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This book explores the genealogy of Jamaican dancehall while questioning whether dancehall has a spiritual underscoring, foregrounding dance, and cultural expression.
This study identifies the performance and performative (behavioural actions) that may be considered as representing spiritual ritual practices within the reggae/dancehall dance phenomenon. It does so by juxtaposing reggae/dancehall against Jamaican African/neo-African spiritual practices such as Jonkonnu masquerade, Revivalism and Kumina, alongside Christianity and post-modern holistic spiritual approaches.
This book will be of great interest to students and scholars in performance studies, popular culture, music, theology, cultural studies, Jamaican/Caribbean culture, and dance specialists.
List of contents
Acknowledgements
The Blessing - Illustrations/images, plates, and video stills
Introduction: Sanctification
Chapter 1. Warm up: Dancehall literature review
Chapter 2. Old time story: The convergence of African, neo-African and popular dance in Jamaica
Chapter 3. Come back again: Towards a definition of spirituality
Chapter 4. The Massive arrive: The gathering and meshing together of knowledge
Chapter 5. Party Time - Early Vibe: Thick descriptions/analysis of dance in the dancehall space
Chapter 6: Party Hot - Man dem section: The corporeal dancing body creating 'dancehall spirituality'
Chapter 7. Party Hot Up - Female section: Dancehall spirituality rooted and routed through African/neo-African practices and worldviews
Chapter 8. Coupling Section: Male and female relationships
Chapter 9. Signing Off/revelation: Findings and meanings
Conclusion: Dispersal - recommendations
Bruk Down - Bibliography
Index
About the author
‘H’ Patten is the founder and Artistic Director of Koromanti Arts and ‘H’ Patten Dance Theatre Company. He is an experienced choreographer, filmmaker, visual artist, storyteller, and performer and has developed an international reputation in African and Caribbean arts for over 35 years. ‘H’ has worked with the Jamaica School of Dance, the Jamaica National Dance Company (NDTC), L’Acadco, the University of Technology (UTECH) and the African Caribbean Institute of Jamaica (ACIJ). The recipient of several awards including the Jamaican High Commission 50th Anniversary Award for services in Arts, Culture and Entertainment (2012), ‘H’ has choreographed for Stella Maris Dance Ensemble (Jamaica), and the National Dance Companies of Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Malawi and Zambia, as well as UK companies: Kokuma Performing Arts, Irie! dance theatre and Adzido Pan African Dance Ensemble in addition to high-profile projects. Having authored a number of articles he is currently an Independent Social Research Foundation (ISRF) Independent Scholarship Fellow, hosted by Goldsmiths University and presently teaches African and Caribbean dance as well as popular culture at several Universities.
Summary
This book explores the genealogy of Jamaican dancehall while questioning whether dancehall has a spiritual underscoring, foregrounding dance, and cultural expression.
