Ball Room Dancing - South Africa

The music rises, the dancers take the floor. In pink gauze and black tie, the young people of Kwanobuhle, South Africa, break into a foxtrot. Zolile Majiya's informal dance academy began two years ago. It offers the children an oasis in the township's recreational desert. We watch Clio Matiso and Zolile's son Makuzine compete against dancers from the nearby industrial town of Uitenhague. For an evening they escape harsh realities of life and catch a glimpse of a brighter world. Makuzine and his partner lose out after a minor collision on the dance floor. But Clio emerges victorious as best newcomer.

Produced by ABC Australia
Distributed by Journeyman Pictures

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• ball
• room
• dancing
• south
• africa
• journeyman
• pictures
• news
• documentary
• current affairs
• journeyman pictures

[vnbm]

auburn 220 that negative comment was uncalled for.

[BlueDelusion]

Sweet. Its nice to see something that can bring a whole community together.

[DoosaFan1]

@lesliejs I am a ballroom dancer like these kids. I am from Kwa Zulu Natal and like these kids dance in regional competitions. In South Africa competitive ballroom dancing is predominantly a black sport, and it is extremely popular. Sure, its not 'traditional' as you might think, but that does not mean it shouldn't be used. Traditional dance forms are taught, but there is no structure that allows these traditional dances to be danced at a competitive level.

[lafemmefidele]

THEY'RE TOO CUTE!!!!!!

[111SmileyPie111]

I am a dancer in SA. Except I live in Cape Town. The couple in this video that came 1st. Now compete all around SA. At the SA championships they were titled Juvenile 2 (under 12) champions. They are amazing though I don't think they dance there anymore.

[bobdavidwright]

A great discipline for these young kids....well done!

[vnbm]

Curiously, the U.S. does not seem to have a designated national dance. For example, Argentina has the Tango, Germany the Polka, Brazil the Samba, Cuba the Salsa.

I believe Swing/Jive could be the national dance in the U.S. or Square Dancing.

Both are a fusion of African and European.

As to Sqaure Dancing it seems have originated from European Quadrilles, Minuets, etc, but is a more folksy version. The African influence involves the Caller, (person who calls out the steps.)(Just look it up.

[vnbm]

Cuban and Dominican kids both black and white and in between learn how to Meringue, Salsa, Cha-Cha and Bachata. These are all partnered dances. Dances that have a fusion of African, Native and Spanish rhythms. The partnering is a European element. In the U.S. this style of dancing seems to have disapeared from the younger generation, unless their parents put them in structured dance class.

[vnbm]

I feel U.S. urban black youth in the lower socio-economic bracket would benefit from ballroom/social dancing. Why? It is an activity that both young and old can participate in. Hip-Hop culture tends to cater to people 30 years old and below.

Back in the 1930s, 40s and 50s, U.S.black youth used to do skilled partner dance -Swing, Be-Bop etc. Unlike today-(Freaking/or just hanging onto each other doesn't count.They might as well be lying horizontal.)

[vnbm]

Lots of Asians in Asia and Western born Asians play classical Western music, yet they retain certain Asian customs, languages and whatever adaptation is useful for living in the modern world. I would think that people in other parts of the world would function in the same fashion.

Europeans who came to the Americas, retained only those adaptive stratagies that assisted in their material progress. Food,and ethnic holidays remained since those did not impede their assimilation.

[vnbm]

Lesliejs why would you question the use of ballroom dancing? I really doubt ballroom dancing would somehow make them lose their cultural heritage-i.e. language, customs.

Besides what about the idea of cultural fusion? All the popular ballroom dances from the Americas are a fusion of W. African and European influences-Swing/Jive (U.S.A black community),Samba,(Brazil) Mambo, Slasa, Meringue Cuba)Tango(Argentina)