Really interesting post about the history of square dancing in the french west indies, with modern examples and video!
Over time, the contredance and quadrille were “Creolized” by African slaves, who initially adopted the dances to mock their masters. After the abolition of slavery in 1848, Afro-Caribbeans took the dances and music to whole new levels, adding a bit of tropical sultriness into the genteel and courtly dance patterns. Quadrille became Kwadril, and other new Caribbean styles emerged out of European dance forms. Yet the dances still kept some of the aristocratic trappings from Europe – curtsies, bows etc.
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partytubes!
via danny, who points out that often the awesomeness of a project is indirectly related to the presentation of it:
and this video was posted on the National Galleries of Scotland Facebook page today.