The Dinki Mini Folk Dance

Having Jamaican parents has always had a unique influence on my culture. Both of my parents are from the same side of the small island, therefore they were both often exposed to similar dances and music. A popular dance that they witnessed as children, and later grew to preform themselves was the Dinki Mini. The Dinki Mini is a folk dance that is performed on the eastern end of the Jamaican Island, typically in the parish St. Mary. After a person passes away, there is a celebration of their life called the Nine-Nights celebration. The original purpose of the Nine-Nights celebration was to cheer up the relatives of the deceased and was practiced openly during slavery (Joomla!).
The practice of celebrating life, as opposed to mourning death, can be traced back to the Congolese slaves that were brought to Jamaica to work on plantations (Williams). The Dinki Mini has direct roots in the Congo of Africa. …show more content…
It can be assumed that this is due to the perceived promiscuity of the dance. In the Dinki Mini, the dance movements are focused on the pelvis. Dancers rotate suggestively gyrate their hips as they move their bent legs in a heel to toe motion (Williams). The sensual moving of the hips doesn’t have a sexual meaning behind it. Rather, the movement of the pelvic region is performed in attempt to defy the death that has occurred (Joomla!). It symbolizes that although the family and community has suffered a great loss, that they will prevail because of their ability to reproduce. In the culture, the ability to reproduce life will always be victorious when battling