Kelli Simms

Music Cultural Report

Prof. Clendinning
Nov. 17, 2014
UniverSoul Circus: Caribbean Callaloo
Introduction:
I attended the UniverSoul Circus, which took place at the Greensboro Coliseum in the parking lot
area on November 16th. UniverSoul is the only African-American circus in the United States and features
acts from around the globe, such as Chinese aerialists, Ethiopian acrobats, and Columbian
motorcyclists (UniverSoul 2014). I was able to see several of the performances and decided to focus
on the act by Caribbean Callaloo, a Trinidad dance group that enacted the Trinidad Carnival.
History and Background:
In the mid-1990s, entrepreneur Cedric Walker was looking for new forms of family
entertainment that centered on African American culture and tradition. He discovered an African
American owned circus and decided to combine its traditional elements with African traditions from
around the world, including modern hip-hop. He aimed to provide soul entertainment, drenched in
Afro-centric beats and rhythms and eventually created the UniverSoul circus (Staff, 2011). The circus
has several different acts, each representative of a different culture or country that has roots in African
tradition. One of the most traditional and history-rich acts is the dance performance from Trinidad,
which features characters from Carnival and customary dance styles from West Africa (UniverSoul
2014).
The Trinidad Carnival had its beginning in the late 1700s, when the French brought culture and
the Carnival to Trinidad along with multitudes of African slaves. During the time between Christmas and
Lent, the white slave owners would throw elaborate parties and masquerades. However, the African
slaves were banned from such festivities and instead, the slaves made their own Carnival by emulating
their owners behavior while adding traditional African folklore and rituals. In 1838, the Africans were
freed and the Carnival became a melting pot of new cultures and immigrant populations as they came to
Trinidad. It symbolizes the union of cultures from all over the world while still maintaining what makes
each country unique and special (Carnival, 2014).
There are several traditional characters seen in Carnival festivities, including the Moko Jumbie,
Jab Jab, and Dame Lorraine. The most recognizable of the characters is perhaps the Moko Jumbie, a stilt
dancer. The added height from the stilts was believed to allow the dancer to forsee evil faster than

Kelli Simms
Music Cultural Report
Prof. Clendinning
Nov. 17, 2014
ordinary men, making the Moko Jumbie a symbol of protection in West Africa. The stilts are often ten to
fifteen feet high and are brightly colored to match the long pants and satin jacket worn by the
performer (Katz, 2013). Throughout the years, traditional styles of characters have been mixed with
modern design, the most famous being the giant puppets created by Peter Minshall in the late 1980s,
whose hands and feet were controlled by a performer underneath (Ganase).
In addition, the Carnival has been attributed as the origin to several distinct types of music.
During the same time that the Carnival was being founded by the African plantation slaves, calypso
music was developed in Trinidad from the West African Kaiso and canboulay music. This style of music
soon gave rise to soca music, which is a form of dance music combining calypso with Indian instruments
and rhythms. Soca music is mainly credited to Garfield Blackman, who began blending calypso music
with the dholak, the tabla, and the dhantal (Soca Music 2014). During this time, the limbo also began
to gain popularity. The limbo has its origins in West Africa, where it was an indication of physical fitness.
The limbo and other traditional West African dance styles are often seen throughout Carnival (The
Cultural Meanings of Limbo 2014).
Modern music has also become an important part of the Carnival. The Carnival Road March is a
musical composition chosen each year to be played at the judging points along the Carnival parade in
Trinidad. It has been given to a soca-style song every year since 1932 and is one of the most prestigious
awards given during the Carnival. In 2014, the award was given to Machel Montano for his song
Ministry of Road (MOR), which was also nominated for the Best International Performance at the Soul
Train Awards in Las Vegas (Machel Montano 2013).
The Carnival and its traditions spread throughout the world, causing Trinidad and Tobago to
become a major tourist attractions. Its fame inspired several Carnivals in cities throughout the world,
such as New York, Toronto, Miami, and London.
Description of Performance:
Immediately when the circus began, it was apparent it was not of the traditional style. Two
comedians opened the show by dancing to a modern hip-hop song and encouraging the audience to
interact with the performances. Throughout the circus, audience members yelled out encouragements

Kelli Simms
Music Cultural Report
Prof. Clendinning
Nov. 17, 2014
and exclamations of surprise during complicated tricks, even getting up to dance in the aisles during
songs they recognized.
Every performance was associated with a different country from around the globe, which was
related to the audience along with a short description of the meaning of the event. In addition, the
announcer brought the audience into that certain culture or country for each performance. For
example, during the Columbian motorcycle performance, the announcer had the audience count down
in Spanish to signal the start of the act.
I chose to focus on the Caribbean dance group from Trinidad, as they seemed to have the most
history-rich performance. The Caribbean Callaloo was a dance group from Trinidad, and featured men
and women performers in white flowy attire with yellow accents dancing to Ministry of Road, a song
by Machel Montano. This song was the Road March for the most recent Trinidad Carnival and held true
to the soca-style by featuring several traditional Indian instruments and rhythms. The dance featured
the traditional Moko Jumbie performers on stilts, as well as the more modern puppets created by Peter
Minshall. There was also several fire-breathing acts and torches carried by the dancers. In addition,
there were several men playing the djembe drum (traditional goblet drum from West Africa) on straps
around their neck. The limbo was also a part of the performance, and along with the African drums,
helped to relate back to the West African roots of the Carnival. Throughout the performance, the Moko
Jumbie dancers entered the crowd and encouraged the audience to dance with them.
The dancing featured high swinging arms and stomping the ground, with most of the performers
wearing red, green, or yellow ruffled outfits that seemed to be more Latin-American in style. The piece
showcased a unique tradition of African culture, similar to the other acts throughout the circus.
However, this performance seemed to have the most roots in traditional African dance styles and music,
while the other performances seemed to be more modern.
Opinion and Conclusion:
I went to the circus with little to no background information and therefore was surprised by the
global quality of the event. I respected the fact that the announcers and performers tried to involve the
audience in each individual culture, by teaching certain words in the native language or explaining the
history behind traditional dance and music. I was surprised however, that the circus featured hip-hop

Kelli Simms
Music Cultural Report
Prof. Clendinning
Nov. 17, 2014
music and dance often seen in rap videos. I realized upon completing my research that the inventor
simply wanted to showcase African-based traditions from all over the world, including music and dance
from the United States. The atmosphere was excited and interactive, and provided African-Americans a
place to experience their culture and traditions in places all over the globe. I truly enjoyed the circus
and was impressed by the entertainment as well as knowledge and tradition that the circus was able to
showcase
Bibliography:
"Carnival." Carnival. January 1, 2014. Accessed November 16, 2014.
"The Cultural Meaning of the Limbo Dance." Jambalayah.com. Accessed November 16, 2014.
"Emancipation Day." Emancipation Day. January 1, 2014. Accessed November 17, 2014.
Ganase, Pat. "Lord of the Dance: Peter Minshall." Caribbean Beat Magazine. Accessed November 16,
2014.
Harney, Stefano. Nationalism and Identity Culture and the Imagination in a Caribbean Diaspora. Jamaica:
University of the West Indies Press, 2006.
Katz, David. "Dancing in the Dragon's Den: The Moko Jumbies of Trinidad." Music Academy. January 29,
2013. Accessed November 16, 2014.
"Machel Montano Worldwide Nominations on the Eve of His 33rd Year in the Music Business." CHE
KOTHARI. January 1, 2014. Accessed November 16, 2014.
"Soca Music." Princeton University. Accessed November 16, 2014.
Staff. "Black Entrepreneur Profile: Cedric Walker "Founder of the UniverSoul Circus"" IPower 921 RSS.
February 26, 2011. Accessed November 16, 2014.
"UniverSoul Circus." UniverSoul Circus. Accessed November 16, 2014.