The dance game

Resource Summary

Grade R (5-year-olds), Esikhisini Primary School, Pretoria (Attridgeville), South Africa, Teacher: Sibongilo Mnisi

Sibongilo Mnisi children take part in a well-known South African childhood game where participants take turns showing dance moves that can be unique and inspired by previous dancers. As individual children take their turns the dancer and group engages in a call and response chant in isiZulu:

Dancer: Ke tswa go jaiva / Bina mzala (I come from dancing, my friend!)

Group: Ko kae mzala (Where, my friend?)

Dancer: Ko ga bo... Mzala – (At ______’s place-________’s = the next dancer)

Group: Ba di betha jang mzala (how did they do it my friend?)

Dancer: Ba di betha so, le so ke so so so – (They do it like this...And this...)