have drive, we are one, we have power, we are young, strong and quick, we have our own style and we are competitive." [2]

It developed from the Sotho dances of mqaquanga and marabi, with influence from 1930s American jazz. [5] Later evolutions of pantsula dancing in the 1980s were influenced by American hip hop and breakdance. [3] Quick, darting steps in geometric lines with an uneven rhythmic quality characterize this form of movement. The Charleston, a knock-kneed manoeuvre from American jazz, as well as the popping and locking found in US hip hop, are also found in this form of dance. The word pantsula is Zulu, and refers to "waddling like a duck." This flat-footed move with the buttocks sticking out is commonplace in the dance form. [6]

Pantsula has three styles: Western style, slow poison, and futhuza. Western style is the most typically found form, and it is highly rigorous. The arms remain wrapped around an upright torso while the feet move in extremely fast and particular shuffling and jumping movements as groups of dancers move in and out of geometric formations. This form requires good physical command of the body. Slow poison is like Western style in form, with mostly stationary arms and intricate lower body movements, but it is performed in a slow, steady fashion with a constant beat. Futhuza is infused with elements of American breakdancing and hiphop. This form utilizes the somewhat disjointed, sometimes fluid, robotic motion of popping and locking. [7]

Music

Originally, pantsula dancers did not have access to recorded music and danced to live music, including voices like Bra Sello and "Big Voice Jack" Lerole. [2] As radios became more readily available, dancers opted for international and US pop music, calling on icons like Michael Jackson as well as rappers including MC Hammer and P Diddy. However, in the 1990s, a particular type of music for pantsula emerged: kwaito. This multilingual music is typical of the myriad of cultures in South Africa, and is a blend of seSotho, isiZulu, English, and Afrikaans. It is strong and sharp, like pantsula, and projects a streetwise, gangster image. [3]

Pantsula was featured in the 2018 music video " All the Stars" by the artist Kendrick Lamar. [8] [9] [10]

Pantsula dancing is the subject of Tjo Vitjo, a hyper-reality South African TV series created in 2017 by documentarian Vincent Moloi and starring Warren Masemola and Rapulana Seiphemo. It is currently (2022) running on Netflix. [11]

In 2021, Netflix's dance-series drama, Jiva! set in the township of Umlazi in Durban, showcased pantsula alongside other South African dance styles. [12]

In 2015, French singer- songwriter Jaine had released a song titled " Makeba " from her album Zanaka which had incorporated elements of world music and served as an ode to the renowned world music South African political activist and musician Miriam Makeba.The music video for the song was filmed in South Africa and showcased panstula dancers. [13] In 2023, the song went viral on Tik Tok and Instagram sparked by a meme featuring American actor and comedian Bill Harder dancing to the song. [14]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National anthem of South Africa</span> National anthem of South Africa

The national anthem of South Africa was adopted in 1997 and is a hybrid song combining extracts of the 19th century Xhosa hymn "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika" and the Afrikaans song that was used as the South African national anthem during the apartheid era, "Die Stem van Suid-Afrika", with new English lyrics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Music of South Africa</span> Overview of music traditions in South Africa

The South African music scene includes both popular (jive) and folk forms like Zulu isicathamiya singing and harmonic mbaqanga. Other popular genres are marabi, kwaito,house music, pop music, isicathamiya, gqom, rock music, hip hop and amapiano.

Kwaito is a music genre that emerged in Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa, during the 1980s. It is a variant of house music that features the use of African sounds and samples. Kwaito songs occur at a slower tempo range than other styles of house music and often contains catchy melodic and percussive loop samples, deep bass lines, and vocals. Despite its similarities to hip hop music, kwaito has a distinctive manner in which the lyrics are sung, rapped and shouted.

Mbaqanga is a style of South African music with rural Zulu roots that continues to influence musicians worldwide today. The style originated in the early 1960s, and blends traditional African vocal styles and melodies with European and American popular music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miriam Makeba</span> South African singer and activist (1932–2008)

Zenzile Miriam Makeba, nicknamed Mama Africa, was a South African singer, songwriter, actress, and civil rights activist. Associated with musical genres including Afropop, jazz, and world music, she was an advocate against apartheid and white-minority government in South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mbongeni Ngema</span> South African playwright and musician (1955–2023)

Mbongeni Ngema was a South African playwright, lyricist, composer, director, choreographer, and theatre producer, best known for co-writing the 1981 play Woza Albert! and co-writing the 1988 musical Sarafina!. He was known for plays that reflected the spirit of black South Africans under apartheid, and won much praise for his work, but was also the subject of several controversies. He died in a car accident on 27 December 2023.

Sipho Cecil Peter Mabuse, known professionally as Sipho "Hotstix" Mabuse, is a South African singer-songwriter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Savuka</span> Multi-racial South African band blending Zulu, Celtic, and rock music

Savuka, occasionally referred to as Johnny Clegg & Savuka, was a multi-racial South African band formed in 1986 by Johnny Clegg after the disbanding of Juluka. Savuka's music blended traditional Zulu musical influences with Celtic music and rock music that had a cross-racial appeal in South Africa. Their lyrics were often bilingual in English and Zulu and they wrote several politically charged songs, particularly related to apartheid. Some better-known Savuka songs include "Asimbonanga", and "Third World Child", from their 1987 album Third World Child. Band percussionist Dudu Zulu was killed in 1992; their song "The Crossing" was a tribute to him.

Tsotsitaal is a South African vernacular dialect derived from a variety of mixed languages mainly spoken in the townships of Gauteng province, but also in other agglomerations all over South Africa. Tsotsi is a Sesotho, Pedi or Tswana slang word for a "thug" or "robber" or "criminal", possibly from the verb "ho lotsa" "to sharpen", whose meaning has been modified in modern times to include "to con"; or from the tsetse fly, as the language was first known as Flytaal, although flaai also means "cool" or "street smart". The word taal in Afrikaans means "language".

Also known as 'tsotsi taal' or 'township talk', scamto is a new youth language that has formed in South Africa. Spoken usually only by the youth, scamto comprises a mix of many languages. Some of the languages include Afrikaans, Sotho, Zulu, English and Xhosa. South Africa's large cultural melting pot is the cause of this informal language, because with every new day South Africans are finding different ways in which to interact with each other on different levels. 2 Scamto Dictionaries have been written and published by author, Lebo Motshegoa. The first book was published in 2002 under a title, Scamto Dictionary. The second offering was published in 2005, titled, Township Talk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pata Pata</span> 1967 single by Miriam Makeba

"Pata Pata" is an Afro-pop dance song popularized internationally by South African singer Miriam Makeba. "Pata Pata" is credited to Makeba and Jerry Ragovoy. Her most popular recording of "Pata Pata" was recorded and released in the United States in 1967. The song is considered by many to be Makeba's signature hit and it has since been recorded by many artists.

<i>An Evening with Belafonte/Makeba</i> 1965 studio album by Miriam Makeba and Harry Belafonte

An Evening with Belafonte/Makeba is a Grammy Award-winning 1965 album by Harry Belafonte and Miriam Makeba, released by RCA Victor. It was the second outcome of the long lasting collaboration between Belafonte and Makeba, the first being the appearance of Makeba in the song "One More Dance" on Belafonte's 1960 album, Belafonte Returns to Carnegie Hall.

Township music is any of various music genres created by Bantu peoples living in poor, racially segregated urban areas of South Africa ("townships") during the 20th century.

Tofo Tofo Dance Group is made up of three Mozambican men who integrated kwaito music and pantsula dance, which originates from South Africa, to create their own unique type of dance that has become internationally celebrated. This new form of movement has brought local African dance onto a global stage.

I (Kendrick Lamar song) 2014 single by Kendrick Lamar featuring Ronald Isley

"I" is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar featuring Ronald Isley of The Isley Brothers. It was released on September 23, 2014 as the lead single from Lamar's third studio album To Pimp a Butterfly. The song uses music from "That Lady", written by and originally performed by R&B group The Isley Brothers, elements from which were re-recorded rather than being directly sampled from the original record. "I" won two awards at the 2015 Grammy Awards: Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Music in the movement against apartheid</span> One of the methods of opposition used against the apartheid regime

The apartheid regime in South Africa began in 1948 and lasted until 1994. It involved a system of institutionalized racial segregation and white supremacy, and placed all political power in the hands of a white minority. Opposition to apartheid manifested in a variety of ways, including boycotts, non-violent protests, and armed resistance. Music played a large role in the movement against apartheid within South Africa, as well as in international opposition to apartheid. The impacts of songs opposing apartheid included raising awareness, generating support for the movement against apartheid, building unity within this movement, and "presenting an alternative vision of culture in a future democratic South Africa."

"Meadowlands" is an anti-apartheid song composed in 1956 by Strike Vilakazi. It was written in reaction to the forced relocation of black South Africans from Sophiatown, to the new township of Meadowlands. The song was popularised by a number of musicians, including Dorothy Masuka and Miriam Makeba, and became an anthem of the movement against apartheid.

Strike David Vilakazi was a South African vocalist, drummer, trumpeter, composer, and music producer. He was known for composing the anti-apartheid song "Meadowlands", and for his career as a producer, during which he was influential in the development of mbaqanga.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asimbonanga</span> 1987 song by Savuka

"Asimbonanga", also known as "Asimbonanga (Mandela)", is an anti-apartheid song by the South African racially integrated band Savuka. It was first released as a 12" single in 1986, and then included in their 1987 album Third World Child. It alluded to Nelson Mandela, imprisoned on Robben Island at the time of song's release, and other anti-apartheid activists. "Asimbonanga" is a Zulu phrase that may be translated as "We have not seen him". It was well received, becoming popular within the movement against apartheid, and was covered by several artists including Joan Baez and the Soweto Gospel Choir.

Afro fusion is a dance and musical style that emerged between the 1970s and 2000s. In the same way as the dance style the musical style invokes fuses of various regional and inter-continental musical cultures for instance jazz, hip hop, kwela, reggae, soul, dancehall and afrobeat.

References

  1. ↑ Winship, Lyndsey (8 October 2018). "Pantsula revolution! How South Africa's townships dance got political". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 8 October 2018. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 Myburgh, Collin Vincent (1993). Pantsula Dance - Case Studies on the origins and makings of a township art form. Johannesburg, South Africa. pp. 1–16.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  3. 1 2 3 Samuel, Gerry (2001). "Shifts in Pantsula in a performance context in KawZulu-Natal: a case study of Pearl Ndaba's Golden Dancers between 1998 - 2001". Footsteps Across the Landscape of Dance in South Africa: 53–58.
  4. ↑ Hlope, Thando; Skewiya, Sisipho (7 July 2023). "South African troupe takes pantsula to global audience". Times Live. Archived from the original on 15 April 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  5. ↑ Pather, Jay. "personal communication".
  6. ↑ "Real Actions" . Retrieved 8 May 2013.
  7. ↑ Banks, Taylor (26 October 2017). "The Festival of South African Dance expresses roots through performance". Vox. Archived from the original on 18 April 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  8. ↑ "How a 'Black Panther' Music Video Taps into an Old Trend". The Atlantic . March 2018.
  9. ↑ "Kendrick Lamar and SZA Serve Wakandan Royal Opulence in 'All the Stars' Video". 6 February 2018.
  10. ↑ "Kendrick Lamar's "All the Stars" video in appropriation scandal". 12 February 2018.
  11. ↑ "The parallel yet familiar world of Tjovitjo". The Mail & Guardian. 2020-04-23. Retrieved 2022-03-25.
  12. ↑ Winship, Lyndsey (12 July 2021). "The joy of Jiva! Netflix's South African dance series bursts from the screen". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 22 August 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  13. ↑ Pillay, Taschica (8 December 2016). "French singer resurrects 'Mama Africa'". Times Live. Archived from the original on 18 April 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  14. ↑ Keteyi, Oluthando (7 July 2023). "WATCH: French singer Jain's Miriam Makeba song has social media buzzing". IOL. Archived from the original on 18 July 2023. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.