Exploring the Inner World of South African Majorettes, in “Drummies”

[brief chiming music]

[ethereal music]

[birds chirping]

[Girl 1] I’m not sure how, how I would describe it.

[Girl 2] Scared, overwhelmed.

I feel like, like I’m floating.

[Girl 3] We throw our bodies and lives into it.

It’s our ticket out.

Our ticket to greatness.

[Instructor] And one, two, big two,

five, six, seven, eight.

Arm, two, three, four, halt… kick.

[soothing rhythmic music]

And one, two,

three, four,

five, six, seven, eight.

They don’t go shoo, shoo, shoo, leg.

[tracks rattling]

Sky’s gonna fall on ya’.

[metal squealing]

[grunting]

I’ve heard– Saw people people outside.

Don’t, gold.

[Girl 1] Okay, squish open on your 15th.

[Girl 2] To be honest with you, I’m actually not.

Thank you. ‘Cause I

was really excited for school.

My cousin told me, I know why they open school

on the 15th, because the intern’s

gonna be kissing on 14th and you can spread COVID

through, through kissing.

So, I said, no.

I just called, saw school online, right.

We have to have uniform

and we must have to have assembly!

I’m not even joking.

On resume. Yep.

Are you joking? Fine, maybe I’ll

just put my crop top back on.

[laughing]

Me, too!

I’m just gonna wear the top.

Yeah. Tell me,

why do I need to wear the skirt and everything else?

This makes no sense.

Uniform at resume.

[soft rhythmic music]

So come, you’re gonna stand here.

You’re gonna stand here.

Then, you’re gonna go one, One.

Two. Two.

Three. Three.

With your other arm. Three.

Four. Four.

Bring it closer to you.

Bring it closer to you.

Now bring it closer to you.

A. B.

B. C.

[Instructor] D, E.

I can,

okay so, can we sta…

Can we this,

now a little bit– Race.

and then you tell me the moves.

[Instructor] Okay…cool.

Am I gonna get likes…

and views? Nope.

[rhythmic music]

♪ When the song come on ♪

♪ let me see you get gone ♪

♪ Get gone ♪

♪ Baby mama ♪

♪ This your song ♪

♪ Been pregnant for way too long ♪

It’s okay?

♪ Tell the DJ turn it off ♪

But you must remember, not gonna get it perfect.

Okay, I’ll just do,

maybe these. Okay.

[sighs heavily]

[Girl 1] This TikTok is a lot of work, eh?

Not yet.

Your, whoa…

[groaning loudly]

We look so dark.

We’ve lightened it so much.

Make us that color.

You picked music.

There we go, that’s green.

Look, I look like an alien.

I also look like an alien with my bun.

So what subject are you doing at school?

Same that you did in grade seven.

Not to, you know, interact,

not be social.

Just need to make new friends.

Mmh hmm.

And you see like, like the people,

like COVID is just not helping, you know.

Like now, I have to take longer.

You have to get– Can’t even add people now.

Exactly..and you cannot, probably, see their full face.

Yeah. Like your–

What if they like, look grand up

and they– And the white–

[laughing drowns out speaking]

[sighs softly]

[gasping]

[funky rhythmic music]

[train rattling]

[Girl 1] Of course, when I came to this school,

I didn’t have any friends and I saw that the team,

they bonded very well

and I just wanted to be a part of the team.

I get my motivation from,

[sighing heavily]

from my grandpa.

Well, he passed away, but for my nationals,

he used to drive up to Durban

and used to drive up to East London,

even though he didn’t have to, because I know he

was very sick at the time, like, he had heart problems.

When I’m walking outside and I look up at the trees.

I imagine that Grampa is watching over me,

looking down, making sure I’m safe.

[low ethereal music]

When I throw my mace up high in the air,

it’s like I’m throwing it towards him,

and I know he will catch it.

Yesterday, we passed the mark

of more than 1 million confirmed coronavirus cases

in our country.

Infections are on the rise in part

because as humans we’re social beings…

[somber keyboard music]

[Girl 2] One, two, three, four,

five, six, seven, eight.

Two, two, three, four,

five, six, seven, eight.

Three, two, three, four,

five, six, seven, eight.

Drummies is all about keeping time.

It’s about staying in formation and sticking to a beat.

[somber music]

[Girl 3] What does it mean to keep time

when time has come to a total stop?

[distant chirping]

[traffic rushing]

You know, Grandma’s gonna have glitter on her toes.

Yeah. What?

[laughing]

This is glitter and Grandma’s gonna have glitter

on her toes.

[Woman 1] Because this is Glam Granny.

[Woman 2] This is a great-granny,

not a grandma.

Exactly, that’s even worse.

How can you have glitter on your toes.

On your great-granny.

No, I’m not gonna pay you for this.

[Girl] I’m not getting paid.

Uh uh. We wanted pretty work.

You’re doing a junk work here.

[Girl] Why don’t you wear a wedding ring?

Because the, the, the smeth and the grabs.

[giggling]

Yeah…no.

They will rob me.

This, this, they hijacked me in Filipe.

They hit me with a gun here.

They robbed me with 10,000 rand that morning.

They hijacked me, they opened my doors.

They chucked me out of the car.

I was almost gone that morning.

[Girl] Were you crying?

I will never forget it.

[Girl] Were you crying?

No, only cried when I came home.

[trickling water]

[Girl] It’s gonna go on you.

[Woman] Where do you want to live one day,

South Africa or abroad?

Abroad. Where,

which place?

I am not sure yet.

[Woman] But I think if you want

to become a Nemo-ologist,

the top places to–

Australia and New Zealand.

[chuckling]

You’re so smart.

Can I go with you?

[metal squealing]

[ethereal music]

[Girl 1] Our country is going through so much.

You don’t even identify most of it, you know?

In our country at this moment,

a teenage girl like me is actually living in fear right now.

[splashing water]

But when I have that mace in my hand,

no one can hurt us.

No one can touch us.

[dramatic music building]

All of this that I’ve come from,

this is what gives me the force that I use to throw

that mace in the sky.

♪ Let’s go ♪

[rhythmic music]

♪ Turn around and go ♪

♪ Go, go, go ♪

♪ Turn around and go ♪

♪ Go, go, go ♪

♪ Turn around and go ♪

♪ Go, go, go ♪

♪ Turn around and go ♪

♪ Go, go, go ♪

♪ Turn around and go ♪

♪ Go, go, go ♪

♪ Turn around and go ♪

♪ Go, go, go ♪

♪ Turn around and go ♪

♪ Go, go, go ♪

♪ Turn around and go ♪

♪ Go, go, go ♪

♪ Turn around and go ♪

♪ Go, go, go ♪

♪ Turn around and go ♪

Exploring the Inner World of South African Majorettes, in “Drummies”
Source: Super Trending News PH