Description
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.
Table 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
