As co-founder and leader of JÁNUKA quadrille dance group since 2006, I have a clear vision of its potential to attract like-minded people who love to dance; motivated to showcase their dancing skills to the wider public; and keen to enhance their knowledge and understanding of their cultural heritage.

My role is to recruit and create a safe cordial environment that:

(a) Facilitates the learning and mastering of skills in quadrille dancing.
(b) Enables me to share my knowledge and understanding of the history and context of quadrille dancing by our African – Caribbean ancestors.
(c) Allows me to reinforce the reasons why we are dancing the quadrille and the importance of the coded messages from our ancestors, embedded in the dance.
(d) Communicates my passion for quadrille dancing based on my strongly held values and beliefs, as follows.

1. I believe in the therapeutic value of music and dance.
   Exercise, laughter and relaxation are important in promoting health and well- being, especially when experiencing physical and emotional pain.
   Quadrille dancing is an ideal pastime activity to be enjoyed.
2. I believe we are a rich and diverse cultural group
   We are purposeful, talented, hardworking, fun loving, gracious, resilient and defiant with strongly held values and beliefs about who we are as people of African ancestry.
   Quadrille dancing is a pathway to demonstrate who we really are, our sense of belonging and pride
3. I believe cultural knowledge is empowering.
   Reflecting on our cultural history in further depth has increased my knowledge of our ancestors’ struggle for freedom, justice and equality. Their free spiritedness, wisdom, intellect, creativity, inner strength, defiance, resilience, tenacity and determination to survive, are exemplary characteristics worthy of praise
   Quadrille dancing is a medium to celebrate their resourcefulness and triumph over oppression
4. I value our ancestors’ core principles of life
   Their strong beliefs helped them to survive the inhumanity of enslavement. These included – human dignity, mutual respect, caring, compassion, love, peace, tolerance, patience, understanding, justice, liberty, trust, physical, mental and spiritual development, self-awareness and self-control.
   Quadrille dancing helps to develop self-awareness and interpersonal skills.
5. I believe in positive thinking.
   Our ancestors have given us some useful tips for survival in the midst of oppression
   They have demonstrated how to be proactive and strategic in turning negative life experiences into positive learning opportunities. This positivity helps to avoid physical and mental paralysis and even untimely death.
   Quadrille dancing helps to liberate the mind, body and soul.
6. I value lively and meaningful communication.
   Non-verbal communication, in our dress code, body movements, facial expression, eye contact and posture, are important ways of sharing information about us.
   Quadrille dancing, which is nonverbal, facilitates the development of cues to our thoughts and feelings. Presented in a light hearted and enjoyable way provides suitable entertainment and education for adults and children.
7. I believe in a legacy of hope
   I am empowered and encouraged to leave a legacy of hope, by bringing together people from different communities, race, cultures and generations, to learn about our Jamaican cultural heritage through the medium of quadrille dance.
   
   I hope that learning about our past will help to build current and future lives of tolerance and harmony and friendships.

(Updated 2025)