Pantsula revolution! How South Africa's gangster dance got political
A quick-stepping dance from the townships has gone mainstream thanks to its crazy energy, competitive edge and campaigning forceIn the beginning, it was all about the shoes. In the early 1950s in Sophiatown, Johannesburg, the pantsulas defied their lean material circumstances by dressing in designer clothing. Influenced by American jazz music, they danced with a quick-stepping style, tapping the floor in a way that w…