SA teacher goes viral for show

Photo: Facebook/thembinkosi.mkonko

SA teacher goes viral for showing pupils how to gumboot dance [video]

A teacher from South Africa recently went viral on social media after sharing clips of his pupils gumboot dancing in South Korea.

SA teacher goes viral for show

Photo: Facebook/thembinkosi.mkonko

Thembinkosi Tera Mkonko, a South Africa teacher in South Korea, has gone viral for teaching his students how to gumboot dance.

It is said that the gumboot dance is a South African dance that is performed by dancers wearing wellington boots. In South Africa these are more commonly called gumboots. Gumboot dancing is therefore regarded as a South African dance and is very different from that of South Korea. One of the traditional dances in South Korea consists of the Seungmu Dance. It is one of the most famous Korean traditional dances and regarded as one of South Korea’s most important intangible cultural assets. Another traditional dance in South Korea is the Buchaaechum Dance (or the ‘fan dance’).

Photo: steemit.com/

Going viral in South Korea

Mkonko shared various videos of himself and his pupils gumboot dancing when he went viral in South Africa.

Various news outlets also shared his videos for the world to see.

Posted by Thembinkosi Tera Mkonko on Friday, February 14, 2020

One of the videos he shared, went on to clock in 43 000 views.

Posted by Thembinkosi Tera Mkonko on Friday, February 14, 2020

Social media users commended him for teaching these pupils the gumboot dance, saying: “Only a South African will be able to train these kids on how to do gumboots dance!! Super dope.”

Posted by Thembinkosi Tera Mkonko on Friday, February 14, 2020

More about the gumboot dance

It is reported that gumboot dance developed from traditional African roots, to become a part of urban South African working-class culture. The practice began with rural laborers who came to work at the gold mines of Witwatersrand in South Africa. They brought with them strong traditions of rhythm, song, and dance.

Facing oppression and hardship at the mines, including punishment if they talked to each other while working, they were forced to adapt and create new forms of communication and entertainment. The fact that many ethnic groups and languages existed side by side also contributed to developing their associations through the shared language of rhythm and music.

It is further reported that inside the mines, the workers used the gumboots to communicate with each other, by slapping their boots, stamping their feet, and rattling their ankle chains. As the form also developed into a popular social activity, songs dealing with working-class life, drinking, love, family, low wages and mean bosses were sung to accompany the movements.

Tags: