Pantsula group Soweto Skeleton Movers on the move
By Funeka Bambalele
For five pantsula dancers from Phiri in the heart of Soweto township, it all began as something that keeps them busy after school.
It quickly grew from that to become a passion where they competed in different pantsula competitions. When businessman Sakhumuzi Maqubela established an African Cuisine Restaurant in Vilakazi Street in Orlando West, the dancers benefited from the move. Vilakazi street is the only street in the world where two Nobel Peace Prize recipients have lived.
When tourists started pouring in Vilakazi Street, young musicians and dance groups including pantsula dance group, Soweto Skeleton Movers saw an opportunity to make money. The group members are Topollo Ntulo, Jabulani Manyoni, Junior Hlongwane, Molefi Rakitla and the only beauty among the beasts, Lerato Motsepe.
Founded in 2005, began busking at the restaurant and they were spotted by Artistic director of Breakin Convention Jonzi D. Their first gig was in the USA where they showcased their skills and impressed many people.
“Busking at Vilakazi street worked for us because we made money that was able to sustain us. We continued busking there until in 2016 things opened for us. Going to Breakin open doors for us.”
After that trip to the USA, invites poured in and they have performed in countries like Canada, Australia, Holland, Sweden and Britain.
Among the group’s highlights was performing for the king and queen of England in front of President Cyril Ramaphosa. They have further performed in Sweden when Trevor Noah received an honorary award for his contribution in the arts.
What sets the group apart is that on stage they combine great dance moves and acting skills to entertain and tell a story. Over the years they have modified their performance using pantsula moves to tell their own stories. Recently, they presented a one-hour action packed show at Soweto Theatre. The stories told through dance include gender based violence, bullying, crime, drugs and juvenile detentions.
“We realise that we can incorporate our own stories in our performance. We deal with challenges that we experienced in life. We all experienced different challenges and they are all part of our performances.”
After their successful performance in Holland in December the group has returned to South Africa where it is planning to take its performances in schools.
Former schoolteacher and founder of Soweto Arts Academy JV Cele group’s coordinator Johannes Cele said: “I’m taking the group to schools where they will be dealing with the issue of bullying which is big at the moment. We have seen many kids committing suicide because of it. It is an issue that we are going to tackle using dance. We plan to take the education to schools around the country.”