'Langarm' still alive and kicking
Historic ballroom style is still enjoyed with band music, writes Michael Dunseith
‘THE term Langarm was in widespread use by the so-called coloured communities of District Six and the Cape at large in the late 20th Century, to refer to the then current ballroom dances and dance bands as well as the earlier ones from the 1930s onward,” says Michael Dunseith, who recently completed his Master’s Degree in Musicology at Stellenbosch University. The coloured community and Langarm go back a long way:
Langarm was already used as a form of recreation and entertainment in the Cape during the colonial period.
● The term Langarm was in widespread use by the coloured communities of District Six and the Cape at large in the late 20th Century.
● Ballroom-Langarm music and dance practices represent an unbroken tradition of musicianship and dance skills that run from the beginning of the Cape colony until the present.
● There are at least 50 small dance studios functioning within the Cape Town Metropole.
As a popular South African dance form, Langarm often conjures up images of couples sokkie dancing sedately to the beat of Afrikaans pop music. This is especially how many white South Africans view Langarm.
But Langarm as we know it today, is more than just sokkie; it has a rich history and was already used as a form of recreation and entertainment in the Cape during the colonial period.
Having been influenced by many styles of dance and music over time, such as English Country Dancing, the Quadrille or Square Dances, military dance bands and Cape Malay Quadrille Bands,
Langarm over time became increasingly popular, especially within the coloured community.
Inspired by the late Willie Jales’s passion for preserving the legacy of coloured Langarm dance bands in the Cape, Dunseith explored the meaning
Langarm holds for the coloured people of Cape Town and its origins in ballroom dancing. Jales was a tenor and alto saxophonist, originally from District Six, who led both a Christmas Choir and a Ballroom-Langarm dance band, namely Willie’s Starlite Orchestra.
During the course of his research, Dunseith used primary and secondary sources to collect historical data and also conducted numerous interviews with leaders and members of two active dance bands: The Strand Combo and Kallie’s Dance Band from Grabouw, in addition to attending many of their functions.
Dunseith followed Jales’s lead and joined the terms Ballroom-Langarm in a duel language moniker that clearly positions the culture firmly in classic ballroom practice but with a local flavour especially to be found in the use of the
vastrap rhythm, which was exclusively used in the Square Dances but is currently used for loose dancing or line dances.
“The coloured people of the Cape have embraced the term Langarm as their own and, for them, it refers specifically to a ballroom dance event and the dancing and music associated with it,” says Dunseith.
“No other cultural group in South Africa manifests an evening of Ballroom-Langarm dancing in the same way that the members of the coloured community do, with a high level of traditional ballroom skills, as well as the remnants of the ‘Squares’ utilising the vastrap rhythm, which has now been adapted to modern versions of the American line dance, echoing strongly the old Longways of the English Country Dances.”
According to Dunseith, research has shown that the Ballroom-Langarm music and dance practices of the coloured people of the Cape represent an unbroken tradition of musicianship and dance skills that span centuries.
Regarding the future of Langarm dance, Dunseith says it is still going strong.
“According to research consultant Shireen Steenkamp, a leading dance teacher in Cape Town, there are at least 50 small dance studios functioning within the Cape Town Metropole, teaching the next generation of Ballroom-Langarm dancers.”
“The ages of those in attendance at these events, which take place regularly across the Cape Town Metropole in town and community halls, are evenly spread across all age groups, from the mid-20s upwards, and this applies to the band members as well.
“There are approximately 10 top dance bands that function in the Cape Town Metropole, which rely on fundraising efforts for revenue.”
Dunseith says there is still a strong awareness and knowledge of formal Ballroom-Langarm dancing among patrons of all ages, as well as the dance bands and their choice of music.
“As long as this awareness can be maintained, through the help of the dance studios, combined with the fun and camaraderie of the new line dances, the dancing public will continue to enjoy these unique events as prime occasions for social interaction in a fun and civil environment within the community.”
No other cultural group in South Africa manifests an evening of Ballroom
Langarm dancing in the same way that the members of the coloured community do.