IN South Africa they’re called “drummies”.
Drum majorettes have been a common sight in the country since the 1970s, often seen in street parades and competitions. It’s a subculture that has intrigued the photographer Alice Mann for the last few years.
In 2017 she started taking photographs of drummies in the Western Cape and Gauteng provinces. Working with 11 schools, she took portraits and group shots of girls aged between five and 18, as well as photographs of them rehearsing.
In this image Chloe Heydenrych, Paige Titus, Ashnique Paulse, Elizabeth Jordan, Tammy Banntjies and Chleo de Kock all pose for Mann’s camera.
“They are performers,” Mann says, “and they know exactly how they want to be seen.”
Drummies by Alice Mann is published by GOST Books, £40. Photograph © Alice Mann
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