Bélé

Not to be confused with Bele or Bèlè.

A bélé is a folk song and dance from Dominica, performed most commonly during full moon evenings, or sometimes during funeral wakes (Antillean Creole: lavèyé). It may be the oldest Creole dance from Dominica, and strongly reflects influences from African fertility dances. The dance is also popular in Saint Lucia. The term bélé refers to a kind of drum found on Dominica, Martinique and Saint Lucia.

All bélé are accompanied by an eponymous drum, the tanbou bélé (also called tambour bélé or bélé drum), along with the tingting (triangle) and chakchak (maracas). The drum is a membranophone that is played by hand and is made of a hallowed tree trunk covered at one mouth by goat skin, stretched with rope and pegs. The drum rhythm follows the steps of the single dancer who performs in a circle of spectators who form the chorus or chantuelle. In all pieces dancing is directed towards the tambour bélé. The dance bélé is noted for the profound booming drum and vigorous body movement and steps.

Bélés start with a lead vocalist (chantwèl), who is followed by the responsorial chorus (lavwa), then a drummer and dancers. Traditional dances revolve around stylized courtship between a male and female dancer, known as the kavalyé (cavalier) and danm (dam) respectively. The bélé song-dances include the bélé soté, bélé priòrité, bélé djouba, bélé contredanse, bélé rickety and bélé pitjé.

On modern Dominica the nature isle of the Caribbean, bélé are primarily performed for holidays and other celebrations, such as Easter, Independence Day, Christmas, Jounen Kwéyòl and patron saint festivals held annually in the Parishes of Dominica, especially in the Fèt St.-Pierre and the Fèt St.-Isidore for fishermen and workers respectively.

The kavalyé and danm take turns dancing. The kavalyé first demonstrates his prowess, then the danm reacts. The kavalyé again courts with the danm, and the both dance in the wildest part of the bélé.

The name bélé may derive from the French belle aire', or the old French aire (meaning threshing platform), or it may derive from an African word.

References

• Music of Dominica
• Music of Martinique
• Music of Saint Lucia
• Virtual Dominica
• Guilbault, Jocelyne (1999). "Dominica". Garland Encyclopedia of World Music. Volume 2. Routledge. pp. 840–844. ISBN 0815318650. 
• Kuss, Malena (2004). Music in Latin America and the Caribbean: an encyclopedic history. University of Texas Press. ISBN 9780292709515.