Jamaica music
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When you visit the island check out the Jamaica music, such as
our traditional,dances, like kumina,mento, bruckings,pocomania, reggae,
Bob Marley music, maypole, myal,quadrille, rock steady, ska,calypso.
Sand Bay Primary and Junior High School perferm the pocomania dance for Jaaica festival.
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The heritage of Jamaica Music and dance kept alive
Jamaica has a rich culture in music and dance. This culture is
kept alive by the many cultural competitions held yearly by the Jamaica
Cultural Development Commission.
Schools are encouraged to participate in the cultural activities
and competitions held by this organization yearly.Speech, in the form of
poetry and story telling, drama ,music and dance form part of their
yearly programmes.
Jamaica has a rich archive in the form of the late cultural icon. Louise Bennett-Coverley’s work.
Many people and groups have been instrumental in keeping this rich
culture alive in their research works such as Joyce Campbell, Olive
Lewin, Rex Nettleford, Edward Seaga, Wilmot Dawes and many others. The
Jamaica information service has also documented a number of articles
that relate to Jamaica culture .
Here is your best Jamaica culture guide
Jamaica music and dance Reggae music
Reggae music is said to be uniquely and original Jamaican and was born
in the 1960s right after the short lived ska and rock steady which are
also Jamaica’s more recent traditional music and dance.
Reggae is said to have its birth in Western Kingston by the late
super star Bob Marley who put reggae music and Jamaica on the world
stage.
Some what slower than the rock steady it has a characteristic heavy
repeated bass. One of its most prominent features is the off beat
unlike any other musical form. The lyrics gave messages from the poor
and centered around political, economical, social and religious
oppression all intended for the powers that be to awake their
consciousness.
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Listen to and select reggae music
Jamaica music Mento
Mento is a traditional dance in Jamaica that is still played in
some North coast hotels in Jamaica. It is said to come about somewhere
in the time of the early slavery and Plantocracy system and remained
dominant up to the 1950s.It came out of a mixture of British and African
music.
Mento is a type of music that the slaves used to jeer their
Owners.It also address their struggles , politics ,social ,environment ,
sexuality and their hopes. Songs that were too sexually explicit were
banned.
Mento music was found in every parish in Jamaica and was
recognized just as how the calypso is recognized in Trinidad.The
instruments that accompany mento dancing are usually the rumba box,
fiddle, maracas, banjo,flute,guitar and drums.
Jamaica music and dance Kumina
Kumina is one of Jamaica traditional religious dances said to have its origin in the Congo.
It is believe to come with the slaves from Africa in the 1800s
and has three basic characteristics singing,drumming, and dancing.
The drums are seen as the most important instrument since they
are used to control the spirits. The practitioners believe in the
existence of three spirits, the powerful God, or the sky and air
spirit, the earth spirit, and the ancestral spirit.
When they dance the dancers can reach such a state that they
become inhabited by one of the spirit who help to solve problems they
may encounter. The sky air spirit is the most powerful and one is said
to have that spirit during a kumina session if he seems to be leaping
uncontrollable . He has to be guided by the other dancers to prevent him
from getting hurt. If one dances very near to the ground he is said to
be possesed with the ground spirit .
However kumina dance is really to ask the ancestral spirit to abide. To
give health , prosperity and protection. Kumina is danced to celebrate
achievements as births,and weddings. It is also danced at wakes for the
dead to give speed and good passage to the other world.
Jamaica music and dance
Kumina is said to be used to cast evil spells and the dance is used to
force the spirit to do the dancers bidding. At a kumina session the
spirit are fed with white rice, curry goat, calaloo and ground provision
cooked without salt. Candles, fowl’s blood, coconut, rum water sugar,
cream soda all these aid to carry the spirits and also protect from
harm.
Specials colours are worn for various occasion . black and white
mourning, green and white for thanks giving, Two of the most prominent
ancestral spirits believe to be king in Africa is Famous and Comfe. Read
more on jamaica-music and dance
Jonkunnu or Burru
Jonkunnu (John Canoe) is another of the traditional Jamaican dances of
African origin. It is performed mainly at Christmas time.The dance
features characters all males whose movements match their roles. Some of
these characters are Pitchy Patchy, Devil, Horsehead, Cowhead, Actor Boy, Belly Woman, Warrior, Wild Indian.
Gerreh and Dinki-Mini
Both dances are of African origin of the wake tradition usually
performed after the death of a person, and up until the ninth night
after the death.
Bruckin' Party
This traditional dance was performed in the past mainly to celebrate the
anniversary of Emancipation from slavery on the 1st of August, 1838.
This dance is mostly found only in the parish of Portland.
Ring Games
Traditional Ring Games were played not only by children but also by
adults as they portrayed happenings in a community anf often mimic
situations that are often tabooed.
Revival
Revival is a religious ritual resulting from an Afro-European syncretism
- the mixing of African and European cultures.It is regarded as a
spiritual dance
Tambu
Tambu groups are found mainly in Trelawny. Tambu today is performed
mainly for entertainment . There are some similarities of this dance to
other Caribbean island.
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