Introduction Origins of Black Dance The Minstrel Shows Dance in Musicals  Harlem Renaissance Florence Mills Buddy Bradley Black American Dance  Black American Dance Companies Black British Dance  British Dance Companies

The 'Cakewalk' at the Alhambra

The two main origins of black dance are African dance and the slave dances from the plantations of the West Indies.

Tribes or ethnic groups from every African country have their own individual dances. Dance has a ceremonial and social function, celebrating and marking rites of passage, sex, the seasons, recreation and weddings. The dancer can be a teacher, commentator, spiritual medium, healer or story-teller.

In the Caribbean each island has its own traditions that come from its African roots and the island’s particular colonial past – British, French, Spanish or Dutch. 18th century black dances such as the Calenda, and Chica were slave dances which drew on African traditions and rhythms.

Calypso

The Calenda was one of the most popular slave dances in the Carribean. It was banned by many plantation owners who feared it would encourage social unrest and uprisings. In the Calenda men and women face each other in two lines moving towards each other then away, then towards each other again to make contact - slapping thighs and even kissing. The dance gets faster and faster and the movement more and more sexual. It is thought that the Calenda and the Chica come from the courtship dances of the Congo.

Popular social dances of the 20th century such as the Charleston and Cakewalk are descended from these slave dances.