Do you teach all the typical Dancehall moves,
including head top or wine?
It depends on the training session. I also wouldn’t agree with the saying ‘all the typical moves’ ,
as head top and wine are just a few elements of Dancehall Queen Style, which is only reserved
for women. Of course men in this dance style wouldn’t use these moves as it is not considered to
be appropriate. In the beginning in Europe, when Dancehall started to appear on dance scene,
this particular Dancehall Queen Style was promoted, therefore, most of the people thought
Dancehall was only about butt shaking and wining. Since then a lot has changed and I believe
that now everyone knows that it is a dance style initiated by a man, a very talented dancer, the
father of Dancehall – Bogle.
I divided my training sessions to allow everybody to find something for themselves. I do typical
training for women where we learn more feminine moves, we do acrobatics, stretching and hips
moving techniques. But there are also classes where both sexes are welcome where I teach the
dance moves, history and the origin of Dancehall. I also have an exclusive group of advanced
dancers who under my supervision deepen this beautiful and great culture of Dancehall.
Dancehall music is known for its’ explicit and controversial lyrics. Do you think that Polish fans of this
music and dance understand these lyrics? Do they
understand the meaning of the songs?
I totally agree with the fact that the lyrics of Jamaican Dancehall are much different thanDancehall which is sang by Polish artists. I do think though, that it depends on the person. Some people, who are deep into the Jamaican culture, know the lyrics and understand it perfectly. There
are also some who have no clue what the song is about and the Jamaican dialect is like black
magic to them but they like the melody and the positive impact it has on them.
Do you happen to come across some negative
feedback about your dance style from outsiders who
are not familiar with dancehall culture?
Perhaps I am very lucky or it simply is this way, there are no negative reactions. I always feel
welcome, people like what I do and they are interested in talking to me and knowing more
about the culture. There could have been some small unpleasant episodes, but I think we all
have experienced some drunken behaviors.