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The dance

An activity in which participants have to cross under a stick by bending backward at the waist. The stick is lowered a notch each time every one passes under it, and those who touch the stick are eliminated from the dance.

Time Frame

  • The limbos dates back to the mid to late 1800s in Trinidad. It achieved mainstream popularity during the 1950s.

    The Limbo dance originated as an event that took place at wakes in Trinidad and Tobago, and was popularized by dance pioneer Julia Edwards (known as the First Lady of Limbo) and her company, which appeared in several films, in particular “Fire Down Below” (1957), and toured internationally in the 1960s and beyond. A film “Julia and Joyce”[2] was released in 2010 by Trinidadian/American dance researcher/choreographer Sonja Dumas, and features the evolution of the Limbo and the contribution of Julia Edwards to the explosion of its popularity.

    *Source: wikipedia

Cultural Significance

  • The version of the limbo performed in nineteenth century Trinidad was meant to symbolize slaves entering the galleys of a slave ship, or a spirit crossing over into the afterworld, or “limbo.”

Misconceptions

  • Contrary to popular belief, the limbo did not originate in Hawaii.

Popularity in Music

  • Jamaican music recorded in the 1950s helped to popularize the limbo. Songs such as “Limbo” by Lord Tickler and the Calypsonians, and “Limbo” by Denzil Laing and the Wrigglers were ready-made for limbo dancing. In 1962, Chubby Checker released the song “Limbo Rock.”

The Limbo Today

  • Today the limbo remains a popular dance, particularly at Caribbean resorts and hotels, as well as on cruise ships, where a prize is commonly awarded to the last dancer to successfully cross under the stick.

 

The Límbó (Limmm-Bó)

A unique dance and is also known as the “Under Stick Dance”. The limbo dance, originally a ritual performed at ‘wakes’ (funeral dance which maybe related to African legba or legua dance) in Trinidad from the mid or late 19th century does not appear to have any roots in West Africa where most African traditions within the diaspora have emerged.

It is believed, that the people of Trinidad during this dance portrayed going down in the hold of a slave ship which carried them off into slavery. No matter how they twist or turn squirmed or arched they would go deeper and deeper, some would make it, some would not. The dextrous position had to be retained because the space between the upper deck and floor was narrow, designed for packing and not standing, hence basically they were going into Limbo.

Today limbo refers to a dancer moves to a rhythm and dances under a stick, held up by a person on each end of the stick or a stand, without knocking or touching the stick. If the dancer is successful he must repeat this again and again with the bar being lowered another “notch” each time.

Each dancer does this until there is only one left standing who has not touched the bar, fallen down, laid on the floor or used his/her hands to keep balance. On-lookers as well as other dancers would clap and cheer (or egg on) and sing while the dancer tries to go under the stick.

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Have you ever enjoyed the limbo with your kids or your classroom? It’s great fun and can be adapted to almost any age, grade or ability level.

If you’ve seen movies about Trinidad or Tobago or the other beautiful islands in the Caribbean you’ve probably watched a crowd of people trying to bend under the limbo pole. Music is playing and everyone forms a line that circles around to dip under the stick and find out… “how low can you go?”. Sadly, the history of the limbo is not a pleasant one. The limbo was brought to Caribbean islands with slaves from Africa. The slaves were held separately – with men and women in different areas of the ship. In order to get over to see each another, the slaves needed to cross under very low spaces. Originally the limbo was done as a solemn and slow dance or ritual, sometimes as part of wakes or funerals. However, sometime after the 1950’s and 1960’s, calypso music became very popular and the limbo became better known as a dance done with colorful clothing and upbeat, happy music. That happier, more joyous limbo celebration became the dance that has made it’s way all around the globe.

If you’d like to try the limbo, the dance is easy and fun and can be used in classrooms, summer camps, backyards, on the beach or in any party setting. Since the limbo pole was originally a broom, you can use an extra broom pole, a bamboo stick or any other long pole that is available. The official rules are fairly strict. Dancers must lean back to go underneath the pole. They may not touch the pole or touch the ground. However, when playing at a party or with children, feel free to create the rules that work best to suit the players abilities and that keep the dance a fun activity for all.

What music can you play? You can find any great music with an island beat to accompany the limbo. There are some wonderful traditional and popular limbo songs you can explore. If you’d like to learn more about the early days of this dance, a record company called Putumayo has created a cd of original recordings from the early days of calypso music. Most folks in the United States recognize a song by Chubby Checker called the Limbo Rock and you can play that song as a Youtube video.

I’ve written a song called “Do The Limbo” that is great for playing with children and perfect for learning English. I’ve used the tune of a popular Caribbean song called “Tingalayo” and added verses about the dance. I wrote this song while singing for a group of school children who did not want to stop dancing. So I created the new song on the spot about what was going on – they were dancing fast and slow, going left and right, and I kept adding simple verses so they could just keep having fun with the song and the game. I hope you have as much fun as they did with my own limbo song, or the limbo video below or some of the other great musical traditions from this beautiful part of the world.


We do the limbo – We do the limbo til we stop – cha, cha, cha!

Source…

 

Hot Hot Hot – by Arrow

The most popular song to do this dance to

Ole-Ole-Ole-Ole
Ole-Ole-Ole-Ole
Feelin’ Hot Hot Hot
Feelin’ Hot Hot Hot
BRASS SOLO
Me mind on fire,
Me soul on fire
Feelin’ Hot Hot Hot!
All da people,
All around me
Feelin Hot Hot Hot!
A-what to do on a night like this
Is it sweet? I can’t resist.
We need a party sound,
A fun-da-mental charm
So we can..
Rhum-boom-boom-boom
Yeah ba-
Rhum-boom-boom-boom
Ole-Ole-Ole-Ole
Ole-Ole-Ole-Ole
Feelin’ Hot Hot Hot!
Feelin’ Hot Hot Hot!
See people rockin’
Hear people chantin’
Feelin’ Hot Hot Hot!
Keep up the spirit,
Come on let’s do it.
Feelin’ Hot Hot Hot!
A-what to do on a night like this
Is it sweet? I can’t resist.
We need a party sound,
A fun-da-mental charm
So we can..
Rhum-boom-boom-boom
Yeah ba-
Rhum-boom-boom-boom
Ole-Ole-Ole-Ole
Ole-Ole-Ole-Ole
Feelin’ Hot Hot Hot!
Feelin’ Hot Hot…

Source: LyricFind

 

Lyrics:

Do the limbo – go a little lower each time
Do the limbo, we’re singing and we’re dancing in rhyme

We limbo fast, we limbo slow
Look out now, here we go
Look out now, here we go

We limbo left, we limbo right
Look out now, we’re out of sight!
Look out now, we’re out of sight!

We limbo all around the room
We limbo under the limbo broom
We limbo under the limbo broom

Last time…

We do the limbo – to the bottom from the top

 

Not sure what Soca Music is? Don’t be so sure. Let’s take a trip down memory lane to 2004. Charts around the world all have one song in common. “Turn Me On” by Kevin Lyttle hit the top 10 in over 15 countries, was remixed by the boatload, and remains to be his most enduring hit. 

That wasn’t the first time the pop charts got a taste for the electronically-charged rhythm of soca, however. In 2000, another song could be heard barking from radios around the world. It was featured in various movies and the digestible lyrics turned it into one of those songs you hear once and never forget. The one inescapable question asked by The Baha Men was “Who Let The Dogs Out?” 

The song rose to impressive heights on Pop Charts as it was used in family-friendly movies from Rugrats in Paris to Men In Black. It reached #1 in Australia and New Zealand, and remains to be somewhat of a zeitgeist of easy-going and life-loving nature the early 2000s tried to embrace.

 

While we can’t call “Who Let The Dogs Out” the only example of Soca, it is by all means a technically authentic one.

Soca is a style of music born in Trinidad and Tobago as a way to inspire the Trinidadian subcultures to revisit the traditional roots of calypso as well as embrace the cultural influence of the West Indies. Many singers have made their mark on the genre, but Lord Shorty is credited with its creation.

Though the Baha Men did well to bring soca to the charts, it covered up much of the longstanding tradition of the genre. In fact, the song that most came to knew wasn’t the true original version. The song that the Rugrats adventured to was a cover, originally written and performed by Trinidadian musician Anslem Douglas as a celebratory song for Trinidad’s Carnival season.

So like a long chain reaching from the colorful Caribbean islands to the Western mainlands, Trinidad and Tobago remains the anchorage of soca, and Lord Shorty’s influence the governing body.

Source…

 

We can’t call “Who Let The Dogs Out” the only example of Soca

Soca is a style of music born in Trinidad and Tobago as a way to inspire the Trinidadian subcultures to revisit the traditional roots of calypso as well as embrace the cultural influence of the West Indies. Many singers have made their mark on the genre, but Lord Shorty is credited with its creation.

Though the Baha Men did well to bring soca to the charts, it covered up much of the longstanding tradition of the genre. In fact, the song that most came to knew wasn’t the true original version. The song that the Rugrats adventured to was a cover, originally written and performed by Trinidadian musician Anslem Douglas as a celebratory song for Trinidad’s Carnival season.

So like a long chain reaching from the colorful Caribbean islands to the Western mainlands, Trinidad and Tobago remains the anchorage of soca, and Lord Shorty’s influence the governing body.

Lord Shorty was born Garfield Blackman. Born in a village of the island that bordered a predominantly East Indian town, Blackman was surrounded by deep cultural influence. He was a talented musician, learning to play the guitar at 7, and wrote his own calypsos very early on. He was inspired by his own cultural background as well as by the neighboring culture.

In a time of political uncertainty, his openness to neighboring cultures would be exactly what ended up cementing him as a musical prodigy and genre inventor. With much of the country wanting to remain loyal only to the Trinidadian roots, he branched outward.

His talent for writing calypsos evolved and he used East Indian rhythms–and letters–to create soca; “so” coming from calypso and “ca” coming from the first consonant of the Indian alphabet kah. The style found a distinction from traditional calypso by adding the elements of storytelling to studio-produced electronic sounds.

Source…

 

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