I never learned how to dance properly while growing up in Canada, that was for young girls who took lessons from a professional tutor. School dances were a painful ordeal for a tom-boy such as myself, dreadful events that I loathed and avoided whenever humanly possible. Those embarrassing occasions were my only exposure to dance floors until I moved to the Caribbean in the 70’s, where I discovered that dancing is actually fun!
I looked forward to the dances on Bequia, and graduated from observer to participant quickly once I realized there was no stigma attached to dancing without a partner. I could get out on the dance floor and move to the beat without stepping on anyone’s toes, and that suited me just fine. I never perfected “whining”, a cultural dance form I figure comes naturally to those born with the right genes, but that’s never stopped me from enjoying the music in my own way.
“Whining” (or winding) basically involves moving the waist in a circle motion while keeping the body still. It’s definitely a provocative dance, with the pelvis rotating in a rhythmic fashion that’s quite sensual. The first time I was asked to dance a slow number I was appalled by the blatant sexual tone of the “whining” – it made me feel quite uncomfortable until I realized that such movements were indeed acceptable on a Caribbean dance floor.
Time passed. I went to many fun-filled dances, but none made my jaw drop more than my first introduction to the island’s Country and Western scene. Having danced to either steel bands or those playing calypso and soca, hearing Country music in the Caribbean seemed strange. I had never been a huge fan of that particular genre, and was obviously alone in that respect.
The crowd, many dressed in country and western attire, went WILD when the band started to play, and immediately began to dance the 2-Step. I had never been exposed to country dancing, and watched with fascination as my Bequia friends circled the dance floor expertly with their partners. Many years later I realized that the Bequia 2-Step also includes just a titch of island “whine”, a dance move that any real cowboy should learn and enjoy!
“Whining” is cultural, an established Caribbean dance form that makes the Bequia 2-Step unique. That slight rotation of the waist makes the dance special, a sexy motion that comes naturally to those born with the right genes!
It took me a while to dancing Caribbean style but the interlocking legs, no mater who your partner was was thrilling for a a twenty Soning young boy from the UK. I didn’t realize the country music influence was a genre that must have come from AM radio stations broadcasting from the southern US! Which then melded with the Afro-Latin sound. But then ‘Country Roads’ was adopted by the Wailers. I didn’t know about the two-step in Bequia. (The Wailers played in Victoria BC last night. I didn’t go but I did see a picture of Capt. George there)