Entertainment

The 'socarisation' of dancehall

Byron Lee - File

WE SHOULD NOT miss out on the significance of the phenomenon of renowned soca band Byron Lee and the Dragonaires playing at Passa Passa, as happened on Wednesday night.

It is not simply a matter of a soca band playing at a staunchly dancehall session, but a sign of a greater shift in dancehall culture.

The way for BL&D to play in West Kingston to a throng of dancehall mad fans has ben paved not by soca hits and the Carnival experience, but by Elephant Man, Tony Matterhorn, John Hype and other prominent players in what I call the 'dancehall nice again' movement.

For make no mistake about it; the co-ordinated dances, choreographed by a deejay, selector or dancer, as have dominated the dancehall over the past year or more, have sowed very good ground for soca to make a dancehall move.

In addition, the dancehall music which has dominated over the past year has been at such a fast tempo - whether that was how it was made or it is the speed at which it is performed at or played from the turntables - that it has laid the groundwork for the rapid soca beats to find fertile ground in the dancehall.

Not much 'skanking' is possible in the dancehall these days, not at the speed the music is played at. Similarly, not much in the way of a skank or two is possible with the fast soca beat.

Add to that - and regular STAR readers will know it quite well - the favourite dancehall and 'Passa Pass' dancing position for couples is the same for the soca crew. From behind and hard.

It has been a long time in coming and who knows how long it will last - but it is here. I remember many years ago, going to House of Leo on Cargill Avenue to a regular Stone Love Thursday jam and seeing a bunch of fellow UWI students form a 'congo line' in the dance. I remember the strange - and amused looks the diehard, hardcore dancehall fans gave the twisting, laughing college students.

I wonder just who is laughing now?