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The origins of dance culture are rather unclear, as the love of this sphere of creativity has been emblazoned in the hearts of Africans, Indians and countless other nations since time immemorial.
The choreography aspect of dance found its way into the dictionary back in the 1950s, and it would evolve at such a spectacular rate that the creative industry would bestow the annual title of International Choreographers’ Day on 9 January.
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To date, the passion for movement and dance dominates both the big and small screens, street corners and social media alike. The versatility of this craft knows no boundaries, as it has pranced to the stage and onto cheerleading, gymnastics, synchronised swimming and even ice skating.
Renowned South African choreographer Tom London not only formed part of the dance panel in one of the biggest dance competitions in the country but also choreographed Kamo Mphela’s Dalie's music video, which has been trending for well over three months and is still showing no signs of slowing down.
London says that with TikTok and Instagram dancers taking over the world, choreographers need to polish their dancing shoes and tirelessly post videos of their expertise to avoid being wiped off the world’s memory by social media freestylers.
He says:
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London, whose dance crew, Soweto’s Finest, has headlined shows in Europe as opposed to performing in the shadow of other artists, does admit that the South African dance scene may not necessarily enjoy the same respect as the Ushers, Anna Pavlovas and Michael Jacksons of the world yet.
Slowly but surely though, things do seem to be waltzing towards the right direction. Back in 2011, living RnB legend Beyonce Knowles flew W-Tofo, a Mozambican dance group whose inspiration lies in Mzansi's decades-old pantsula dance, to the US for one of her music videos. Over the past few months, videos of Chris Brown jiving South African style have been circulating all over the internet. And who can forget how Master KG's Jerusalema dominated social media for the longest time as the challenge crossed our borders and captured the feet of international dance lovers?
London also adds that Mzansi should embrace International Choreographers' Day as an opportunity to show appreciation as well as celebrate the strides that the country’s dance scene has taken over the years. Showing his own appreciation for the country's dance history, this performer, who choreographed the 2010 Fifa World Cup closing ceremony, says:
Back in the day, almost every kid in every South African township felt like they had the moves like Jagger as they emulated the routines of such ensembles as AbaShante, Woza Africa, Boom Shaka and the timeless Sarafina. Today, young and old inhabitants of the earth fancy themselves as choreographers as we have all witnessed how easy it is for social media dance challenges (some of which are not exactly challenging) to go viral on a global scale.
On January 9th, International Choreographers Day, we would love to remember George Balanchine, whose Nutcracker propelled the ballet to dominate Christmas all over the world. It’s interesting that Balanchine felt kind of kinship with Tchaikovsky, whom he loved “like a father”. pic.twitter.com/lwgIRQ6jRt
— Tchaikovsky is LOVE (@tchaikovskyTOUR) January 9, 2022
Well, as London says, let us dedicate this International Choreographers’ Day to showing some respect to Mzansi’s reputable choreographers who have spent years learning, evolving and honing their skills to reach the level of expertise that inspire both TikTok and Instagram freestylers, as well as serious dancers who have a vision to one day go professional.
