From Hugh Tracey’s field notes:
Ndakutsala Ngomlenze - I'll Pull You By The Leg
(Xhosa/Ngqika – recorded in 1957)
Kentani District, Transkei, Eastern Cape.
Mbayizelo dance, with clapping and bells. Group of young Xhosa men and boys.
This was a version of the dance often seen on the mines in Johannesburg where it is known as "Arnakwenkwe"
It is remarkable for two things. The strange guttural roaring made by the dancers and the frenzied shaking or shivering of the muscles under the skin of the torso. This is achieved by flexing and unflexing the knee of the leg on which they happen to be standing. Bands of small bells worn across the chest make this peculiar feat audible as well as visible. The legs of the dancers are also shaken or made to quiver, as they walk round and on the mines the dancers wear rattles on their legs as well.
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