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The feature documentary, ‘The Great Dance’, relates to the lifestyles and living of the! Xo San people who live in the central part of the Kalahari Desert. Before proceeding further, with a response to this film, the conditions under which it was screened and the reason for watching such a film should be mentioned. The audience for this feature documentary, comprised of second year English students, it was watched as a requisite for the course, dealing with the subject matter of the San in relation to environment, and perceptions of that environment as seen by us [people outside the San culture]. What is also significant about this type of film, is that this film is marketed for a particular kind of audience, and is not part of the popular genre of films, it being a nature/anthropological-type documentary, should be kept in mind. With this said, I shall now present my own response to this film, and hopefully justify my reasons for interpreting it the way I did. There are plenty of adjectives that for me describe the way I perceived this film. Fascination being one of them, I was amazed, intrigued and captivated by these people. Their lifestyles being so different, almost contradictory to my own. Their way of living is extra ordinary [taking an outsiders perspective] especially the relationship the bushmen have with their environment, and that is not to mention their skills, in hunting and tracking, skills that take about 25 years to master. (http://www.senseafrica.com/greatdance/movie/being_san.html.). This film was a learning experience a journey into the lives of these marvellous peoples. It seems almost impossible for a person to walk out after seeing this film, and not feel a little enlightened. In watching a film of this nature, it would be best for one to try and set aside any ethnocentric beliefs and views, and to be unbiased, objective, and open-minded, granted it is impossible to abandon all our own perceptions of society and life. Definitely their lifestyles would seem unconventional, in comparison to what ‘we’ consider the norm [by our own societies standards], representations, symbols, and perceptions are quite contradictory to our own, but some sort of attempt should be made to understand better the lifestyle choices of the San people. The main characters in this documentary are! Nqate, Karoha and Xlhoase, they are the hunters that are being followed by the camera, and are the ones who demonstrate the skills of the Bushmen. The predominant focus it would seem in this film is the ‘chasing hunt’. There is a very complex bond between the bushmen and animal, this type of relationship is expressed in the chase, which is a run to the death, it is rarely practiced and has never before this, been filmed (http://www.senseafrica.com/greatdance/movie/being_san.html.). This type of ‘hunt’ usually takes place when there is a shortage of poison, generally because of weather conditions being extreme; the chase hunt is the alternative. The runner hunter is the one who runs down the animal until it is exhausted. Karoha is the one who runs down the prey; he tracks at high speed going over rough terrain, in very hot weather [+/-46c]. Hunting is culturally very important to these people, it is not just about the meat either, it is a spiritual experience as well, where the hunter takes over the animals mind and becomes the animal. These issues, the mysticism [trance, dancing], spirituality, and the social importance of hunting to this community, are highlighted in the documentary. When watching this film one eventually becomes cognisant of the modern world seeping in.
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