NOTE: I apologize that some of the links in the original of this blog post didn't work. Hopefully I've got all the YouTube links corrected now. Unfortunately, GameFront has deleted all of the files for downloading because they were inactive for 60 days. I won't be able to keep them available indefinitely for downloading. However, if you would like to download a copy, leave a comment here, tell me which dance(s) you want, and I'll upload the file(s) temporarily to GameFront. You will have 60 days to download the video(s). - Janissa, Oct 28
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Videos of six dances from the ceremony celebrating graduation and the arrival of laptops at Nohana Primary School are now available online for viewing on YouTube (see links below).
These are uncut, unedited videos. The performances are done indoors in a church because of foul weather.
All videos were taken for L2L by Craig Balcomb and are licensed for public use under Creative Commons - Attribution. You may use them, but you must give attribution to "Laptops to Lesotho Inc., www.laptopstolessotho.org"
The dance names used here are not the official Basotho names. I made these names up merely as a way to describe the dances.
View: http://youtu.be/7ZdzTdqEL-k
3:53 minutes, 171 MB
Girls and their teacher, 'Me Mahlafane, perform a dance at their school graduation to celebrate the arrival of laptops at their school, donated by Laptops to Lesotho. The performance is done indoors in a church because of foul weather. The girls perform kneeling with white switches, wearing fur hats and facial markings.
View: http://youtu.be/uQuTbqcYi8E
2:33 minutes, 112 MB
Young boys from Nohana Primary School along with the principal of Nohana Secondary School, 'Ntate Kaphe, perform a stomping dance wearing strings of beads with skirts and leggings made from World Food Program grain bags. The performance is done indoors in a church because of foul weather.
View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aC2BsiBdjg
5:50 minutes, 256 MB
Nohana Primary School girls perform a traditional dance with words they wrote. The song they sing is to thank Laptops to Lesotho President Janissa Balcomb for bringing 86 XO laptop computers to their school. It's in Sesotho, but if you listen carefully, you will hear the word "computer," "Janissa" (pronounced more like chu-NEE-sah), the school's name "Ha Nohana," and "Rea leboha" meaning "We thank you." The dance is performed wearing aprons made of stiff animal skins that are slapped in time with the song. The performance is done indoors in a church because of foul weather.
5:04 minutes, 223 MB
This dance features young girls from Nohana Primary School wearing fluffy white skirts made from World Food Program grain bags and metal bottle-top rattles. To perform the dance, the girls flip the skirts up in the back. The performance is done indoors in a church because of foul weather.
4:38 minutes, 204 MB
This girls’ dance features sticks, fluffy white skirts made from World Food Program grain bags, and metal bottle-top rattles tied around their ankles. The girls from Nohana Primary School dance in a circle, turning to stomp in the middle. The performance is done indoors in a church because of foul weather.
View: http://youtu.be/FVMPeejCFVk
4:01 minutes
Basotho women from the small village of Mafikeng, Lesotho, and the surrounding Ketane community celebrate primary school graduation and the arrival of computers from Laptops to Lesotho with a traditional dance. The women kneel on the floor and shake their upper body while a drum beats in the background. The performance is done indoors in a church because of foul weather. (My knees hurt just watching them kneel on that cement floor!)
- Janissa
_______________________________
Videos of six dances from the ceremony celebrating graduation and the arrival of laptops at Nohana Primary School are now available online for viewing on YouTube (see links below).
These are uncut, unedited videos. The performances are done indoors in a church because of foul weather.
All videos were taken for L2L by Craig Balcomb and are licensed for public use under Creative Commons - Attribution. You may use them, but you must give attribution to "Laptops to Lesotho Inc., www.laptopstolessotho.org"
The dance names used here are not the official Basotho names. I made these names up merely as a way to describe the dances.
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LESOTHO DANCE VIDEOS
View: http://youtu.be/7ZdzTdqEL-k
3:53 minutes, 171 MB
Girls and their teacher, 'Me Mahlafane, perform a dance at their school graduation to celebrate the arrival of laptops at their school, donated by Laptops to Lesotho. The performance is done indoors in a church because of foul weather. The girls perform kneeling with white switches, wearing fur hats and facial markings.
View: http://youtu.be/uQuTbqcYi8E
2:33 minutes, 112 MB
Young boys from Nohana Primary School along with the principal of Nohana Secondary School, 'Ntate Kaphe, perform a stomping dance wearing strings of beads with skirts and leggings made from World Food Program grain bags. The performance is done indoors in a church because of foul weather.
View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aC2BsiBdjg
5:50 minutes, 256 MB
Nohana Primary School girls perform a traditional dance with words they wrote. The song they sing is to thank Laptops to Lesotho President Janissa Balcomb for bringing 86 XO laptop computers to their school. It's in Sesotho, but if you listen carefully, you will hear the word "computer," "Janissa" (pronounced more like chu-NEE-sah), the school's name "Ha Nohana," and "Rea leboha" meaning "We thank you." The dance is performed wearing aprons made of stiff animal skins that are slapped in time with the song. The performance is done indoors in a church because of foul weather.
5:04 minutes, 223 MB
This dance features young girls from Nohana Primary School wearing fluffy white skirts made from World Food Program grain bags and metal bottle-top rattles. To perform the dance, the girls flip the skirts up in the back. The performance is done indoors in a church because of foul weather.
4:38 minutes, 204 MB
This girls’ dance features sticks, fluffy white skirts made from World Food Program grain bags, and metal bottle-top rattles tied around their ankles. The girls from Nohana Primary School dance in a circle, turning to stomp in the middle. The performance is done indoors in a church because of foul weather.
View: http://youtu.be/FVMPeejCFVk
4:01 minutes
Basotho women from the small village of Mafikeng, Lesotho, and the surrounding Ketane community celebrate primary school graduation and the arrival of computers from Laptops to Lesotho with a traditional dance. The women kneel on the floor and shake their upper body while a drum beats in the background. The performance is done indoors in a church because of foul weather. (My knees hurt just watching them kneel on that cement floor!)
