GUMBOOTS vs. Stepping Make the connection…

GUMBOOTS Background 411 Translation: Gumboot is the name of the footwear that South African miners wore to protect them from flooding shafts. The bosses discovered that providing gumboots (Wellington boots) to the workers was cheaper than attempting to drain the mines Categorized as a World Dance and a Social Dance…why? Culture of origin: The Gumboot dance developed from traditional African roots and has now become a part of urban South African working-class culture Timeline: 1880s in the gold mines of South Africa Way to survive isolation

GUMBOOTS Reason for the dance…workers facing oppression and hardship at the mines, including punishment if they talked to each other while working, were forced to adapt and create new forms of communication and entertainment. Inside the mines, the workers used Gumboots to communicate with each other, by slapping their boots, stamping their feet, and rattling their ankle chains What were the gumboot workers instruments? What did they sing about? What did they wear? Who did they work with?

FUN FACTS Some enlightened employers eventually allowed the best dancers to form troupes to represent the company, entertain visitors, and for public relations Content was sung in Xhosa, Sotho, or Zulu which allowed the performers to sing their songs and publicly ridicule their bosses without their knowledge

Stepping or step dancing is a form of percussive dance in which the participant's entire body is used as an instrument to produce complex rhythms and sounds through a mixture of footsteps, spoken word, and hand claps Generally performed by groups of three or more, often in arrangements that resemble military formations Stepping may also draw from elements of gymnastics, break dance, tap dance, march, or African and Caribbean dance Some forms of stepping include the use of props, such as canes, rhythm sticks and/or fire and blindfolds

NOW WE DANCE! We will learn 3-4 Gumboot Dance Steps and incorporate them into a short combination ARE YOU READY! REMEMBER NO TALKING!