Via Injabulo - Via Katlehong Dance Company (South Africa)

Via Katlehong Dance is named after the township in South Africa's East Rand where it began as a community project in 1992. Young people are challenged to express their hard lives through their music and dance. With a message of unmistakable optimism: a better world is possible.

The basis is formed by the pantsula, an ultra-energetic dance that came into existence during the apartheid regime. Via Katlehong's strength is that the group innovatively combines the pantsula with other dances, such as tap, step and gumboot, the 'miner's dance' based on hitting the thighs and calves. But the pantsula is much more than just dance; it is a lifestyle encapsulated in fashion, music, gesture codes and language with which the youth of the townships identify and express themselves.

Because of its commercialization, the culture has been diluted and has lost its authenticity. Only a few groups such as township-based Via Katlehong have managed to bring the creativity by putting the tap steels underneath the shoe to create other dance rhythms (tap pantsula), whistle ling, shouting, clapping and cheering energy and rebellious attitude of Pantsula dance onto the stage with or without music.

But more than that, the award-winning Via Katlehong has managed to modernize it in such a way that it is worked and collaborated with tap, step, Pantsula and traditional music dance (Gumstep-tappantsula). These dances are performed together in a common energy and rhythm. By shouting, whistling, clapping their feet and hands, the audience participates in this party full of dynamism and fury of life. We look forward to this party!