Festival of South African Dance brings rhythm to The American Theatre!
The rhythms of South Africa come alive with the Festival of South African Dance’s pulsating production of “Gumboots – Stimela the Musical,” a dance masterpiece that follows the tale of rural African men who come by train from all walks of life in search of greener pastures in the city of gold, Johannesburg. Gumboot dance emerged from a form of communication in the gold mines and has evolved into a dynamic language of rhythm and music that is performed worldwide as a celebration of South African history.
Gumboot dancing roots back to a time when black miners, forbidden to speak, invented a dance to communicate with each other in the gold mine tunnels of South Africa. Minerswore boots embellished with bells so they rang as they stomped on the ground. Miners created their own language by stomping their gumboots and rattling the bells on 
their ankles to send each other messages that only they could understand. What started as a way to communicate with each other turned into a form of entertainment that they used to entertain each other when they weren’t working in the mines.
Described by Theatre Review as “a celebration of song and dance, an international phenomenon that has swept across the globe like a tidal wave of soaring voices and stomping feet,” the Festival of South African Dance promises to be an unforgettable evening.
These are some of the numbers you can expect to see during the performance on Saturday, October 14!
Gwa – Gwa – Gwa
Gwa – Gwa – Gwa is a vibrant and energetic song that mine workers created with their gumboots. They sing it to get into a working mood.
Midodo
Midodo is a song that tells of how much working in the mine can be blissful and fun once you get used to it.
Month End
Month End is song that tells of how happy these men are for having been paid. It tells about the parties and fun they will be having because it’s month end and month end means pay day.
Yelele
Yelele is a fun, celebratory song that means fun and more fun.