Soirée Bèlè

PREFACE: Okay, so there was supposed to be a video to go with this, but my Internet connection here is too crappy to upload it. This post definitely won't make as much sense without it, so the next time I have good Internet (which, admittedly, probably won't be until I'm back in the States), I'll put it on here, I promise!

Last night, I went to a soirée bèlè with my host family. Bèlè is a traditional Martiniquais dance, which originates from Africa. During the days of slavery in Martinique, the African slaves kept dancing their traditional dances, and the steps were passed down through the generations. My host mom, both my host sisters, and my tutor dance bèlè, and I had the pleasure of watching all of them last night.

The soirée is so called, my host mom explained, because it's an entire night of dancing -- there's no definite end. And boy, did they dance. They started at around 8, with the littlest kids, and the action continued until almost 2 in the morning. There were small breaks in between some of the numbers, but otherwise, it was a nonstop party.

Each dance has a specific song to accompany it. The words are always in Creole, and sung in a call-and-response fashion. I couldn't understand any of it, of course, but apparently the lyrics and themes are usually simple so that people can pick it up easily. Instrumentally, each dance is also accompanied by the tambour, the big drum in the background. In the olden days, the tambour apparently used to be a barrel of Martiniquais rum.

The traditional costume for women consists of the long colorful skirts that you see here, and a scarf tied around the waist for extra support.

For each dance, you need 8 people -- 4 girls and 4 boys. Each dance begins with everyone moving in a circle, and then, two couples leave and two couples dance alone in a carré, a square. While in the carré, they switch partners several times, and the man always has to pass behind the woman as a sign of deference. After awhile, the two dancing couples leave, and the two couples who've been sitting come in and dance their own carré.

Then, each couple dances alone. If they switch places, the man must again pass behind the woman. Eventually, the couple dances towards the tambour that's playing for them. When they're done, the man always accompanies the woman back to her place in the circle before returning to his.

Then after each individual couple has finished, the dance ends just like it begins -- with all the couples regrouping and dancing in a circle.

Apparently each song has a specific rhythm and set of steps to go with it, but there's also some improvisation involved. I wasn't really too clear on this.

In any case, I thought it was quite beautiful to watch. The bright colors, the swirling skirts, the grace and agility of all the dancers and their enthusiasm as they sang. We certainly don't have any traditions quite like this in America.