| Bélé | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins | West African music |
| Cultural origins | Late 17th century,Dominica,Grenada,Guadeloupe,Haiti,Martinique,Saint Lucia, andTrinidad and Tobago |
| Typical instruments | |
| Fusion genres | |
| Other topics | |
| Music of Dominica | ||
| General topics | ||
|---|---|---|
| Related articles | ||
| Genres | ||
| Media and performance | ||
| ||
| Nationalistic and patriotic songs | ||
| ||
| Regional music | ||
| ||
Thebélé is afolk dance, drum andmusic fromDominica,Grenada,Guadeloupe,Haiti,Martinique,Saint Lucia, andTrinidad and Tobago.
The bélé dance formed from a combination of traditional African dance styles and Caribbean influences due to the changed landscape, musical instruments, and tumultuous lifestyle. It may be the oldest Creole dance of the creole French West Indian Islands, and it strongly reflects influences from Africanfertility dances. It is performed most commonly duringfull moon evenings, or sometimes duringfuneral wakes (Antillean Creole:lavèyé). InTobago, it is thought to have been performed by women of the planter class at social events in the planters' great houses, and the dress and dance style copied by the enslaved people who worked in or around these houses[1].
The termbélé also refers to a kind of drum used in some forms of music of Caribbean countries and islands likeDominica,Haiti,Martinique andSaint Lucia.
The wordbélé may derive from Frenchbelle aire, meaning "good air", or from Frenchaire, meaning "threshing platform", or it may further derive from a West African language word.
In Kitas, the bélé dance had origins inBenin at festivals associated with mating and fertility. A male and female (in Creole, the "Cavalier" and the "Dam") show off their dance skills to the other dancer, hinting at their sexuality in chants led by a "chantuelle" meaning singer, with the refrain or "lavway" given by a chorus of spectators. Thecavalier anddam take turns dancing. Thecavalier first demonstrates his prowess, then thedam reacts. Thecavalier again courts with thedam, and both dance in the wildest part of the bélé.[citation needed]
In theWest Indies, the dance incorporated into work and periods of festivity and lamenting. Because the bélé dance ranged through so many diverse occasions and life-events, the dance and music continued to evolve over time from slavery into freedom. The French named the dance "Belaire," or good air, which shortened to bélé.[citation needed]
All bélé are accompanied by an eponymous drum, thetanbou bélé (also calledtambour bélé orbélé drum), along with thetingting (triangle) andchakchak (maracas).
Bélés start with a lead vocalist (chantwèl), who is followed by theresponsorial chorus (lavwa), then a drummer and dancers. Traditional dances revolve around stylizedcourtship between a male and female dancer, known as thekavalyé (cavalier) anddanm (dam) respectively. The bélé song-dances include thebélé soté,bélé priòrité,bélé djouba,bélé contredanse,bélé rickety andbélé pitjé.
On modern Dominica, bélé are primarily performed for holidays and other celebrations, such asEaster,Independence Day,Christmas,Jounen Kwéyòl andpatron saint festivals held annually in theParishes of Dominica, especially in theFèt St.-Pierre and theFèt St.-Isidore for fishermen and workers respectively.
TheMartinique bèlè is a legacy of theslave music tradition. Thebélé itself is a hugetambour drum that players ride as though it was a horse. It is characterized, in its rhythm, by the "tibwa" (two wooden sticks) played on a length of bamboo mounted on a stand to the tambour bèlè. Added to the tambour bèlè and tibwa are themaracas, more commonly referred to as thechacha.[1] Thetibwa rhythm plays a basic pattern and the drum comes to mark the highlights and introduce percussion improvisations.[2][3][4]
It is organized in a specific way, beginning with the entry of the singer ( lavwa ) and choir ( lavwa Deye or "answer"). Then the "Bwatè" (player ti bwa) sets the pace, followed by bèlè drum. Finally, the dancers take the stage. A dialogue is created between the dancers and the "tanbouyè" (drummer). The "answer" play opposite the singer. The audience can also participate. As a family, together singers, dancers, musicians and audiences are lured by its mesmerizing rhythms. The bèlé song-dances include,bèlé dous,bèlé pitjè,biguine bèlé,bèlé belya, andgran bèlé
The bèlè is the origin of several important Martiniquan popular styles, includingchouval bwa andbiguine; it also exerted an influence onzouk.
Thebèlè tradition ofSt. Lucia is a form of Creole song and couple dance, performed by one couple with a leader and chorus. They are performed in several contexts, most notably in funeral wakes.Bélè include thebélè anlè,bélè matjé,bélè anlawis and thebélè atè. Thebélè anlawis is the only form which is not responsorial.
In the late 18th Century when theFrench plantation owners came toTrinidad, they brought with them a life style of "joie de vivre" to their plantations. At that time, the French held many balls at the Great Houses where they enjoyed doing many of the courtly dances of Europe.
The house slaves, in their moments of leisure, took the dance to the field slaves and mimicked the dance of their masters. The slaves who worked in or around these houses quickly copied the French style and dress. They showed off by doing ceremonious bows, making grand entrances, sweeping movements, graceful and gentle gliding steps which imitated the elegance of the French. The rhythmic quality of the bélé drums added spicy and yet subtle sensuality to the movements. There are more than 14 types of bélé dances including theGrand bélé andCongo bélé, with each performed to its own rhythms and chants. Female costumes usually have plain underskirts with bright and flowy over skirts. Female costumes may also include headpieces correlating with their overskirts. Male costumes are usually much more simple with slight tributes to the female costumes.
biguine evolution.
biguine evolution.
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)