Dominica - Heritage Dances - November 2014

Returning back to Dominica after hatching my return plan more than a year ago. I landed on Friday evening and went directly to the World Creole Festival. I am here during the country's independence celebrations so the island is pulsing with energy. Colorful local dresses abound and traditional dances are being displayed around the country. Dominica has preserved many of it's heritage dances almost unchanged over many generations.

These dances reflect the island's African, Indigenous (Kalinago) and European ( English and French) legacies. I've been lucky enough to witness dances like the Quadrille which originated in Europe and the Bele which comes almost untouched from the Dominica's West African roots. After the celebrations culminate, I will begin taking dance lessons and go to the Carib territory where I hope to learn some of the Kalinago dances.