Documentarian Richard Wicksteed is a native of Southern Africa. In his childhood, he began his fascination with Africa’s most ancient cultural heritage. The San people are widespread and diverse, but they share many aspects of their culture, most significantly dance. While he appears occasionally to provide necessary exposition, most of the film is documentation of San people’s lives, dances, and words. He allows these people to speak for themselves, providing excellent translations which allow us to better understand the worldview and culture of the many San cultures of Southern Africa.
The most compelling element of SanDance! is its filmmaking. Wicksteed’s eye for human movement and nature is unrivaled by many of his peers. Lovers of documentary film will be enthralled by Wicksteed’s style. At precisely sixty minutes in length, SanDance! is a very dense documentary, packed with content that most filmmakers would stretch into several hours.
Wicksteed delivers an intriguing ethnography that immerses the viewer in several distinct San cultures and languages. Casual documentary viewers may be overwhelmed by the volume of information and the number of different subcultures, but ethnography and dance lovers will be enthralled.
Many academic libraries will see demand for this title among African History, anthropology, dance, music, and art professors. This deep dive into Southern Africa’s native cultures touches on a wide berth of subjects including ancient history, recent history, colonialism, genocide, dance, language, subsistence, ecology, and philosophy. Because of its short runtime and mass of content, SanDance! will be easy to fit into most curricula.
Public libraries should consider this title if their patrons can’t get enough dance, ethnography, or African documentaries. Consider including SanDance! in library programming about African roots music, dance, or African culture and history. Highly Recommended.
Where does this title belong on public library shelves?
SanDance! belongs on ethnography, African history, and culture, and dance documentary shelves.
What kind of film series could use this title?
Any series about African roots music would benefit from the addition of SanDance!
What is the retail price and/or Public Performance License fee?
DVD Institutional: $320, DSL - Life of File Institutional: $600