Patriot's Diary # 24: It's in the shoes

Whether it is the ngolovas (platform shoes), akala (rubber/ tyre sandals), and high tops (trainers from the 80s) or stilettos, Kenyans know how to bring the house down. Dancing isn’t just about moving your body or in some people’s case faking a seizure. It is also about what you wear when you are jigging on the dance floor.

Dance styles have evolved over time like it has all over the world, but Kenyan dance intrigue lies in how we do it. It started off with the popular twist in the 60’s and 70’s. I think that is one of the most universal dances of all times.

But the twist was more than a twirl and a descending twist of the waist from side to side. It was the twirling of the skirts, the huge collars and well combed afros with the platform shoes. Oh! And the side burns, now that made the twist.

Then the 80’s with TV programmes like Solid Gold and Top of the Pops influenced the Kenyan disco era. It was all about the puffy hair, shiny and over sized clothes with three quarter trousers and the Jerri curls. This was the phasing out of the natural look, well for just a couple of years. The Jane Fonda aerobics look; head bands to hold the hair back and the tight leggings and leotards all over the place. The pumps and the frumpy dresses were soo in season. It was tight verses frumpy, who cared, as long as you could swing to the beat, it worked.

Then the late 80s and 90s surfaced. And in came the puffy MC Hammer look, the ‘box’ hair cut and break dancing was on the scene. Break dancing was where all the ‘cool’ people stole the show or got the girls. In Nairobi there was jam session at Florida 1000 (popularly known as F-1).

Jam session was your time to make your big break as a choreographer or singer extraordinaire. Because it was the only time you could sneak out during the day to the disco. And you could fake a believable excuse to tell your parents.

Then the last 90’s and the 00’s revealed the shoulder shaking, neck snapping ‘buffalo’, ‘helicopter’ and ‘kuku’ (chicken) dance styles. Then some lingala flavor with the handkerchief’s flailing in the air, dancing all lined up. Then there’s the ‘airplane’ and ‘helicopter’ move as well. It’s all about the take off into the sunset of the disco ball reflected horizon. Flap, twist, fling yourself or shake your rear. Kenyans are a sight wherever they are dancing, or lying to themselves that they are.

Whether it’s contemporary Kenyan music, Lingala, Zhouk, pop, hip-hop, rock or ethnic music at the different cultural nights, Kenyans don’t dance they rock the building! Twende Kazi!