iKasi Heartbeat is a 10 minute documentary that takes to the township of Cape Town to find the heart of Pantsula dance.

 

 

Perhaps more than any other, South Africa’s present is best understood in terms of its past. Along with the sweeping political spirit that stirred a revolutionary fervour strong enough to overthrow apartheid, amaPantsula dancing rose through township halls, grew up along its streets and shot into the limelight as one of South Africa’s most recognised dances. At the heartbeat of the tumultuous 1980s, Pantsula represented a rebellious youth; illuminated a treasure trove of artistic style and musical talent; and the Pantsula attitude became an identity for millions of South Africans. 

In 2014, Pantsula dancers are still abound. Yet is the celebratory and communal fire of the Pantsula dance that flourished on the political and social tinderbox of the past still alive? 

 

iKasi Heartbeat is a student documentary film that takes to the streets and halls of Cape Town to explore the Pantsula identity through the dance subcultures of today. Remembering the importance of Pantsula dancing as a form of youthful expression, iKasi Heartbeart looks to map out the cultural migration and influence of Pantsula on the young people of ‘iKasi’.

As iKasi Heartbeat explores the modern subcultures spawned by Pantsula, such as the iziKhothane, it looks to find out what today’s youth think it means to participate in the Pantsula culture today. Are today’s Pantsulas dancing to the same tune as their forbears, or has the beat changed?