My yearning for deeper understanding of the links between quadrille dancing and our African – Caribbean ancestors, took me on a soul-searching journey of discovery.
I was aware that our ancestors defiantly danced the quadrille after long working hours on sugar and tobacco plantations, and they danced it for enjoyment and relaxation to keep their spirits high. Other reasons are mentioned earlier in the Blog – Why our African Caribbean ancestors danced the quadrille.
However I thought there was more to their overt actions and reactions than meet the eye. I started my search for significant, sinister and justifiable reasons. The questions I posed were:
What did quadrille dancing actually mean to them?” – “Were there coded messages in their dancing?”
The search, although exciting, was long and tedious. The difficulty compounded by the lack of reliable documentary evidence that could illuminate our ancestors’ true rationale for dancing the quadrille and its transformation.
The literature available from a European – Colonialist perspective was considered unreliable as it may not have truly reflected our ancestors’ views and experiences of dancing.
However with knowledge of our culture’s “oral tradition” in which our history and culture are transmitted through the mediums of storytelling, proverbs, images, art, music and dance, I embarked on my challenging journey of discovery.
I began by re-examining literature and photographs of Africans transported to the Caribbean during the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, and visited “Slave Museums” to re-awaken my senses.
I engaged in dialogue about the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade with African people, especially from Western and Central Africa, living in London.
I discussed memories of family members dancing the quadrille back home with the Caribbean elders in our local communities, and with other quadrille dancers.
I read comments cited in our performance diary by spectators, who willing shared with us their memories that our dancing and its accompanying music have evoked.
I analysed and synthesised this wealth of sensitive information obtained from these sources, to decipher answers to my question.
During the process of reflection and discernment, I consciously transported myself to a time and place in history to enable contemplation through the eyes of our ancestors.
I then use creative licence to surmise my enhanced understanding of the messages being transmitted via quadrille dancing by my African – Caribbean ancestors.
Message 1: Music, singing and dancing can liberate your mind, body and soul.
Africans are renowned for their love of music, singing and dancing. They use these mediums to communicate with the universe; ritualistically express their socio–cultural and spiritual values and beliefs; and to communicate past, present and future events in their communities.
I surmise that our African ancestors’ strong values, beliefs and ritualistic practices continued subliminally during the process of quadrille dancing.
Message 2: Develop a strong sense of self identity– Know who you are.
When the Africans arrived in Jamaica, the colonialists attempted to assert their false sense of socio-cultural superiority, power and control. The Africans were therefore forbidden to dance, sing, play music or speak in their different languages. If caught, they would be severely punished. They created a new language, and adapted a new and more outwardly acceptable dance form, the quadrille – to keep their culture alive.
I surmise that our African ancestors believed that enforced socio-cultural degeneration is immoral and should not be condoned. They had a strong innate sense of self. Their natural form of expression could not be contained, diminished, destroyed or controlled by enslavement.
Message 3: Be proud of your socio- cultural knowledge and practices.
The colonialists lacked knowledge and understanding of the Africans way of life. They overtly denounced the Africans cultural expressions and ways of life as abhorrent, inferior and uncivilized. There was total disrespect for the Africans who out-numbered them.
The colonialists’ unwillingness to learn and understand the African ways of life was a deliberate strategy to maintain social distance, white supremacy, power and control. This attitude fostered uncertainty, discomfort and fear in the minds of the colonialists, who then subjected the Africans to constant surveillance.
I surmise that the colonialists’ lack of knowledge and understanding of African cultural practices proved empowering to our African ancestors. It enabled them, in their large numbers, to subversively keep their culture alive, and to plot their revolt.
Message 4: Have a strong sense of purpose and set achievable goals
The colonialists exploited the Africans superior knowledge and experience in agriculture and farming. Because their priority was to maximise profit, they subjected them to long hours of hard labour in sweltering conditions.
In return, they outlawed the enslaved from doing what comes naturally in their social settings, i.e. dancing and singing; in order to enforce the daily maximum period of rest they were allowed.
I surmise that our African ancestors were devastated by the immense cultural deprivation, and were experiencing a reduced sense of self-worth and self- determination. In defiance, they became non-conformists and proactive in rejecting the restrictive and humiliating instructions.
They eventually discovered quadrille, a “new dance” that was less Afro-centric and more acceptable to the colonialists. However they had to confirm quadrille would enable them to camouflage their socio- cultural practices with pride and dignity. The criteria for assessing its safety were multifaceted. For example, it should:
- Facilitate regular socio-cultural and spiritual exchange.
- Provide opportunity to assert and share experiences of plantation life
- Enable development and maintenance of comradeships, helping to build cohesive
plantation communities. - Empower and support them in the struggle to maintain human dignity and respect.
- Help them to temporarily escape the barbarism/ inhumane daily treatment.
- Enable them to experience some enjoyment and happiness in living.
- Help to liberate their minds, bodies and souls.
- Facilitate communication of their plans for emancipation.
Message 5: Be prepared to accept the consequences of your actions
It is well documented that the enslaved, individually and in groups, used every opportunity to express their abhorrence of slavery. Their methods included arson, poison, ambush and rebellions.
They would disobey instructions; repeatedly go on strikes and attempt escaping. Some slave women controlled their reproduction, with significant emotional trauma, to spare their unborn offspring the humiliation, exploitation and degradation of slavery.
I surmise our African ancestors were brave, adventurous and resourceful. They were not afraid to fight for freedom, equality and their rights to self-determination.
They viewed life and death as a continuum and some preferred death than live in slavery. They accepted the consequences of their actions, i.e. severe bodily chastisement, sold to another buyer or sentence to hanging.
Message 6: Non-violent strategies can be used for peaceful resolution of conflict.
There are at least two more non-violent strategies they could have considered for conflict resolution and pride restoration.
The first strategy is to patiently wait for divine intervention. Our ancestors were predominantly God-fearing people, and through faith, their strongly held beliefs dictated that it was never “their God” desire that people be treated inhumanely, or live in bondage or constant fear.
The second strategy is to use their intellect and creative abilities to develop new forms of recreational activities that were more socially acceptable to the colonialist, giving them the false impression of obedience and assimilation.
I surmise that going to Church on Sundays, authorised by their enslavers, as a mean of religious control, was a welcome opportunity for our African ancestors to socialise, to inter-communicate their hopes and fears and to keep their religious and spiritual practices alive.
It gave them the opportunity for covert ancestral worship, to reaffirm their faith and pray together to their chosen Gods in humming and chanting.
They would have prayed incessantly to their God for mercy and patiently wait for peace, justice and freedom.
Message 7: Be careful who you trust
The European Christian Missionaries, recognising the Africans vulnerability, were proactive in converting some to Christianity. They even encouraged the enslaved to wear white clothing to church as a symbol of religious conversion and piety.
The missionaries distributed the English Slave Bible, taught them to read and write and sing English derived devotional songs. They reinforced verses in the Bible that said slavery was normal and that slaves should obey their masters.
However the missionaries, who opposed slavery, instilled in the enslaved the respect, dignity and equal human status that they yearned for, much to the annoyance of the colonialists. These missionaries risked alienation, deportation and death.
I surmise that many of African ancestors were cautious and suspicious of the missionaries’ motives, however some surrendered to persuasion.
The surrendered were brainwashed into believing that as Christians they were valued in the sight of God; that God was on the side of the oppressed; that slavery was normal and they should obey their slave masters; that their souls were more precious than material wealth; that their riches are stored up in heaven, that by praising, praying and having faith in God their prayers would be answered, justice would prevail, and one day they would be set free. Although reassuring to many there was no foreseeable end to slavery.
When the sceptics were able to read the Bible and sing English derived devotional songs, they began to select and interpret specific texts and songs that were more spiritually uplifting, sustained their humanity and were culturally sanctioned. This self-discovering evidence, that they shared within their community, gave them hope and scriptural guidance regarding non-violent strategies to help them resolve their depraving situation.
Message 8: Risk taking is sometimes necessary to achieve your goals
The discipline of the quadrille dance was developed with the assistance of “house slaves” who acquired invaluable knowledge of the figures/set pieces of the European ballroom dance. They shared their knowledge with their “field slave” contemporaries.
Their love of music and dance and their creative abilities, led them to learn the strict protocol and practices of the ballroom quadrille in their camps at nights, and eventually changing it into their own unstructured and at times unrecognisable style of quadrille dancing.
The colonialists perceived the enslaved as arrogant, disobedient and insolent in dancing their quadrille and initially threatened them with punishment if caught dancing without permission.
I surmise that our African ancestors fearlessly defied the restrictions imposed on them. They were not afraid to take risks.
Choosing to dance the quadrille was dangerous practice, but logistically and strategically it seemed the right thing for them to do, bearing in mind the negative perceptions of their own African dances by their enslavers.
They were resilient, cunning and mentally prepared to take risks to achieve their goals.
Message 9: Negative stereotyping has the potential to surprise.
The colonialists had publicly declared the African dances inferior, uncivilised and abhorrent, when compared with their quadrille, perceived to be culturally superior, more civilised, elegant, dignified and gracious, With such negative perceptions, the colonialists would have been extremely surprised and uncomfortable with the speed at which the enslaved exquisitely, elegantly and graciously mastered their European Ballroom quadrille dance.
I surmise that our African ancestors mastered the quadrille dance to invalidate the colonialists’ negative perceptions of them as inferior, sub-human savages with no intellect.
They were graciously demonstrating civilized human behaviour, intelligence, highly developed dance skills and creative abilities, surpassing all expectations.
Message 10: Deception can be an empowering strategy for the oppressed.
The enslaved outwardly abandoned their perceived “unacceptable” African ways of dancing, and began dancing the military emotionless European quadrille for fun and relaxation.
The colonialist may not have realised that some of the repeated movements and dance formations were similar to those in African dances.
The enslaved dancing the quadrille might have reinforced the colonialists’ belief in their own cultural superiority and provided some reassuring confirmation that their “slaves” were becoming more civilised, cultured and less fearsome.
I surmise that our African ancestors were lulling their oppressors into a false sense of security.
Message 11: Be confident in your ability to enact change
Although the enslaved Africans mastered the European ballroom quadrille dance and danced it exquisitely, they soon realised it was too formal and expressionless to fully achieve their goals. Their knowledge of music and dance enabled them to transform the European dance into a less formal, livelier, more relaxing, interactive and enjoyable dance.
Although European elements in the names of some steps and expressions were retained, their new quadrille dance hardly resembled the European Ballroom dance.
I surmise that our African ancestors skilfully mixed up the sequential presentation of sets/ figures and called them by different names to aid memory and to communicate. They could have been trying to reduce the authenticity and superior status of the Ballroom quadrille.
Message 12: Establish Ownership of your creations
The Africans in Jamaica ridiculed their enslaver’s Ballroom dance and essentially did “their own thing”. They eventually transformed the ballroom quadrille dance, giving their creation a new name and purpose i.e. Camp style.
They developed their own musical accompaniment from natural resources and discarded materials.
I surmise that our African ancestors were discretely demonstrating their equal status as dance masters, their intellect, creativity and style.
Their enhanced awareness of the powerful impact of music and dance is evident in their creative development of musical instruments.
Message 13: Safeguard some of your intentions.
The enslaved Africans continued dancing the quadrille “under cover “until their enslavers felt less at risk of their behaviour and began to develop trust. They were eventually allowed to dance in public in their “dress up” clothes, because it provided some form of relaxation, camaraderie and enjoyment for them in the limited free time they were given.
I surmise that our African ancestors were wise. They cleverly used their loosely monitored quadrille dancing as an opportunity to mock and mimic their enslavers and share information in their body movement, steps, clothes, hair to plot their revolt.
The enslavers watched from a distance, ridiculing the enslaved interpretation of their quadrille dance, with no suspicion of their covert intentions.
Message 14: Celebrate your success.
The Camp Style quadrille successfully fulfilled the new medium they sort to subversively continue their African cultural expressions and build their plantation communities.
It provided the fun and laughter needed to keep their spirits high and facilitate their deep yearning for socio- cultural contact and sharing.
They used it successfully to communicate information about past, present and future events affecting their lives, as they would normally have done in Africa.
Some used it covertly to continue their outlawed spiritual and religious African practices and dance.
I surmise our African ancestors successfully used the Camp style dance to deceive, bewilder and outsmart their colonial oppressors.
CONCLUSION
Through deep reflection, discernment and spiritual enlightenment, the conclusion drawn is that quadrille dancing by our African – Caribbean ancestors was more morally complex and multifaceted than originally thought.
I believe they wisely used the quadrille dance to ensure cultural preservation. Through this medium they transmitted coded messages about their socio -cultural and spiritual values and beliefs, and communicated information about past, current and future events affecting their lives during enslavement.
I now believe these coded messages, underpinning the quadrille dance, are meant to be culturally empowering, because through them, our ancestors’ told their story of who they really are, what they stood for and what they individually and collectively achieved.
They used the Camp Style quadrille dance to assert their humaneness, intelligence, wisdom, inner strength, creativity, flexibility, powerful sense of self and strong cultural identity and destiny, despite environmental restrictions.
They have given us some useful tips for survival in the midst of oppression and most importantly, demonstrated how to be purposeful, proactive and strategic to avoid physical and mental paralysis and even untimely death.
I am of the opinion that our African ancestors provided the blueprint for our basic existence. No matter what obstacles are in our way, we can find ways to recover and triumph over oppression.
These coded messages have heightened my sense of belonging to a dynamic culture. With increased admiration of our ancestors achievements, I am further motivated to develop the JÁNUKA quadrille dance group in their honour.
(Updated 2025)