Tanya Batson-Savage, Freelance Writer
Two set girls of Drews Avenue Primary in their Class Three Jonkunnu performance.
FROM TIME to time, whether through beats like the Nine Night rhythm or even Elephant Man's pull on the revival magic of condemning the 'badmind', one can easily feel that though we may have one foot in the modern world, Jamaica retains tight links with its cultural history.
Indeed, had that not remained so, ska, rock steady and reggae would never have been crafted from the rhythm and blues canvas tempered from our own sense of rhythm steeped in Jamaicanised African beats.
But the retention of the cultural history goes further than rhythmic echoes in popular music. The strength becomes quite evident when one walked into the national finals of the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission's competition in traditional folk forms at the Little Theatre, Tom Redcam Avenue recently. Interestingly, the competition also highlighted that the students and the teachers guiding their steps, are interested in giving a few updates to these folk forms. They retain the authenticity but help to create continued cultural references which add interest to the various forms.
REMNANTS OF FOLK CULTURE
Various schools and a few cultural groups crafted the remnants of our folk culture by displaying three styles of the quadrille, tambu, bruckins party, dinki mini, revival, jonkunnu, nine night, maypole, kumina and ring games.
The various styles of quadrille adequately highlight the cross-bred nature of much of Jamaica's culture. In truth, watching hours of quadrille on end (especially as it largely uses the same song) can prove a task ill-suited for the feint of heart. Though the grace of the ballroom style quadrille, when well done can prove charming, the repetition of the rhythm can prove too much.
The camp style and contra style therefore bring welcome variations bringing a blend of the African and the European. The Contra and Camp Styles, both of which are much faster than the ballroom version are especially engaging when groups perform figure 5 which uses mento. Indeed, having a fifth figure, in a dance named for four, shows that we are not great at respecting rules and tend to move where the rhythm takes us.
The Maypole also reflects this connection as the version displayed in the JCDC competition takes the English tradition which is usually danced to mento. One is used to students, usually as colourfully dressed as their ribbons dangling from the pole whirling to beats and creating intricate weaves. The highlight of this plaiting exercise is often watching students disentangle themselves when a wrong step is taken.
Most of the time, it is amazing how level-headed and mature even the youngest ones are as they weave and unravel, creating webs, plaits or just twirling the ribbons around the centre pole. What also came clear from this year's Maypole performances is that the students are not content to merely keep the past in the past. Rollington Town Primary, who had earned a special prize last year, once again used reggae as their Maypole music, pulling from the annals of the popular song competition as well as jazz.
In the ring games category, the updating had been pulled right up to the modern era. D. Joyce Campbell, JCDC consultant for the traditional folk forms, pointed out that the groups are allowed to veer form the way the games are played in the school yard. She noted that while they should still make circles, they are encouraged to be creative in its use. This much was quite evident as the schools often changed from a big circle creating instead several small circles which proved more interesting visually.
The modernising influence, however, really came out in the words of the ring games, and sometimes in the movement. Contemporary dance moves from dancehall are often integrated among the traditional moves. Of course the relationship between popular music and child's play is not new. History records hits like Shabba's 'Ting-a-ling' which drew extensively on childhood chants. The reverse seemed to have occurred in this year's ring games.
Ashes in the water
Ashes in the sea
We all a Shelly Belly
And a look out a sea,
chanted Waterford Infant School in a revised version of the popular ring game. This new version was mixed in with takes of blue bird, and Little Miss Nancy Went to Town. The group earned the kindergarten trophy for best ring game.
These modern ejaculations also found their way into more traditional forms. When the Clonmel Cultural Club presented their version Revival, every thing seemed as though ripped from some time in the past. Then, the leader with wrapped head, and inch measure and scissors dangling from her waist, yells "Out and bad!" transporting the audience from that unnamed moment in history to the current dancehall scene. As though that were not enough, she soon yelled "Can you hear me now!"echoing the Verizon telephone advertisement. Though funny, it also highlights how Jamaican culture continues to be influenced by the wider world. At the same time, it shows that this influence is not passive, as they are almost always reshaped by the Jamaican psyche.
Campbell explained that the traditional folk forms competition was being kept alive by schools. "If it wasn't for the primary and all-age, festival woulda dead," she told the enthusiastic audience waiting to be told who were the day two winners of the competition.
However, having watched the tots of Liberty Learning Centre of Portland, for whom one young man yelled "Nutten nuh plug out," to show his appreciation; or the members of Holy Spirit Basic, St. Catherine; and especially the students from Zion Hill of Manchester and Clonmel of St. Mary it seems that the culture remains in good hands. As that young woman from Clonmel yelled, the traditional folk forms remain, "out and bad!"
