VIA KATLEHONG DANCE – Via Kanana – Webdiffusion

Pantsula, gumboot, traditional dance … Via Katlehong Dance and choreographer Gregory Maqoma present an electrifying work bursting with passionate energy, based on popular South African street and protest dance forms.

Founded in 1992 in Johannesburg, Via Katlehong Dance takes its name from Katlehong township, a disadvantaged neighbourhood where the protest culture of Pantsula was born. Like hip-hop, it has its roots in the street. In the 1990s, as a multi-ethnic South Africa slowly took shape, Via Katlehong Dance continued the protest struggle through shows and performances that combined the acrobatic dance movements of Pantsula and gumboot, named after the rubber boots that miners wore and that they struck with their hands as they danced.

For Via Kanana, the company invited the great South African creator Gregory Maqoma—head choreographer for the 2010 FIFA World Cup kick-off concert—to combine the communicative energy of Via Katlehong Dance with his physical language in search of humanity and spirituality.
A choral piece, luminous and filled with hope!