The year 2018 was another action-packed, exciting, fun filled year for JANUKA dance group. As well as dancing the quadrille in public and private settings, we facilitated dance workshops in community halls, day centres and at private events. We also had many requests to sing Jamaican folk songs, with audience participation, as an integral feature […]
JANUKA Achievements 2017
2017 was another successful year in achieving our goals, i.e. to entertain, educate, promote and inspire positive awareness of our Jamaican cultural heritage. JANUKA enjoyed dancing the quadrille at 21 private and public events and facilitated 14 quadrille workshops in local schools.
An evening with Januka… by Carmen and Sheila
By popular request, JÁNUKA plans to host another evening of music, narrative and dance in September 2018, in celebration of our 12th anniversary. This event entitled The Will to Survive Part 3 – “Independence” will be the third in a series of themed performances. The previous two events in 2015 and 2016 were entitled The […]
The Ascent of my Quadrille Dance Journey
It was an August Bank Holiday Sunday, the year 2014. My household and I were celebrating the birth of a girl child into our family, at a huge function hall in South East London.The reggae music was flowing sweetly, the guests singing out loud and dancing with much energy. Abruptly, the music ceased. We heard […]
An evening with Januka – The Will to Survive Part 2
The Will To Survive – Part 2 Saturday, 10th September, 18:30 – 23:00 We tell an incredible story of our ancestors’ efforts to redeem their humanity, reconstruct their family structures and cohesive communities, post-emancipation. Entertainment include: Reflections on lived experiences of the freed slaves Quadrille and other cultural dances Audience participation in folk songs Celebration dancing […]
JANUKA Summer events 2015
JANUKA QUADRILLE DANCE GROUP Invites you to our summer fund raising event at Trinity United Reformed Church Hall: Januka summer fund raising event 27th June 2015: 10am – 4pm Trinity United Reformed Church Hall Faversham Road (off Stanstead Road) Catford London SE6 4XE Table Top Sale, Jerk BBQ & other Caribbean delights as well as […]
Our ancestors lived experiences through the quadrille dance: Pt 4/4
This is Part 4 of a list of 15 dance figures/sets. You can read Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 for the full list. Part C continued. 14. Free Spirited Dances Free spirited dances are symbolic of our ancestors’ free spiritedness, inherent love of music and dance and freedom of expression. Dancing is choreographed to a selection of reconfigured quadrille […]
Our ancestors lived experiences through the quadrille dance: Pt 3/4
This is Part 3 of a list of 15 dance figures/sets. You can read Part 1, Part 2 and Part 4 for the full list. Part C 10. Vertical Maypole Couples join arms and hands to form the shaft of the Maypole, and dance in close proximity in ‘turnstile’ movements at centre stage, before returning to their base. Historical relevance The […]
Our ancestors lived experiences through the quadrille dance: Pt 2/4
This is Part 2 of a list of 15 dance figures/sets. You can read Part 1, Post 3 and Post 4 for the full list. Part 2 6. Figure of 8 with a diamond in the centre Women move their bodies and feet to create a numerical ‘8’ pattern with a diamond at the centre. They pass each other courteously but do […]
Our ancestors lived experiences through the quadrille dance: Pt 1/4
In Blog Post 2, Post 3 and Post 4 of this series I described my search for more significant, sinister and justifiable reasons for my ancestors’ transformation and transfiguration of the European quadrille dance. This process uncovered sixteen coded messages summarised below: Music, singing and dancing can liberate your mind, body and soul. Develop a strong sense […]