Sokkie is a style of dance that is unique to Southern Africa and popular mostly with

Afrikaner Afrikaners () are a South African ethnic group descended from Free Burghers, predominantly Dutch settlers first arriving at the Cape of Good Hope in the 17th and 18th centuries.Entry: Cape Colony. ''Encyclopædia Britannica Volume 4 Part 2: ...

s. It is also a type ballroom dance.

Sokkie dance

Sokkie dance is a style of

social Social organisms, including human(s), live collectively in interacting populations. This interaction is considered social whether they are aware of it or not, and whether the exchange is voluntary or not. Etymology The word "social" derives from ...

ballroom dance Ballroom dance is a set of partner dances, which are enjoyed both socially and competitively around the world, mostly because of its performance and entertainment aspects. Ballroom dancing is also widely enjoyed on stage, film, and television. ...

with a

partner Partner, Partners, The Partner, or, The Partners may refer to: Books * ''The Partner'' (Grisham novel), by John Grisham, 1997 * ''The Partner'' (Jenaro Prieto novel), 1928 * ''The Partners'' (book), a 1983 book by James B. Stewart * ''Partner'' (m ...

. It is also referred to in

Afrikaans Afrikaans (, ) is a West Germanic language that evolved in the Dutch Cape Colony from the Dutch vernacular of Holland proper (i.e., the Hollandic dialect) used by Dutch, French, and German settlers and their enslaved people. Afrikaans gra ...

as "langarm", "sakkie-sakkie", "kotteljons" and "Water-pomp". Similarly to the US '

Sock Hop A sock hop or sox hop, often also called a record hop or just a hop, was an informal sponsored dance event for teenagers in mid-20th-century North America, featuring popular music. History Sock hops were held as early as 1944 by the American Ju ...

', sokkie, meaning ‘

sock A sock is a piece of clothing worn on the feet and often covering the ankle or some part of the calf. Some types of shoes or boots are typically worn over socks. In ancient times, socks were made from leather or matted animal hair. In the late ...

’ in Afrikaans, refers to the way

young people Youth is the time of life when one is young. The word, youth, can also mean the time between childhood and adulthood ( maturity), but it can also refer to one's peak, in terms of health or the period of life known as being a young adult. You ...

dance sokkie in their socks and often

barefoot Barefoot is the state of not wearing any footwear. There are health benefits and some risks associated with going barefoot. Shoes, while they offer protection, can limit the flexibility, strength, and mobility of the foot and can lead to ...

. Sokkie dancers in

nightclub A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music. Nightclubs gener ...

s mostly wear shoes and dress

smart casual Smart casual is an ambiguously defined Western dress code that is generally considered casual wear but with smart (in the sense of "well dressed") components of a proper lounge suit from traditional informal wear. For men, this interpretati ...

. By some, sokkie is viewed as awkwardly intimate, slightly sweaty and odd. In general sokkie is also merely a sock. Loopdans, two-step, swing,

boogie Boogie is a repetitive, swung note or shuffle rhythm,Burrows, Terry (1995). ''Play Country Guitar'', p.42. Dorling Kindersley Limited, London. . "groove" or pattern used in blues which was originally played on the piano in boogie-woogie mus ...

, social foxtrot or quickstep steps, are often danced together in sokkie. A boerewals, which is a

viennese waltz Viennese waltz (german: Wiener Walzer) is a genre of ballroom dance. At least four different meanings are recognized. In the historically first sense, the name may refer to several versions of the waltz, including the earliest waltzes done in b ...

is also danced as sokkie. Sokkie is not only danced to sokkie music, but can be danced to many music genres, for example hip-hop,

trance Trance is a state of semi-consciousness in which a person is not self-aware and is either altogether unresponsive to external stimuli (but nevertheless capable of pursuing and realizing an aim) or is selectively responsive in following the dir ...

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

and pop. The dance "Sokkie Sokkie" originated in Southern Africa from the Afrikaner trekkers.

Sokkie music

The emergence of a particular style of commercialised sokkie-music in recent years is of particular note. Examples of artists are

Kurt Darren Kurt Johan van Heerden (born 19 February 1970), better known as Kurt Darren, is a South African singer, songwriter and television presenter, who won seven South African Music Awards (SAMA) from 2007 to 2011. He has also appeared in a number of ...

Nicholis Louw Nicholis Louw (born 30 December 1978) is a South African pop and opera singer. His repertoire, mainly in Afrikaans, includes rock, pop, country and music ballads, often incorporating strong classical elements. Louw has had a number of successfu ...

, and

Juanita du Plessis Juanita du Plessis (née Naudé; born April 26) is a Namibian Afrikaans country singer. She became known for her song ''Ska-Rumba''. Du Plessis' singing career began in 1998 with her debut album ''Juanita''. That year she won the CMA (Country M ...

, among many others. A favourite method of sokkie creating music or songs is to take successful English songs and translate them into Afrikaans. Or use the tune of another successful song for their song. Nicholis Louw even used the ringtone Blue Horizon from a Sony Ericsson cellphone for the tune of his hit song - Rock Daai Lyfie. Other English songs could also be included so that people could dance solo as well.

References

{{Reflist, refs= {{cite web , url=http://www.absolutedance.co.za/sokkie.htm , title=Welcome to Absolute Dance !! , access-date=2010-06-17 , url-status=dead , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101009120334/http://www.absolutedance.co.za/sokkie.htm , archive-date=2010-10-09 {{cite web , url=http://dance2evolution.co.za/sokkie___social_dance.html , title=Sokkie | Social Dance , access-date=2010-06-17 , url-status=dead , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110509012355/http://dance2evolution.co.za/sokkie___social_dance.html , archive-date=2011-05-09 {{Cite web, url=http://www.transculturations.org/entering-the-danskraal-its-only-about-the-one-thing/, archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100729032314/http://www.transculturations.org/entering-the-danskraal-its-only-about-the-one-thing/, archive-date = 2010-07-29, title = FUE Hair Transplant London {{cite web, url=http://sites.google.com/site/braaiandpotjie/Home/sokkie-dance/what-is-a-sokkie, title=What is a Sokkie - The Braai (BBQ) and Potjie Way of Life, website=Sites.google.com, accessdate=26 May 2018 Society of South Africa African dances Partner dance Social dance