Winston Sill/Staff Photographer
Dancehall 'queens' performing contemporary dance moves.Georgia Hemmings, Staff Reporter
IS DANCE merely a release of energy through physical movement, or are there deeper meanings to gesture and rhythm? How did Africans find ways to dance during slavery, forced as they were to submerge culture in a foreign land? Are 'butterfly', 'log on', and 'Bogle' really new dance beats in the Jamaican society, or are they influenced by African traditions?
These are some of the questions which the exhibition 'Movements through the Passage' (African retention in Jamaican dance) seeks to answer as it looks at the evolution of Jamaican dance forms from slavery to present.
The exhibition is organised by the African Caribbean Institute of Jamaica/Jamaica Memory Bank (ACIJ/JMB) in downtown Kingston, a division of the Institute of Jamaica mandated to explore Afro-Caribbean cultural links for public education. And it comes as part of the unit's annual February Month programme, which is observed during Black History Month.
It is a fairly comprehensive exhibition, which sets out to show the exodus of millions from Africa; their persistent activities to maintain their culture through dance; the metamorphosis into traditional forms (such as gerreh, kumina, Jonkunnu, bruckins), and resurgence in contemporary dancehall types. All share similarities - if not tenets - and stand as evidence to the African retention in our dance forms.
The display is set up in a rather small exhibition room, where at every turn of the head, there are drawings, storyboards, poster-sized photographs, artefacts, musical instruments and other paraphernalia to grab the attention and tell a tale. And the stage is set to simulate a 'movement' through history from one phase to another.
The story begins with the African experience, where dance is integral to daily existence, performed on occasions of marriage, thanksgiving, harvest, advice, initiation, birth, war, death, victory, hunting, even healing.
Characteristic features of African dance include circular formations, varied and skilful foot movements, pelvic gyrations (associated with reproduction and fertility) and body segmentation (in which a dancer moves various parts of the body independently, yet in harmony).
Then we move to European colonisation and slavery, where the pace of African life was "interrupted" (note the pun) and many Africans fell out of steps with their culture. Africans taken into slavery were stripped of all that was familiar and completely dehumanised. But it was the ability to sing and dance which kept them alive, kept them hoping, believing and sane. Dance allowed expression and release of feelings of hatred and anger and aided in the location of a new identity comprising African rituals in a European society.
However, dance forms became creolised as different African groups combined their own unique styles and practices. So, in different parts of the island, we find dinki mini, gerreh, tambu, ettu, nago, revivalism, Rastafarian and Maroon dances, each with a strong African religious undertone. But more indigenous forms such as Jonkunnu, bruckins, burru, quadrille/mento, ring games and maypole dancing display some Africanism, while retaining strong European content and are more skewed towards entertainment.
The 'Wheel and Come Again' section explores new and revolutionary dance forms. According to the poster, "Jamaican music/dance since Independence can be divided into four eras, each with distinctive beats: ska (1960 to mid-1966); rocksteady (1966-1968); reggae (1969-1981) and dancehall (1981 to present)."
The exhibition focuses on the dancehall genre, and shows how present-day music/dance have been influenced by the past, reinterpreting African traditions and blending European elements to create something totally unique.
But the 'new' moves have African retentions embedded in the rhythms, the music and the space created around the dances. One feature is the popular sensuous pelvic gyrations, described as 'wining'. But 'wining' and 'bubbling' is seemingly not new, as the use of the pelvis is common in African dance. Also, the emphasis on the skills of dancers with regards to foot movement, and the complexities expressed in the 'one-foot skank', 'della move', 'log on', 'schreechie', and 'heel and toe' find similarities in African dances. Also body segmentation, the 'grounding' and concentration of dance moves in the lower half of the body, and the 'facing off' of dancers at clubs and parties.
So the more things change, they remain the same. Could it be that 'Bogle' and 'log on' are today's war or wedding dances? Could it be that the dancehall culture is a demonstration of our ancestors calling us home?
The message of the exhibition is "Evolution continues (since society and rhythm continue to change), but the roots remain. Masked, yet recognisable, in the contemporary are the ancient, the sacred and traditional. Dance still functions as an escape, is still a unique and hallowed space, still functions as a tool of communication as we express to each other our understanding of our environment and world."
The show is complemented by objects from the ACIJ's collection which add an interesting dimension, including sound system boxes, dancehall posters, an imitation bead skirt, a tin drum, an African mask, and a goombeh drum used in Maroon and Jonkunnu traditions.
To make the exhibition more interactive, detailed dance instructions are also posted about 'how to do' the kumina, dinki mini, bruckins, and revival dances. A running video provide footages of a gerreh funeral ceremony and dancehall session (according to viewer's preferences), and dancing silhouettes add to the sensation of a 'Movement through the Passage'!
It is an interesting exhibition and, as we have come to expect from the ACIJ, a well-researched one. This should be appreciated by students doing examinations, historians and others from the dance fraternity who are turning out to view it. The exhibition will run until month-end, and viewing hours are 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Thursday and, on Friday, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
