The dance however was very frantic, roared,
rattled, twanged, contorts and tumbles and lasted for quite awhile. The Banjo was used as
a musical instrument in the music as well.
Musicians sit kinda in a circle and play a bamboula
melody which is characterized by a precise rhythm, while some of the women form a "chorus",
singing and clapping their hands, and the men bow and the ladies curtsy. A male dancer would
step into this ring and start his dance and chants "Aye Ya Yi." Sooner or later
he dances over to another female and takes her hand, guiding here into the circle, Stands
her before him and starts to dance for her. During this time the musicians become more frantic
in their playing and the female chorus grows more sharp and staccato in nature. During this
fervor, another couple enters the ring and starts their dance and yet another enters. The
dance is very frantic know, with leaps, chanting, the feet start moving in motions not seen
before. As one dancer tires out through exhaustion, falls to the ground, he is pulled out
of the circle by his feet or arms and another enters the ring and this could last for hours.
The musicians would play for hours, changing rhythms
during their span of playing. As time goes on, even the spectators would get caught up in
the dance. It has been written (The
Century Magazine, a popular quarterly vol. 31, issue 4, Feb. 1886) that the dance was
eventually stopped by the police in Congo Square and only
the music survived. It has been reported that the dance still survives in the Virgin Islands
and the music is danced to during Mardi Gras in New Orleans
by the "Bamboula Queens."
Other Bamboula Notes: A island town named Bamboula flourished
during the Bronze Age (between 13th - 11th century BC) located on the outskirts of the modern
village of Episkopi, along the southwestern coast of Cyprus and near the modern harbor town
of Limassol. Also there is a cooked Beef recipe called Bamboula.
(note: this page contains racial terms not used today, but are relevant
to the times and of this dance, they should in no way be considered the webmasters way of
thinking).
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