Gumboots

Five men in bright blue pants, gumboots, colorful sashes, bandanas, and muscled bare chests move smoothly through a series of songs (also available on CD) showcasing the harsh lives of the miners. The ease with which the men dance and the exuberance on their faces makes their performance nearly transcendent. Just when you are laughing at a song like "I'm Too Sexy" in which the guys posture and preen for passing women, they hit you with a searing cry in "Joberg" and you remember the generations of slave laborers. The troupe has been together since they were teens on the streets of Soweto and they move like the limbs of one body. When more dancers and a band appear, the party gets louder and more high-spirited as they know that in the morning they will have to return to the mines.

The 1999-2000 tour of Gumboots was the troupe's international debut. The combination of storytelling, dance, song, chant, and history is invigorating-- the audience (at London's Playhouse Theatre) can't keep still or quiet; they chant, clap, and dance from their seats. Also included on the DVD is an engrossing 53-minute documentary on the gumboots dance movement, the Soweto riots, and the performers. --Dana Van Nest

Description
It is a celebration of song and dance, an international phenomenon that has swept across the globe like a tidal wave of soaring faces and stomping feet. Gumboot dancing was born out of the oppressive gold mines of South Africa. Forbidden to speak and in almost complete darkness, the slave laborers developed their own language by slapping their gumboots and rattling their ankle chains. In time, it has developed into a truly unique dance form that has captured an international audience. Unrivaled in its energy and physicality, "Gumboots" celebrates the body as a musical intrument, while highlighting South Africa's rich and complex culture. Songs: Nelson Mandela, Paulina, Ta La Li La Le, Joburg, Shosholoza, Egoli, City of Gold, Sibiziwe Amazinyo Amhlophe, Who's Foolin' Who?, I'm Too Sexy, Mabele, Bump Jive, Ughuba Isisu, Dronkie, Train, Omm Ohh Ho La La, Hiyo!, Ukuvalwa Kwe Mine, Asikhathali, Ma-Gumede. 80 minutes.