SOUTH Africa’s answer to the dance film craze has arrived. Think of dance movies like Step Up, Stomp the Yard, You Got Served et al, but with an Mzanzi flair, and you have Hear Me Move.
The scene is Jozi’s streets, the dance craze is sbujwa – a township dance culture popular particularly in Gauteng, but one that is rapidly spreading across regional borders and cultures.
Hear Me Move is a dance drama that journey’s with Muzi (Dzedze) on his path to self-discovery. Haunted by too many unknowns around the death of his father – a popular dancer – Muzi struggles to find his place in the world. With dance his only constant in life, he takes his battle to the floor where he is known for possessing top-notch skills.
In his quest to uncover more about his father, he joins the Sbujwa Nation dance crew. In the process he finds himself the accidental nemesis of Prince (Mbuso Kgarebe) – the self-proclaimed ultimate dancer who abandons Sbujwa Nation to start his own rival crew, Ambi$hin.
Thrust into these whirlwind developments in his life, Muzi finds himself having to juggle adjusting to a new “crew” way of dancing, battling the enraged Prince on and off the dance floor as tensions mount and trying to make sense of his past and present.
All this drama set against true-to-life themes like fatherlessness, brotherhood and street family/crew life makes Hear Me Move an absorbing watch with the dance and music quotient ensuring it is entertaining and relevant.
The cast deserve kudos for bringing life to their characters, giving a “real” story, real feeling. Featured guests like Lorcia Cooper, Trevor Gumbi, Amanda du Pont, Boity Thulo and Khanyi Mbau are a bonus.
The growing culture of dance crews in South Africa is illuminated through the film and it’s not just in the storyline, but in the actual dance crews that also appear in the movie.
Two other aspects in the making of this film ensure that it’s a true reflection of urban city life. First, the street locations around Joburg and in the townships that are beautifully shot and edited with a strong focus, at times, on graffiti and street art back- drops over dull and dingy corners.
Then there’s the soundtrack. Zethu Mashika has put together some of the best popular South African hits from the past two or three years which are a perfect match for the feel of this film.
I am not a fan of dance movies, but this one brings a fresh local element to a popular film trend. Much like the mentioned Hollywood dance movie franchises, Hear Me Move has the potential to also develop its own cult following.
It is a mirror of kasi culture and it’s a film that feeds a commercially untapped, and rapidly growing, urban youth culture in South Africa today.
Hopefully it gets the space and budget it needs for a sequel or two… or six, as dance franchises go!
If you liked Step Up, Stomp the Yard or You Got Served, you’ll like this.