A London based director, Alexander Tiernan, traveled to the townships of Johannesburg to film the dance style known as Pantsula for the Series ‘Just Dance’
‘Just Dance’ is part of the Nowness Genre-busting choreography series. Alexander Tiernan traveled from London to film the Indigenous Dance Academy. The short video was filmed in Johannesburg, in and around the Tembisa Township. Alexander Tiernan finds the dance style of Pantsula to be highly energetic and politically charged.
“Part dance, part lifestyle, Pantsula has its roots in Apartheid-era Johannesburg and continues to be a defining element of South African township culture. Some say it originated in the 1950s and that the jumpsuits and bucket-hat look came from the uniforms worn by black men employed as gardeners in white neighbourhoods.”
“Pantsulas carry a certain prestige, and it seems strange to me that the culture has always been closely associated with gangsterism, because a lot of what I saw while shooting was so playful and endearing. It’s a reflection of township life where anything can be the story, where any place can be the stage and you create your own status. I wanted to focus on that sense of resourcefulness and let the feet do the talking.” – Alexander Tiernan
The cultural dance style is a quick stepping style with low to the ground movements. It embraces street culture as a massive inspiration. For the Pantsula groups that dance it, it is a powerful and stylish form of expression.
The style has been inspired by many different cultural and musical aspects including American pop and rap but in the 1990’s an original style of music was born, its is known as ‘Kwaito’ it is a multilingual music with influences from almost all the cultures in South Africa and is a blend of seSotho, isisZulu, English, and Afrikaans.
Pantsula groups are highly versatile and are able to dance the style to almost any modern music. Alexander Tiernan showcases this South African art form in a poetic way.