By Shanelle Henry
Director of Equity and Inclusion
On Monday, February 24th, the Lower School had a special assembly in observance of Black History Month. We welcomed African drummer/dancer OluDaré to GFA who taught us how to perform the African dance known as: Gumboot.
Gumboot is a dance that originated in the mines of South Africa in the 1880's at the height of the migrant labor system enacted during the oppressive Apartheid Pass Laws. African laborers were forced to work in dark mines under harsh conditions, and the floors of the mines were often flooded with poor or non-existent drainage. Hours of standing in water up to their knees caused the laborers to develop foot problems and infections. The laborers were issued rubber Wellington boots, known as Gumboots, to protect their feet. Furthermore, the African laborers were forbidden to speak with one another otherwise there would be severe, drastic punishments at the discretion of the overseers. In rebellion, they created a way to communicate in the dark by stomping their rubber work boots to create sounds very similar to their tribal drumming. They would also use their bodies and bells adorned on their boots to create rhythms and tunes. These sounds became a type of code language to communicate to another person a short distance away as there was strictly no talking in the dark mines.
Today, gumboot dancing is recognized as one of the most expressive South African dance genres. It is also reflected in the tradition of “stepping” practiced by historically Black Fraternities and Sororities (known collectively as ‘The Divine Nine’). Stepping is similar in execution and style to Gumboot in which the entire body is used as an instrument to produce complex rhythms and sounds through a mixture of footsteps, spoken word, and handclaps.
This is exactly what dancer Oludaré demonstrated to all of us in the Lower School that day. First, he performed a choreographed Gumboot/step dance, then he taught us a routine that individual students were selected to model in front of the larger group, and then we ALL did it together in unison! The Lower School moved together as one, in step and rhythm, truly exemplifying what it means to be: “Each For All!”