Limbo (dance) - History

History

The word 'limbo' is used to denote a form of dance that dates back to the 1950s. Limbo is a Trinidadian English derivative of 'limber'. Limber is a sixteenth century word used in the dialectical sense to refer to a cart shaft, alluding to its to and fro motion. "Consistent with certain African beliefs, the dance reflects the whole cycle of life". "The dancers move under a pole that is gradually lowered from chest level, and they emerge on the other side, as their heads clear the pole, as in the triumph of life over death".

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