St. LuciaPart 2

Bellwork

• Define terms:

• Baha: long tube without fingerholes played both as an aerophone and an idiophone

• Kwize—is a violin term that refers to the sliding of the finger on a string

• a douyet and a tet mawe: a fancy dress and hat

• detache: a style of violin playing which refers to a slightly separated bow stroke

•  plase: a dance call to take your positions

Announcements

• Benchmark Exam: Friday October 11th 10-12:45

• Reading Outline #9 is due in class

Wednesday, Oct 9th.

Exam study guide is due Friday.

La Rose Society

Dress: Douyet and Tet mawe,a fancy dress and hat

Guided Floats

• Kwadril evenings take place at a private house

•  The number of guests is limited to the number of dancers required for the event, that is, 8-12 couples

• Black musicians first learned of the quadrille when they played for parties at the houses of colonists

•  In associating themselves with the quadrille performances, the St. Lucian black performers, were also symbolically associating themselves with its supposed values. St. Lucians did this to empower themselves.

Listening Example #2 Quadrille dancing in Choiseul, St. Lucia

Video questions:

Name three adjectives that describe the demeanor of the performers.

How do the boys show respect for the girls through dance?

How does dance represent gender roles?

Listening Questions #2 Quadrille dancing in Choiseul, St. Lucia

• To gallop or skip sideways is to sashay

• “Forward and back” is a dance step where you step forward three steps and stop, then step in reverse three steps and stop.

• A step which can be described as right-left-right…left-right-left is a waltz step.

CFU: Venn Diagram

• Individually or in pairs, read excerpt 1

• Fill in a Venn diagram with the following information:

• Characteristics of the Kwadril

• Characteristics of other St. Lucia traditions

• Similarities between Kwadril and other musical traditions of St. Lucia.

Big Venn

• Combine all info into a large class venn diagram

Misguided Boats

• Unlike most other St. Lucian performances, the choreography of a kwadril dance must be learned, memorized and practiced

• Proper execution of a kwadril dance is believed to do all of the following:

• demonstrate control over behavior

• convey decency in manners

• infer intelligence.

Listening Example #3 Active Listening

Gwan Won

• The violin’s notes seem very disjunct and almost stutter—what bowing style could this description indicate?

• What other two instruments are accompanying the violin?

Listening Example #3 Active Listening

Gwan Won

• This is the final dance.

• During the gwan won, 2 or 3 extra ballroom dances such as a polka, idova and lakonmet are introduced.

• I-IV-V-I is a common chord progression found in kwadril dances.

CFU: Dance steps

• Learn and try the following steps:

• Salsa waltz step: 123 567

• RLR big step LRL

• Now with music: Pwémyé Fidji

Allemande

• This is a one hand turn around and then back to place.

• Take your partners right hand, hold it up to the ceiling and turn completely around one time.

Combo #1

• 8 beats of Salsa waltz step

• 8 beats of the Allemande

• Then repeat!

Society’s Child

• St. Lucia is made up of two groups of singing societies which form important segments of the island’s social structure.

• La Rose—A society which celebrates St. Rose of Lima. This is a group with few rules and easy to gain membership into. Their primary color is red or pink and their symbol is the Rose.

• La Marguerite—A society which celebrates St. Margaret Mary Alacoque. This group has many rules and membership is very selective. Their primary color is blue or white and they celebrate the daisy.

La Rose

Order

• There is a hierarchy in each society which includes a king, queen, princes and princesses, nurses, police and soldiers.

• The establishing of roles helps community members to feel valued as individuals and gives each person a purpose.

• The members with greater power (like king and queen) make important decisions for the group and the shatwel leads the songs in each séance.

• The costumes of the King and Queen are copied directly from the English royal family and their actions embody the same spirit of extravagant display.

La Marguerite

La Rose song repertoire

• The songs sung at La Rose séances cover the following topics:

• Praise hymns of St. Rose

• Healing songs invoking the supernatural

• Playful Funeral songs meant to honor through humor

• Mepwi songs of teasing especially the opposite group.

CFU: Whiteboards

• Answer the following questions on your white boards:

Q1

• Which dance step involves raising one arm high and turning around in a circle?

Q2

• What is a style of violin playing which refers to a slightly separated bow stroke?

Q4

• Which dance step involves galloping or skipping sideways?

Q5

• Which St. Lucian society celebrates the daisy?

Guided Notes

• When notated, the majority of rhythms used in Kwadril music are: eighth and sixteenth notes.

• Unlike the European ensemble, the St. Lucian ensemble includes percussion instruments.

• The banjo, kwatwo, and the mandolin are mainly providing the harmony in a strumming style.

• Kwadril tunes encompass a greater range than those of singers’ songs, commonly with an interval of 12th as compared to an octave.

Exit Ticket

• What does kwize mean?

• Explain the “forward and back” dance step

• Name three subjects the La Rose songs cover

• Unlike most other St. Lucian performances, the choreography of a kwadril dance must be ________ ,

_______________ and _____________________ .

• What does the establishing of roles give members of the La Rose society?