Nawaal Deane Shiny silver flags twirled in the air and were simultaneously caught by 16 girls going into splits. It was a dramatic finale for the South African team – upstaged only by the Australians who followed, dressed as cowgirls and dancing to the pulsating rhythms of pop music. At the annual Miss Drill Team International Championship last weekend it was evident that the South African team has loosened up, moving away from its traditional quasi-military style. But its approach is still conservative compared to the foreign teams, which presented teenagers performing more like extravaganza dancers than drummies. The Australian junior team were Britney Spears lookalikes, dressed in red-hot lycra and sporting long silky hairpieces, shattering perceptions of drum majorettes as poised ladies. Their gyrating pelvises and half-naked torsos appeared to place the sport on a level of exotic dancing rather than girls marching to pipe bands. But that’s the way it seems to be moving – a dance-oriented sport, with teams dressed in revealing costumes performing raunchy routines.
”We do not dress our girls as sex symbols and they are presented in a ladylike manner,” said Justine Kretschner, indoor convenor for the South African Drum Majorettes Association (Sadma). The senior South African team – dressed in silver and black sequinned overalls – captured the judges’ attention when they pushed scaffolding into the Superbowl. Using ladders to create synchronised formations they systematically dismantled the structure with military precision. The unconventional props are unique to South African drum majorettes. Costumes ranged from purple velvet body catsuits and cowboy hats to lavish Spanish dresses, with the teams judged specifically on their grooming – points were deducted if the girls did not look identical. ”We are Spanish, we are arrogant, we are poised and confident!” was shouted by the Australian coach to her junior team before they performed in the lyrical dance category.
The South Africans recognise that they need to improve their dance categories but maintain that drummies is about props and synchronised movements. ”I am a drummie coach, not a dance teacher and we don’t have to be exhibitionist in order to be brilliant,” said Smuts. The Sun City Superbowl set the stage for the competition where South Africa, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand participated in 10 events. Competition was stiff, but in the end the South Africans’ ”conservative” approach paid off when the senior team was named overall winner, with its junior team coming second only to Australia. Not surprisingly, a category that South Africa did not win was the Miss Dance Drill Team section, which resembles a beauty pageant – in fact, a ”Barbie pageant”. In the US, this category brings with it prestige equal to a Miss South Africa title. Contestants have to model, give a speech and perform a solo dance. South Africa came third in this category. Being a drummie requires a high level of fitness; however, the US and UK teams showed that not all drummies have to be slender. What counts, apparently, are the moves.