Mélange Travel & Lifestyle Magazine April 2017 | Page 417

Most of these folk dances can be danced by any
number of couples and one can choreograph
pieces for performances. The Lancers and the
Quadrille are square dances allowing only four
couples to perform a figure. Each figure is made up
of a number of dance moves or steps.
The dances of European origin, in particular,
comprise a lot of grace and footwork. Too much hip
and upper body movements take away the level of
grace which these dances call for.
The musical accompaniment for these dances is
played by a traditional folk band comprising a
combination of these instruments:
Violin, Quatro, Drum, Baha, Quitar, Banjo,
Chak Chak, Flute, Accordion, Mandolin,
Harpsichord
Although the lead can be played by any of these
instruments, the most popular one is the violin.
Besides the traditional European folk dances there
are the ethnic folk dances with their origin from
Africa handed down to us by our slave ancestry.
Musical accompaniment for these dances is mainly
the drums. These include:
Konte (dance), Solo, Kutumba, Deux Botte and
Piquant.
The drum is the main musical accompaniment for
these dances.
The national dance of St. Lucia is often referred
to as Quadrille (a square dance). However, folk
dancing which includes Quadrille comprises the
wide range of original European dances outlined
earlier.