Afrontāl is one of India’s groups that hope to popularise Afro-Jamaican arts. Immerse yourself in the bass-synced moves with a weekend of workshops hosted by Maryan Vincent and her team.
Typically an underground scene bubbling up to the mainstream circuit, the dancehall and afrobeats realms are a cultural verge of the music and dance from Jamaica and Western and Eastern Africa.
Founder Maryan Vincent shares “It’ll be an intensive workshop on the first day where we’ll be doing foundation moves in groups. On the second day, we’ll be mixing it up and teaching a routine which will expose participants to the choreography of this genre. So we’re hoping to spark or trigger an interest in people because the styles are relatively new in the country and it’s being picked up here and there.”
Earthen story
A long-time follower of the genre, Maryan always found herself resonating with the culture and lifestyle. Her sister introduced her to it, namely Jamaican dancehall artist Elephant Man. “They’re not exactly old school artists but they are some of the pioneers of this sub-culture, well as Ding Dong and Yellowman. So I drifted into the scene, and started meeting people through work and friends who appreciated it too. We decided to make it a thing and built the team up with more dancers from Bengaluru.” Maryann admits she hopes for this to be a full-on movement across the country.
Just over a year old, the team has accomplished a lot; they got their first break with Reggae Rajahs when they opened for Major Lazer at the Mad Decent Block Party in 2016. They’ve headlined celebrations of Reebok’s collaboration with Kendrick Lamar and at the Goa Sunsplash Festival this year. Having covered Bengaluru and Chennai, the group has Hyderabad next on its list as well as the north.
Flavourful moves
“There’s this song,” Maryan starts, “called Kutu Sa by Mista Silva which means ‘dance low’ and I kind of kept that as a model for Afrontāl, and we tell it to everyone who comes to us. Basically, the dancing is very grounded and low towards the earth, but at the same time it’s super light, carefree and happy. So it’s pretty hard hard to find that balance between staying low and being light. Plus, it’s not easy to do the perfect squat; knowing where to balance your weight and how to hold your legs. But mastering that adds a lot of flavour while connecting with the bass. So when people see the dance, it looks incredibly fun— but when they come try it, it’s a little tricky because their bodies haven’t experienced moving that way.”
So next time you’re at an Afro-Jamaican concert, take a page out of Afrontāl’s book and show the party you can move to beat of the sun.
Afrontāl will be hosting In Da ‘Fro at Jxtapose, Road no 32, Jubilee Hills on July 8 (5 - 8pm) and July 9 (5 - 7pm). Register by calling 9535446032 or 9940429714; workshop fees are ₹1000.
