Another Name for Sheer Pleasure is Gumboot Dancing
GUMBOOT DANCING!
Deirdre Aristotle loves gumboot dancing so much she want kids everywhere to learn it.
“This is a society that needs the energy and fire that gumboot dancing brings to the body and mind,” says Ms. Aristotle. “This is a laid back Starbucks culture and what it needs is a kick in the tuchus. I would like to bring my gumboot dancing group into a Starbucks during busy latte time and give the people some real caffeine.”
Originally from Africa, the gumboot dance is performed by dancers wearing Wellington boots. They are called gumboots because that is what they are called in South Africa.
The streets and plazas of South Africa are where you will often see gumboot dancing. Probably originating among South African gold miners in tough working conditions (obscurity , dampness, lack of caffeine, etc.), gumboot dancing parodies the officers and guards that supervised the mines and workers’ barracks. Gumboot dancing uses polyrhythmic, total body articulation, drawing from the cultural dances of the African mine workers.
It is percutant!
It is made by autophones!
GO! Side to Side!
Bend over with your feet together. STOMP!!! with your left foot at the same time that you lift your right foot to the side and then you SLAP!!! the side of your right boot with that right hand of yours. STOMP!!! that right foot of yours at the same time as you lift your left foot. Now SLAP!!! the side of your boot with your wonderful left hand. Four times! STOMP!!! SLAP!!! STOMP!!! SLAP!!! STOMP!!! SLAP!!! STOMP!!! SLAP!!!
GO! Clap!
After you do that four times, STOMP!!! with your right foot then straighten your torso a little, your right foot still up and CLAP!!! your hands together, then drop your right hand and SLAP!!! the inside of your right boot near the heel and STOMP!!! with your right foot. Lift up your left foot as you STOMP!!! with your right, CLAP!!!, drop your left hand to SLAP!!! the inside of your left boot near the heel, and STOMP!!! with your left foot.
GO! More Clap! More Steps!
Lift up that right knee of yours and SLAP!!! it with your right hand, CLAP!!! your hands and drop your left hand to SLAP!!! the inside of the boot near your heel. STOMP!!! your right foot, lift your left knee and SLAP!!! it with your left hand, CLAP!!! your hands, then SLAP!!! the inside of your boot near your heel with your left hand and STOMP!!! your right foot.
GO! Jump!
Lift up both knees and SLAP!!! the inside of both boots, jump up and CLAP!!! your hands behind your knees. Land and STOMP!!! with both feet. Now repeat the jump.
GO! Faster! Add more!
Keep practicing the above steps until you are able to do them at a faster pace. As you become more and more comfortable with the dance, you will be able to add your own variations.