The succes of a GUMBOOT DANCER!

Today my dear friends I decided to go on a little different angle and lay out the success of one great gumboots dancer who grew up and lived in Kliptown and has made a success of himself.

Thanduxolo Bezana was born right here in the dusty streets of Kliptown, living with her mom and siblings. He grew up a very intelligent boy who knew how much his worth and how talented he is, but looking at the conditions he was living under; he doubted he will ever be successful in life. Thando has a talent of singing, he has a beautiful voice and growing up he wanted to pursue that, but you know what they say, you can’t always have what you want in life. As he grew up he became a young man and at the very young age that he was in, he was forced to understand that a man has to provide for his family. His mother couldn’t afford to take care of him and together with his siblings, so he knew that he had to work hard at school to make sure he is able to provide the best life for his family.

 

In his teenage year , Thando saw boys around his community doing gumboots dancing, he never saw himself as a dancer but fell in love with gumboots dancing right there. He wanted to find a way to integrate his singing with gumboots dancing and that idea got him a spot as one of the dancers for the Soweto Kliptown Youth gumboots dancers and even though he was a great singer, he was forced to learn how to do gumboots dancing for him to be part of the group. He had so much energy and enthusiasm for Gumboots dancing and was the main singer for the Soweto Kliptown Youth gumboots dancers. When he was 16years old he went on his first international trip to Australia during the common world games performing with the Soweto Kliptown Youth gumboots dancers. That on its own was a great success for him as a young man, still in school and trying to make a living in the slum area of Kliptown. When he came back from Australia, so many opportunities came his way. He was chosen to be part of a play called “Let’s take a walk” that took place in France. He was again invited in France to be part of a French play that wowed the whole French community, everyone wanted to do their productions with him and the group he worked with in gumboots dancing and through gumboots dancing, he was able to provide for his family.
Later in life when he turned 23years in 2007, he together with other young individuals in his community started a program called Kliptown Youth Program where he was given responsibility to head the performing arts program for the gumboots dancers. This is when he never stopped travelling. In the year 2011 he was forced to go live in France for a year, where he earned his living through doing gumboots dance performances and gumboots dance workshops, he was invited to all French art festivals, he would open staged for big artists in the French community and was invited by the Ambassador in France to perform in one of their national events. I must say, He had a great life in France and made a name for himself through gumboots dancing.
When he returned to South Africa in the year 2012, he worked with the youth of KYP, teaching and grooming those young people who have interest in gumboots dancing. At KYP, is when he made a decision that gumboots dancing will be his career. He has travelled with KYP gumboots dancers to China, France and USA.
Thando has made his life better out the passion he has for gumboots dancing, he lives, and breath and eats gumboots dancing and he is a proud Gumboots dancer.

He now lives in Senegal, where he started his own group of gumboots dancing and he will continue teaching Gumboots dancing in every soil he steps in…..

 

written by Nelisiwe Walaza - KYP