Creolizing Contradance In The Caribbean

Synopsis

The contradance and the quadrille, in their diverse forms, were the most popular and important genres of creole Caribbean music and dance in the nineteenth century. Throughout the region, they were sites of interaction for musicians and musical elements of different racial, social, and ethnic origins, and they became crucibles for the evolution of genres like the Cuban danzon and son, the Dominican merengue, and the Haitian mereng. Creolizing Contradance in the Caribbean, the first book to explore this phenomenon in detail and with a pan-regional perspective, includes chapters on the Spanish-, French-, and English-speaking Caribbean. Each covers the musical and choreographic features, social dynamics, historical development, and significance of the genres and discusses them in relation to the broader Caribbean historical context.