Photo Credit: Teddy Frederick 2020, Grenada Film Company
Bèlè or Belair is a bare-foot folk dance which resembles the historical European Lancers and Quadrille dances, and incorporates African elements that define it today. Two versions of the Bélé are usually performed, the Bélé (plain) and the Grand Bélé. The women–costumed in brightly coloured head scarves, long-sleeved dresses and long white-laced petticoats–and men–in gandy shirts, red headband, white trousers or dungarees and bracelets–move to the beat of drums, with stylised and sensual foot movements. It is often referred to as the oldest Creole dance in the region and is common in the islands with colonial French influences.
Even though this ICH element has not been documented in this first pilot inventorying fieldwork due to limited resources and timeframe, some local dance companies are doing efforts to keep this element alive and have recognized and expressed the need to do more research and fully document this living heritage element in further ICH inventorying initiatives.
If you are involved in transmitting and/or practicing Bèlè or Belair Dance in your community and wish to share more information and material (oral testimonies, photos, videos, interviews), please feel free to contact Grenada National Trust and help us to keep alive this important element.
