Word: gumboots
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...arts scene at Harvard has seen a proliferation in the number of dance groups on campus. One such group are the Gumboots dancers. Affiliated with the Harvard African Students Association (HASA), the Gumboots dancers celebrate a dance that orginated in South Africa. In their free time, miners "discovered" the musical potential of their workboots and slapped and clapped in rhythm. This pastime then evolved into a more intricate step-dance. One dancer, Karin Alexander '02, says that "the story of the gumboot fits into the wonderful, though pain-ridden, history of our continent. The dance expresses all of that...
Mwashuma Nyatta '02, a veteran member of the dance group, says the group makes an effort to reach out to students that might not be well-rehearsed in gumboot dancing. "We try to incorporate anyone that has an interest in the dance, whether in HASA or not. So it's basically a voluntary amalgam of students that have chosen a creative way to let loose their Monday night stresses...
...Gumboot Dancers began the performance, stormingthe stage with a rendition of dances created bySouth African mine workers...
Performing groups also included HASA's Gumboot Dancers, the Mount Holyoke African Students Association and the Harvard Society of Arab Students...
...gumboot dance, which consists of clapping and stomping, is a recreational activity as well as a medium in which migrant workers in Africa voiced protest and kept up morale while away from their homes, Mwangi said...