Pantsula took its early influences predominantly from tap dance, with traces of jive, gumboot, tribal African dance and everyday gestures like dice-rolling. Its trademark is intricate, on-the-spot rhythmic footwork, where feet twist, shuffle and stamp. But those early pantsulas were as much about style as dancing.
What are the characteristics of pantsula dance?
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.
How do you dress like a pantsula?
Pantsula fashion has always been an important marker of identity and resistance.” The text breaks down the uniform into a few key and highly specific elements: “Dickies trousers, Converse All Star sneakers, and a cap with a small brim.” The crews all wear the same unique outfit for performances.
What are the dancers trying to express through the pantsula dance?
The performances of pantsula, like many art forms rooted in street culture, are typically responses to cultural and political issues in the communities. When a state of emergency was declared in South Africa in the mid-1980s, pantsula allowed male dancers to bond over their shared experiences under apartheid.
What is the origin of the pantsula dance?
Originating in the South African city of Johannesburg, Pantsula was first established in the 1950s. However, “it really came into its own during the student uprisings of the 1970s and 80s, when the youth of South Africa chose to rebel against the oppressive apartheid government,” explains Saunders.
What do pantsula dancers wear and why?
Today, pantsula maintains the historical investment in clean, crisp clothing, but also embraces American Dickies trousers, Converse All Star sneakers, and a cap with a small brim, such as a bucket or driving hat.
What do Pantsula dancers wear and why?
Where does the Pantsula dance originate?
Johannesburg
Originating in the South African city of Johannesburg, Pantsula was first established in the 1950s. However, “it really came into its own during the student uprisings of the 1970s and 80s, when the youth of South Africa chose to rebel against the oppressive apartheid government,” explains Saunders.
Is Pantsula dance performed by males or females?
Pantsula dance is a performance art born from the townships of Johannesburg. It is mostly performed by males; however, there are a growing number of female dancers.
What are the different styles of Pantsula?
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.
What is the origin of the dance of Pantsula?
Pantsula is a tradition and also a highly energetic dance form that originated in the black townships of South Africa during the apartheid era.
Is Beyonce’s ‘Pantsula’ dance South African?
While, of course, Beyonce does not turn up in the video dressed in what has become the traditionally accepted slacks of the pantsula – Converse All-Stars, bucket hats and often loose cut clothing – South Africans quickly recognised the foot shuffling dance she mimics, alongside two Mozambican dancers she found online, as being our own.
Why is Pantsula so popular in South Africa?
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. 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.
