Creolization in French Speaking

Creolization in French Speaking 

In the French Caribbean, enslaved blacks adopted the musical and dance practices imported by slaveholders and landowners from Europe, which was then adapted to creolized music and dance.

                                                                    Vodou

        Vodou is a syncretic religion, a creole blend of the African spiritual traditions brought to the island by the enslaved and the Christian beliefs enforced by Catholic missionaries (Gangelhoff, 2019, pg. 148). In the 16th to 19th centuries, the Atlantic slave trade led to the development of vodou among Afro-Haitian populations. Its structure resulted from the mixing of the indigenous faiths of the West and Central Africans who had been brought to the island of Hispaniola as slaves, notably the Yoruba, Fon, and Kongo. Although they pray various Loa and have distinct divisions, Dominicans do it the same way overall. People could think that practitioners are uninformed. What people think of their heritage is irrelevant to them. Haitian brothers and sisters are cherished by Jamaicans. They are all one and share customs that originate in Africa. Haiti is entirely Vodou, with 30 % Protestants and 70% Catholics. Vodou is also a mystical philosophy that permeates everything from medicine and agriculture to cosmology and the arts. This is present across the Caribbean country. But while being costly and a target of hate crimes, rituals are nearly never seen. Some claim that Vodou is in peril now.

Vodou is Elusive - YouTube

I chose this YouTube video because it shows how different Vodou dancing can be. The video also shows all the viewers watching and enjoying. 

                                                                    Rara

            Rara is tied to Vodou practice and is, in a sense, Vodou ritual moved outside of the temple (akaa“hounfour”or“oufo”) and into the streets (Gangelhoff, 2019, pg. 149). Dance is an essential form of expression, healing, evocation, and celebration for the Haitian people, who place equal value on music. Pioneers like Jean Appolon helped Haitians develop their art both within and outside of tradition by establishing free or inexpensive dance education facilities. As a result, dance in Haiti is always growing. However, one does not need to take a lesson to learn how to dance in Haiti. You will be able to do it as soon as the drum starts to beat. Every year, between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday, there is a festival called the Rara Festival. Rara is distinctive because it fuses conventional music with traditional Haitian dance and occasionally incorporates protest-related emotions. Despite the numerous justifications for celebrating Rara, the celebration is widely observed and cherished by all Haitians. Rare bands and musicians compete for rewards by getting festival goers to dance. A lead male dancer typically performs a traditional dance and salute when the event comes to an end.


Rara Dance – OkHaiti


Rara festival in Haiti - YouTube

I chose this YouTube video because it has many vivid colors, and the dance is very organized. I felt as though I was in attendance at the festival. 


Jazz

            Jazz is also quick to fuse with other genres and traditions, resulting in another long list of musical styles: Latin jazz, soul-jazz, and symphonic jazz (Gangelhoff, 2019, pg. 151). Despite variances within the larger culture, some key elements of jazz dance are present in traditional African dance. Firstly, the isolation of body parts in movement, such as only the head, shoulders, rib cage, and hips. Secondly, the use of rhythmically complex and syncopated movements. Thirdly, the use of bent knees, keeping the body close to the ground. Also, the tendency to use the foot as a whole in that the weight can be rhythmically shifted immediately from one foot to the other, polyrhythm. Lastly, carrying as many as two or three rhythms in the body at once. Here we see the fusing of music and dance as a single expression; one feeding the art of real life.


 About Jazz Dance - Jacqueline Burgess Jacqueline Burgess (laney.edu)

International Jazz Festival in Haiti - YouTube

I chose this YouTube video because it's very diverse and gives a short view of Port au Prince streets. The video also has musicians from all over the world in attendance. It was indeed a good watch. 


References

About Jazz Dance. (2020, December 12). Jacqueline Burgess. Retrieved October 18, 2022, from https://laney.edu/jburgess/about-jazz-dance/

Dance in Haiti. (n.d.). OkHaiti. Retrieved October 18, 2022, from https://okhaiti.com/tag/rara-dance/

International Jazz Festival in Haiti. Retrieved from Youtube.com

Rara Festival in Haiti. Retrieved from Youtube.com

Vodou is Elusive. Retrieved from Youtube.com 

Wall, K., & Clerici, C. (2015, November 29). Vodou is elusive and endangered, but it remains the soul of Haitian people. The Guardian. Retrieved October 18, 2022, from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/07/vodou-haiti-endangered-faith-soul-of-haitian-people

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