Shikisha included four South African women who performed traditional Zulu, Sotho, Xhosa and Shangaan dances, chants and drumming plus exhilarating street dances, and original songs set to township music.
Shikisha’s performances started with traditional drumming and chants, reflecting ceremonies and day-to-day events of tribal life, including birth, circumcision, war and marriage.
‘The Miners’ Gumboot Dance’ is a hybrid dance, developed from the different tribal traditions among the gold miners of Johannesburg, South Africa. This energetic and amusing dance form, crosses all language barriers within the miners. These miners are confined in the compounds without any entertainment provided, so they gather every Sunday to release frustration by entertaining themselves.
Shikisha from the Zulu word ‘Belt it out, included:
Julia Mathunjwa, born in Durban-Sout Africa. When she was in School, she trained as a model. In 1973 she joined a production Umabatha (the Zulu version of Macbeth). Later she toured in Europe with the ” Black and White is a Beautiful Show “. 1974 she joined Ipi Tombi and when the show came to London she decided to make it her home. She continued to work in West End theaters until she decided to found Shikisha in 1981.
Thokozile Nogabe and Sindisiwe Shange, two South African artists, joined Shikisha in 1991 and were trained by Julia Mathunjwa. They both performed in ‘Sarafina‘ a South African musical that won an award in Broadway in 1990.
Discography:
Belt It Out! (John Francis Production, 1996)
Jive Shikisha! (Westside, 1998)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.