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Jamaican Celebrations in Schools

Many cultural/traditional dances have been preserved and has still been practiced in Jamaica, even in our schools, today. Some of these dances include Johncunnu, Kumina, Ring games, Dinkimini, and Quadrille. Most of these dances were derived from Africa as when slaves were brought from Africa by the Europeans.

What is Cultural Dance?

Dance that represents our heritage, culture, beliefs, history, and fashion is known as cultural dance. Every culture has a unique dance style.

Johncunnu

This traditional dance has the name of John Canoe, a prominent chief of Ghana. It was a Christmas holiday celebration. It entails disguising oneself and donning bizarre masks. The dancers were mostly guys who had exaggerated female characteristics on their costumes. The Cow Head, Pitch Patchy, King and Queen, and Horse Head were the principal characters.

Kumina

This dance is named after a comparable one that was well-liked in the African Congo Basin. After slavery was abolished, several Africans from the Congo region settled in St. Thomas, where the majority of Kumina clans may be found. There is a great deal of singing and drumming. Kumina is used in religious rituals and wakes.

Ring Games

Ring Games are highly renowned for the quantity of knowledge they provide as a basis for Jamaica's dance culture. They have both African and European elements. Additionally, they offer a variety of experiences for physical, mental, social, and emotional growth while also fostering creativity and pleasure, which can have a purpose. Songs and chants are used in Ring Games to represent the movement(s), i.e., the music is connected to the dance or motion being performed. While there are differences in actions, language, and even melodies, there may be enough commonalities for others to participate in without worrying that the game will lose its identity. Dandy Shanky, Bull-in-a-pen, Manuel Road, and other games fall under the category of ring games.

DinkiMini

On the eastern side of the island, in the parish of St. Mary, Dinki Mini is produced. It is typically carried out from the moment of death until the ninth night. These 'Nine-Night' meetings are vibrant and frequently arranged to lift the spirits of the grieving. The guy dancer performs while bending one knee and doing great jumps with the other foot. Both sexes dance together while making highly provocative pelvic gestures. The usage of the benta instrument is a crucial component of this dance.

Quadrille

In Jamaica, the male and female couples dance known as the quadrille was popularized during the slave trade. The Ballroom Style, the Camp Style, and the Contra Style are the three available. The popular French and English dance of the 18th and 19th centuries served as the basis for the Ballroom Style (or Square) of Quadrille, which emphasized the grace and manners of these cultures' upper classes. While the Camp type of quadrille, also known as long way set formation, is the Afro-Jamaican variation of the ballroom quadrille and incorporates African characteristics. From beginning to end, the Contra Style Quadrille is solely performed to Mento music.