Music
Barbados wouldn't be Barbados without music. With such a wide variety of styles in such a small territory, it's possible to go from traditional melodies toopera or soca in a matter of metres. The most widespread musical ensembles are the tuk bands. These are inspired by the rhythms and melodies of the British soldiers present in Barbados during colonization. This indigenous musical form, born in Barbados, is known as tuk tuk (or rukatuk).
Equipped with several instruments such as flutes and triangles, tuk bands had to free themselves from African drums, banned during colonial times, and adopted snare drums and double drums.
The popular tuk tuk played an important role in the country's history and independence. Although the sounds are rather classical, as they are played on Western instruments, the rhythms, typically African, change the game and make for a unique musical construction.
To illustrate the tunes played by the tuk bands, costumed characters perform alongside dancers on stilts during the tuk tuk demonstrations. Commonly, the two characters most often seen at ceremonies are Mother Sally (evoking the fertility of the ancestors and played by a masked man dressed as a woman, although today a woman sometimes takes on this costume) and the acrobatic Shaggy Bear (referring to an African sorcerer). The stilt dancers echo an African tradition brought to Barbados by slaves who arrived in the 17th century.
Among other musical styles born in Barbados, the spouge developed in the 1960s, a blend of Jamaican dancehall and calypso. Although it's not really played today, it brings electronic instruments into the music. Its origins are associated with Jackie Opel, a Barbadian singer belonging to a group called the Troubadours, who went to Jamaica to spread his island's spouge. The musician is credited with a number of hits that are now staples of Barbadian karaoke.
Barbados is also the Mecca of calypso, a very popular music also resulting from a blend of African rhythms and European-inspired ballads. Calypso originated in the Caribbean in the mid-20th century, and found a home in Barbados with artists such as Irving Burdie, credited with composing the country's national anthem, Anthony Carter (nicknamed "The Mighty Gabby"), Stedson Wiltshire ("The Red Plastic Bag") and MacDonald Blenman ("The Mighty Grynner"). Young singers make their name each year at the Crop Over festival. The festival celebrates the end of the sugarcane season over two hundred years ago, and sets Barbados abuzz for six weeks between June and August with parades, dance performances, markets and the famous singing competitions that give calypso singers exposure. Perhaps the most talked-about contest is the Pic-O-de-Crop . It gives singers the chance to perform on stage, and potentially see their careers take off if they win. Calypso, which seems to have originated in Trinidad, is renowned for expressing "the problems of the people" in song.
Later, calypso gave rise to soca, which is slightly less committed and has softer melodies. The undisputed icon of this style is Alison Hinds, who became famous in the 1980s with her group Square One. She was the first woman in the country to win the Crop Over singing competition in 1997, making her a direct entry in Barbadian history. Another woman to have made her mark on the country, Barbadian-turned-international star Rihanna, put the spotlight on her native island in the early 2000s.
Barbados also plays a major role in the dissemination of reggae and dancehall styles, whose cradles are in Jamaica, thanks to numerous events in the genre (such as The Barbados reggae festival, Reggae on the Hill).
Jazz has a special place in Barbados: festivals, major artists, dedicated music schools... the activity has intensified over the decades. In the 1990s, a major jazz festival appeared on the cultural scene, only to disappear ten years later. Today, the Barbados Jazz Excursion, which combines concerts and golf, is one of the events that still manages to hold its own. It was created by Elan Trotman, one of the country's most talented players. This saxophonist has won the Barbados Music Awards and founded the Headstart Music Program, which funds jazz lessons for the island's children. Another Barbadian-born jazzman, Arturo Tappin, is also a saxophonist, ambassador of Caribbean sounds in a resolutely jazz style that he carries with him around the world.
Barbados is also home to the Barbados Jazz Society, which organizes a number of jazz concerts each year and coordinates jazz education programs.
The landship and the wukking up
Tuk tuk music is closely linked to the landship dance, which emerged at the same time, during the years of slavery in the 18th century. Performed by both men and women, the landship dance refers to the British navy. The dancers mimic the conduct of an army ship, borrowing the gestures and uniforms of the ships' officers and crew. They also perform processions as the British did during colonization. Generally, one of the members of the troupe gives orders to the other crew members, and skits are performed according to the chosen scenario.
This choreographic custom is to be taken in the second degree; it expresses a claim and uses mockery to convey this message, demonstrating a strong desire for emancipation and independence.
The most widespread traditional dance in Barbados is undoubtedly the wukking up (or wuk up). It consists of turning the hips in a circular motion while keeping the arms and legs still. This choreography has its origins in sub-Saharan Africa; Barbados has adopted it as its own, although it can also be seen elsewhere, notably at celebrations in the English-speaking West Indies.
Performing Arts
Opera and other performing arts have been coming together in Barbados every spring since 1993 for the "Holders season", an international event held on Holders Hill in the parish of St. James, owned by the Kidd family, organizers of the festival. Between March and April, performances take place over a two-week period in front of an audience that sometimes travels from far and wide. The multi-disciplinary programs are inspired by what can be found in the United States, particularly on Broadway: opera, music, dance, comedy... In 1997, the event welcomed Luciano Pavarotti, one of the world's most famous operatic tenors. But headliners aren't the only ones to perform: many of Barbados' local artists are invited to take their first steps on stage in front of a large and influential audience.
In an exceptional natural setting, amidst sugarcane plantations, shows follow one another in a small green theater. The venue is also renowned for hosting polo matches at other times of the year.
The Great Kadooment, Barbados Carnival
What better time than carnival to see all kinds of typically Barbadian shows? The Grand Kadooment, the name of the country's great carnival, is the highlight of the Crop Over festival, which, as mentioned above, takes place over a six-week period to celebrate the end of the sugar cane season. Crop Over is the successor to Home Harvest, the event which, in colonial times, marked the end of the harvest.
The Grand Kadooment, literally "the great racket" or "great agitation", takes place over a whole day and culminates in a large popular parade. Carnival-goers (and Rihanna, who says she never misses an edition!) dance behind floats or trucks playing soca or calypso tunes. While everyone competes for the prize for the best costume, numerous groups of artists perform all kinds of shows: folk dances, social shows, religious shows... anything goes!
In each group, a woman or man serves as flag person, displaying the colors of the artistic community evoked in the performance. The "flag person" leads her group in the parade, often performing the famous wukking up to impress the members of the jury, who also mark the best performance.
Another equivalent celebration, called the "Foreday Morning Jam", has the same spectacular parade characteristics. The only difference is that the event takes place from 1 a.m. to sunrise.
