Rachel Zain
Blog Post 2
As this journey of a lifetime is coming to an end, I look back and reflect on all of the things that we have gotten to do that built this course. Through the township visits, museum tours, and class, I have been led to do so much deep thinking and reflection that has opened my eyes and views immensely. Although I treasure all of these opportunities, it is nice in the middle of all of this to be able to have an escape on what is my normalcy. For me, this release came in the form of the dance performance that we attended while in Lesedi.
The experience began upon entering the many welcoming faces dressed in traditional garb and singing native songs. They were adorned in brightly colored beaded creations, animal skin, and large feathers. Each had their individual look and yet they had clear groups based on materials used. We later learned that these distinctions were based upon the tribe that they identified with. We were offered a fruit juice as we browsed the beaded jewelry, wooden sculptures, and sets of souvenirs. What I didn’t realize at the time was that this place as a whole was a recreation. I think there are valid uses for recreation to educationally inform others about the way something used to be. When I first learned that the people I was meeting did not actually live in the town, I was upset and felt slightly mislead. I then came to the conclusion that I was enjoying the experience so much because it was so true to tradition. People do not need to get stuck in the past but they also must not forget about it either.
After the tour, we entered the theatre we would be observing the show in. The environment had many similarities and differences than that of an American show. The theatre was more on the informal side of the spectrum, and offered free seating as each audience member arrived. The seating was built into the floor and had animal print upholstered pillows for comfort. Having the seating done this way puts the audience at a very close proximity to the dancers, which in turn makes them feel more involved in what is happening on the stage. The walls of the stage were painted in realistic murals with scenes of animals and nature. I thought this was a great addition to set the mood of the upcoming show as it was intended to be set back in time when they would’ve been surrounded by wild. The “prop house” was located in plain site on the side of the stage. This contrasts with an American stage that typically has a hidden prop house behind the stage or in another location completely. The white skim background had been utilized earlier in our tour as a way to play our educational video. Despite some small differences to what I see as a normal American stage, the beauty of art is the freedom. Therefore, I also wouldn’t be surprised to see a stage set up like this in America.
The show began with our host, a Zulu woman who was energetic and captivated the attention of the room quickly. She gave some background information as to how this city came about. It began about 20 years ago when 5 tribes gathered together. I found it incredibly interesting to hear more about the tribes that our class had been identifying with since the start of the course. For my Pedi tribe in particular, I learned that their “traditional” garb actually came from Scotland. This came about as the tribe had gone up against them in war, and their fatal flaw was mistaking the front men in kilts for women. They refused to hold arms to women and were ambushed in the process. After they suffered the loss, the Scottish kilt became a staple to identify a Pedi man.
The base of the music throughout the entire show was a heavy drum beat. This music truly energized me, as an audience member, because of its lively use of percussion. With some remnants from the costumes that we had seen earlier that day, the costuming changed frequently throughout the show depending on which tribe was being represented. The quote to set the mood was, “We hope the songs touch you deep inside, just as they have touched us.” I believe the music and dancing did have a lasting impression on my mood. The first dance, The Gum Boots Dance, had many similarities to a step team dance that would be performed in America. It included large boots that came down to make heavy noises when making contact with the floor. Other parts of the body were hit and slapped to add additional noises, along with chants from the mouth. All of these characteristics can be found in traditional stepping and I wonder how clear the inspirations from the African culture are on stepping. They wore workers uniforms and were very much playing up the characters. With each introduction to a new style of dance, there was a short blurb or reenactment that made the whole program have a very smooth flow. The next up was the Chief’s Dance. This was not a cohesive dance as each individual chief did the dance of their people. I found it very interesting that there were powerful men and women being recognized on the stage during this dance. This sort of equality was interesting to see considering the early time period it was in. The next dance were the Zulu women. They were adorned in the bright, beaded bras and skirts. Their dance was very high energy with high kicks and quick movements. The next piece contrasted this with the Warrior Dance. The pace of this dance was greatly slowed down and eluded to many war/fighting gestural movements. They utilized some stick and shield props as they formed their fighting shapes. Their dance also included some smoke side effects from off stage in addition to a women walking through the isles with a burning grass. These additions gave the scene an erie feel as if to symbolize they were actually off to war. The transition into the next dance included men running across the stage wearing large masks that covered the entire face. They were large, brown masks that were detailed out in white paint accents. The next dance had a very laid back feel. The dancers were wearing long baggy pants and straw hats. They did a series of step touches and accompanied their movement with some whistling. It reminded me of a soft southern feel with that sense of ease. Then came the women’s dance of the Pedi tribe. This dance was more lively and incorporated moves that are familiar to those done in America, particularly the hip bump. The men’s dance of the Pedi tribe was costumed in the kilts that I had discussed earlier as well as some added whistles and feathers. This tribe dance also had hints of stepping. The last dance that really caught my interest was that of the fancy footwork. It had a lot of hints back towards early tap as if this was a prequel to the evolved dance style. I took a semester of tap at Elon, and it was interesting learning the background, but we had focused on the evolution of tap in the United States. I then began wondering how this style of dancing was brought to the states and if the origins truly lied in this country. The show ended with a staged statement with the men all fallen and the women standing over them in a guarded pose. This was to signify that if a male was wounded, their woman would come to their side and stand. The thought process was that no one would harm a woman which offered protection to the male in his suffering. I thought this was a beautiful statement to end the show on because of its reality.
Overall the program gave me a great sense of what the feel of social dancing is like in each of the individual tribes. It also was a necessary break between some of the experiences here that have been harder to grasp. Although I have loved being so immersed in the history of this culture, having this fun aspect was the pallet cleanser I needed.
