Gum Boot Performance - Essay Example

Section/# Gum Boot Performance The style of music that I have chosen to report on is often analogously interpreted as a style of dance. What is unique about this is that both the dance and the music are intimately correlated so that without one there cannot be the other. This particular style of ethnic music/dance is known as the Gumboot Dance. This particular form of ethnic art expression is affected by the dancer/musician affixing bells and other percussionary implements to the sides of galoshes and beating a rhythmic and choreographed performance with the feet. This particular form of musicianship and dance is unique to South Africa as it developed within he workers of mining operations within the past 100 years. If one attempts to categorize the musical experience of the Gum Boot performance, it is nearly impossible to do so without understanding the historical significance of how this particular form of expression came about. When apartheid still existed within South Africa, African miners were subjected to exceedingly harsh conditions under which they would mine precious elements or coal under extreme conditions. These conditions would be extreme regardless of the political situation; however, the unique and racial situation that existed within South Africa meant that the mine operators were extremely strict with the employees; they paid them poorly, worked them hard, and demanded complete silence within the mine. This mean that the workers were not allowed to speak with each other during the process of their day to day activities and labor Such a situation was meant to dissuade the workers from being able to communicate their thoughts and perhaps even foment a type of rebellion against their task masters. However, the workers soon found an elaborately clever way around such an imposition. They soon began to incorporate rhythmic elements of music and dance together as a means of communicating in a non-verbal manner. Naturally, the overseers were oftentimes none the wiser that this was indeed occurring and even when they did realize that it was occurring they were powerless to stop it since it did not violate the rules that the owners had originally stipulated. In this way, the Gum Boot dance became a storied tradition of South African racial resistance to the realities of the time. With regards to how this music differs from those forms that I am daily familiar with, the most striking element of this is of course the fact that the instrumentation is limited to the boot, the foot, and the implements which might be affixed to the exterior of the boot to add a further nuance to the sound that it makes upon coming into contact with the ground. Notably missing in this situation is a differentiation of instruments, singers, amplifiers, or even microphones or sound equipment. In this way, this particular art form widely differs from that I have am used to. However, it does have a notable similarity at the same time due to the fact that a single performer is not enough to bring the nuances of the music to the listener. As such, for the performance that I attended there were a total of 4 performers; 3 of which performed with the fourth only coming into the performance during key points of the show. Due to the fact that their were no vocalists and some other notably missing elements of what one might define as music, many individuals have determined incorrectly that this is a dance form and cannot be understood has music. However, this is most obviously not the case due to the fact that music is an audible expression of art whereas dance is necessarily a visual one. Due to the fact that he origination of this form of music was determined to be a means of conveyance between the workers, many of these workers were unable to see each as they performed their duties within the mine. As such, it is clear to see that his art form has developed distinctly rhythmic qualities that could be misunderstood as a form of dance, and unless analyzed deeply, shows many of these qualities. However, the qualities of its presentation along with the full effect of the sound employed lends one to quickly understand that it is indeed an expression of music only slightly tinged with dance. Although rhythm has played an integral part in the cultures and development of music among many African nations, I was surprised by the nuances that the rhythm of the Gum Boot performance engendered. Rather than providing a clear and defined rhythm which one could decidedly tap their foot or nod their head to, the rhythm of the performance was such that even if the listener does not understood the meanings that the performers were attempting to get across to their audience, the fact that the beat is so syncopated and un-uniform implies that a high degree of meaning is being expressed. The only regret I had as an inexperienced and non-native viewer was the fact that I did not have any idea of the type of meanings that the performers were analyzing and expanding upon within the course of their performance. In effect, the lack of instrumentation, lack of vocals and the high rates of syncopation that were evidenced did not take away from the music due to the fact that this viewer/listener was so enraptured by the unique styles that were employed as to not focus on the elements that were missing but instead to focus on those new and interesting elements that had been added by the performers. In this way, the style helped to further differentiate my prior understanding of music as well as to juxtapose this understanding with the way in which the performers interacted with each other (dance) while no the stage. Therefore, rather than being too concentric on what the music style lacked as compared to my traditional understanding of music, I found myself captivated by the new elements that had been developed which I had never before experienced. One need look no further than the way that certain European counties actively legislate their radio stations to play only a small percentage of foreign songs to realize the profound effect that music has on a society and culture. Due to the fact that individual nations are willing to enact legislation that effectively bans non-domestic music from public consumption, it becomes clear that the cultural and societal influence of music act as profound mechanisms through which identity, language appreciate/development, and nationalism develops. Although individuals and governments can be said to be using music as a means of protecting the national history, means of expression, and domestic talent that they have to offer, one of the true means of such protectionism results from the fact that globalism has promoted an increasingly American form of music that pervades almost every aspect of world society. In this sense, many of the musical expressions of ethnic and native groups have begun to be swallowed up in the uniformity that is slowly but surely defining our modern world. Although it may seem foolish to compare the ethnic music that I have experienced to the more modern forms of music that my own generation has become accustomed to, it leaves one to question the depths of meaning and societal implications with regards to the shallow and hollow nature of the music that is currently ingested by the national populace. Folk music has not often dealt with weighty issues; however, the popular music of today has become so dilute, as compared to the true significance and meanings of forms of expression similar to the Gum Boot performance, as to not necessarily reflect any deeper meanings whatsoever to those that listen and enjoy it. Perhaps this is not necessarily a bad thing. Perhaps the fact that our music has become vapid and empty is the fact that our society no longer struggles to the same extent that has given rise to such forms of expression as the Gum Boot dance. However, perhaps this lack of struggle and hardship has served to weaken the artistry that our people enjoy and experience as a function of increasing levels of globalization. Regardless of the individual interpretations that can be drawn, the fact of the matter is that the style of performance and the passion that was exhibited help to differentiate this particular style of music in a powerful way from that of other less interesting forms that deal with far lighter subject matter. In short, singing about the pains and injustices suffered during colonialism and the racial interpretation of the state does not go nearly so far as impressing upon the viewer/listener these ideals as an art form that has been conjured and defined by just such injustices and racial prejudices which have helped to give rise to such an art form. Reference Dickinson, G 2005, 'Soulstepping: African American Step Shows', Journal Of African American History, 90, 1/2, pp. 180-182, Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 1 November 2012. Read More