My First Music Video

    When I finished with Latonya's training, I was invited to be part of my very first official music video with Dancehall dancer, artist, and organizer, Stacia Fyah.

 Stacia was a presence all on her own, bursting with femininity and artistic power. She is the creator of her own style that she has coined as "Confidence Dancehall", which is all about having confidence in your own body, and self to be the best dancer you can be.

 Stacia herself has strong ties and connections with the Reggae community, and was one of the original Dancehall queens back in the day. As a teacher, she is playful and humorous, inspiring her students to not only go full out, but add their own style and flavor to the Dancehall steps they learn. Stacia is well-known for having created steps such as: Fabulus, I-Bless, and Katankorous. She loves encouraging her students, and women in general to "shake up their Bam Bam."

From these ideas, came the vision for her music video, and single. When she asked me to be a part of the video, I was a little nervous. It was my first time being part of a project like this, and I didn't know what to expect. 

The first round of shooting was immediately after my training with Latonya, so needless to say, I did not come well dressed. Decked out in my war-torn, sweaty black sports bra and black shorts, I scrambled to make my hair and face not look like it was violently attacked by birds. Stacia said it looked fine, but I couldn't quite walk into the shoot with the right amount of confidence. 

The first shoot was inside Dance Jamaica, and I was joined by  Stacia Fyah, and two foreign girls, one a Dancehall student from Australia, and the other my friend from Finland who was also a Dancehall student and teacher. We began by rehearsing some of Stacia's steps that she had combined into a short choreography. After we rehearsed, we did a group shot with Stacia in the center, and the rest of us gathered around. 

Then came the individual shots. During this part, we all danced freestyle to the song while the camera man, ( Laddie, Latonya's brother) filmed some close ups. To be honest, at this point in my dance journey, I didn't feel as confident as I wanted to during this part. I was still developing and. perfecting my moves, but I definitely gave it my all and tried my best. 

After filming inside the studio, we decided to change location to the Dance Jamaica mural outside the studio. For this part of the shoot, we took the whole "shake up your Bam Bam" concept to a whole new level. By this, I mean that we decided to use big, bouncy yoga balls. This was definitely one of those moments in my life where I thought, "how did I end up here?". Sitting in front of this mural with a Jamaican artist bouncing on yoga balls, shaking our butts while all of it being captured on film. Needless to say, I did not shine in this ball bouncing part of the music video either, and instead Stacia decided to focus on my Finnish friend who seemed to take this task head on. When the ball scene ended, we decided to take a break and reconvene the next day to film the final scene.

A visual of the bouncy ball scene

The next day we filmed the final scene of the video. This time, the group of girls was a lot larger, so I was able to blend in. The dress code for this shoot was bright colors and floral prints, and since we had more time to prepare, I felt a lot more confident about my outfit. This part of the shoot also took place at Dance Jamaica, but this time the location changed to the entryway. As girls decked out in bright floral patterns slowly arrived, we spent the waiting time talking and connecting about our experiences in the country thus far. Most of the girls were foreign. Some were European Dancehall queens, some were students there traveling, and some were friends. When it finally came to film, we got into a tight formation of two lines of bright floral bootys, and our queen Stacia at the center. 

The group of girls for the last shoot ( me looking very unsure about what is happening.)

The line of floral bootys

Me before the shoot began

It felt great to be part of something so new in a country I was just getting to know As new as everything was, I felt like I was finally being welcomed into a community, and Jamaica was slowly becoming my new home. 

    

Training with the Queen

 When my time at the camp ended, it was time to move on to my next training. This time with the queen herself, Latonya Style. Before beginning her training, I came to know her from her famous A-Z videos she would post on Youtube that mainly consisted of her performing various Dancehall steps starting with a different letter of the Alphabet. This, however was only one tiny aspect of her greatness and magnitude in the Dancehall world. 

Latonya is not only a dancer and a teacher, but a certified business woman and CEO of her own company, owner of her own dance studio, and a well known and recognized cultural ambassador. She was one of the first Jamaican, female dancers to travel abroad to share her knowledge of Jamaican dance and culture, and subsequently opened her dance studio, Dance Jamaica to create a space where foreign dancers could come and learn Dancehall directly from the source. If you look back at Jamaican music videos from the early 2000's, Latonya is often the star, front row center leading the dancers in choreography and movement. To add to this, she has created her own brand, Stylish Moves, which includes her own steps that fuse Jamaican Dancehall with other styles such as jazz, hip hop, and Afro. She also has a clothing line, and various sets of manuals and tutorials that break down all of her steps, as well as "Old skool" and "Mid stool" female dance steps. 

I took my first real class with her the first time I visited Jamaica at her studio along with some other dancers. This time, it was just me and her alone. I had applied to be a Stylish Moves tutor and go through her training before returning to Jamaica this time around. The training was a week long, and lasted a minimum of four hours per day with small breaks in between. 

We began the training on Day 1 by going over some of the history of specifically Female Jamaican Dancehall, and some of the key moves and steps created throughout the various eras. Latonya didn't treat this as just a passing of information. In fact, I was required to take notes, and make sure I memorize everything she was saying. After the lecture finished, we went on to practice some of the steps she spoke about. Some of the steps we touched on were "Gogo Wine", "6:30", "Duck and Dive", and a lot more. I felt honored and overjoyed to be dancing in the presence of this Queen that I had so long admired. 

The next four days were dedicated solely to her "Stylish Moves" program, covering a variety of different steps created by her, covering all of the letters of the Alphabet. Our mornings were spent dancing, and going through the steps, followed by a short break of running to the restaurant next door to grab a nice snack and fruit. Much like the camp, at the end of the day I would finish sweaty and exhausted mentally and physically, but more inspired by the minute. On some of the days after training would finish, there would be an event at the studio, and I would sit in the corner as a fly on the wall, completely entrenched. 

During one of the days, Kool Ravers (a member of the group Ravers Clavers) came and taught a group of young children about Dancehall, and his famous dance move called "Fling". As the room filled with excited faces, wafting the scent of KFC and orange soda, you could feel the pulsations of excitement in the room. 

I was slowly taking everything in, still. The excitement was still far ahead of me.

Little did I know, I would soon become part of a music video. 

Latonya and I in front of the famous Stylish Moves Sign at Dance JA

Just casually posing outside Dance JA

First Picture of the Training

The Real Training Begins

     My first two weeks back in the country could only be described as a flurry of confusion, excitement, exhaustion, and growth. When I came back to Jamaica this time for three straight months,  I decided to spend my first three weeks in intense training. I started off by participating in a ten day camp hosted by the "Sopreme Blazzaz", a "New Skool" male and female dance group in Kingston, and ended with a week long training with one of my mentors, Latonya Style. 

    My third time stepping off the plane in Kingston wasn't any easier this time around. Although I had done it two times before, the knowledge I had gained from my previous two times didn't exactly help me this time around. I was just as flustered and unsure sweating under the intense, Kingston heat. It didn't help that just the night before I had found out that the hostel I had stayed at the first time in Kingston was in transition, and as a result, I had to make last minute plans to stay at a motel by myself until the transition was complete. 

    When the taxi dropped me off at the entrance gate, and I made my way to my room, I was left once again with the flashing thought of, " Is this really the right decision, Johanna?" After all, I had no idea what the camp was going to be like, or if it was even happening, I didn't know when the new location of the dance hostel would be ready to go, and I was stuck alone in a motel room, in Kingston with no food, internet, or anyone to talk to. Despite this once again rocky start, it did get better. 

    I woke up early the next morning and was able to find a room in a house to rent temporarily, last minute. I was met at the gate of the motel by my familiar friend and driver, Autoy. He graciously drove me to the grocery store to get food, brought me to my new place, then waited for me to unload my things, and finally dropped me off at the camp. ( I often joked with him that he was my Jamaican dad since he dropped me off and picked me up everywhere, knew my schedule, and always made sure I had food and water at all times.)

    To my great joy, the camp was in fact happening. When I walked through the entry way of the property, I was immediately welcomed by all the team members with an uplifting combination of hugs and  verbal greetings. One of them pushed a shirt into my hand, and asked me to put it on, and hurry since the first class was starting. The moment the music started playing, and the warm up began, I had an overwhelming feeling of joy and euphoria; so much so, that I wanted to cry. All the stress of the previous day melted away, and was replaced with a sense of security that told me I did make the right decision. That's why I was there. 

    The next few days of the camp started and ended in a similar way. I would arrive at 10AM at the time the camp started, hang out, wait around, and talk for at least an hour until the first class actually started, eat lunch, take more workshops, hang out after, and finally make my way down the dirt road where Autoy was waiting for me to take me home. I'd enter his taxi completely drenched in sweat with at least five empty water bottles, and almost always needed to make another stop before home for more water and food. Every time I entered through the gate, I was overtaken with a nervous energy, but I would leave completely invigorated and inspired. 

    The property where the camp took place (or the Sopreme Blazzaz HQ, as everyone called it) began with a long dirt road, and led to a few houses spread out a few feet away from each other. In the center was a meeting area where members of the group, family members, and friends sat talking, drinking, eating, and smoking. Dance classes were held at the end of the property in a half built house with a shade covering over the top. Lunch was made fresh every day, bringing a new Jamaican dish that was better than the last.

     The very last day of the camp was an excursion to some waterfalls that were a little drive away from the HQ. Once again, I arrived at the set aside meeting time of 9AM, which really meant we all waited until the actual departure time of 11:30, so the car could eventually arrive to take us to our destination. In typical Jamaica fashion, instead of enjoying a comfortable, relaxing drive through the countryside, we instead jammed 10 people and a speaker into two separate cars and hoped for the best. As I squished in to the same seat as the driver with three more next to me between the middle and the passenger seat, we made our way down the road. As we passed by beautiful, towering mountains, and zig zagged through narrow, winding roads, we reached the entrance to the gate. In order to make it up the hill in the jalopy, everyone had to get out of the vehicle, and push it. This pattern was repeated 4-5 times before we made it up the hill, and into the driveway entry to the falls. 

Me and the other campers getting ready for our next workshop at the HQ.

One of the many amazing meals cooked for us. This was stewed chicken ( as you can tell by my emojis)

     The entryway was similar to that of a National Park. It had a ticket booth, and a cafe in the middle with a large space for dining, where the classes for that day would be held. After a long trip, and two energetic dance workshops, we ordered. food and headed straight to the falls. As I sat in one of the warm pools created by the falls, I couldn't help but be so overcome with peace and contentment in my new home. 

All the campers standing in the dining area of waterfalls after the workshop.

My 3 Month Stay

     Upon my return from my second trip to Jamaica, I made three pretty rash decisions. The first one, was I was going to go back to Kingston once again for an undisclosed amount of time. This, in turn affected my other two rash and risky decisions, which were 1) that I wasn't going to go back to my full time teaching job I had secured, and 2) that I was leaving Santa Cruz, the place I had called home for the last 10 years. It was a rush and a whirlwind. I knew full well that what I decided to do could definitely back fire because of  its riskiness. I also knew, however that I had to do it, and if I didn't, I would spend the rest of my life regretting it. 

    I finished up the school year and spent my summer squeezing in a summer school teaching job, preparing to move, and making loose arrangements for my stay in Kingston. It all happened so fast, and before I knew it, I was on the road, my car stuffed full to my new life. I stopped in San Diego to store random belongings in my family members' homes, and, before I knew it, was on a flight to Kingston the next morning. 

....

    My trip, of course, did not go the way I planned, but it did end up being one of the most memorable experiences of my life. I ended up staying there for three full months, which ended up making me feel like I actually came closer to living there more than anything else. In three months, I ended up being in both a music video and an extra in a British movie, lived in three different places, became closely familiar with the Kingston bus and route taxi system, and got seriously schooled in quite a few aspects of Dancehall culture, music, and dance. I hiked to the top of a mountain to see all of Kingston, went on a few rocky boat trips to the small island of Lime Key, explored, in depth, the beauty of Hope Gardens, crammed in a car with ten other people on the way to hidden waterfalls, and basked in the beauty of Paint Jamaica. I bought groceries in downtown, and became a regular at Uptown Mondays, Boasy Tuesdays, and Day Rave on Thursdays. 

I left completely alive, and thankful that I was lucky enough to have this opportunity more than anything. I'll go into more detail about this experience in the following posts. 

My Second Real Party

 Going to and arriving at a Dancehall party with mostly foreigners is a completely different experience than tagging along with Jamaicans. This is why I felt a separate account of my second experience was more than necessary. Going with my teacher and his teammates meant I truly was going to see this part of the culture through completely different eyes. 

When I went to my first party with my group of friends at the hostel, all who were white, foreign, and girls, everything was in tip top order, from us leaving our apartment all the way to the trip back home. We got ready together, put on makeup while talking loudly, and left at or around the same time we planned. Getting ready with my teacher was a completely different experience. When he told me we would leave at 2AM, I took that quite literally, and was all set and ready to go at 2:10. Of course, I didn't know him saying that actually meant that's when the alarm would go off after the pre-party nap signaling it was time to start getting ready, that the rest of the team would be there at 3, and the taxi would be there closer to 330 to drop us at the party by 3:45. How naive I was!

After spraying ourselves with half a gallon of perfume and cologne, my teacher, the rest of his team, (and his 14 year old neighbor that decided to tag along), piled into the cramped taxi and headed out into the night. I was given the low down that I would have to enter at a separate time as the boys, and wait for them inside, which I did with a little hesitation. As we walked in, I was told to stick with the neighbor kid, who was going to look after me while the rest of the group headed to the center of the party. 

Walking in to the party, I had a similar feeling as when I went with my friends a few months before; all eyes on me, entering with hesitation; nervous, excited, and a little overwhelmed. While last time I stayed with my girlfriends on the outside, observing, this time I was pulled to what was basically the outer core of the Dancehall. Just as the center of the earth holds the planet's energy, the inside circle does the same for the entire party. Dancing there, and observing everyone was an energetic overflow. I could literally feel it in my veins; the emotion and the fire that rose out of the dancing taking place in that circle was insane. All the while, the neighborhood kid, which in my eyes, age-wise, was a child, became more of an adult than me, transforming into my protector, watching over me as instructed by my teacher while he went to work.

When the party was done closer to 6AM, the exit was not as clear cut as the time before either. While my foreign friends and I made a smooth, clear exit the time before, this time, we stayed and participated in the entire post party mingling, greeting, and handshaking. When that finally ended closer to 7AM, we piled into the taxi once again to reach home just as the heat of the day crept in. 

After all of this, the dancing late at night, epic long party experiences, and sleeping and staying with a real Jamaican household it was still clear to me that I was not yet done. I still needed more time for this place to sink in. My teacher at this point had become more like my best friend, and his family soon became similar to my own, and now I knew I really and truly has a place to return to. 

A classic, post-party shot 

Staying in my first Jamaican household

 My experience in Jamaica very quickly transformed from a quick trip to take a couple classes into a full blown life experience that would transform the years to come. From almost the moment I touched down back in California, I already had my next trip planned and booked in less than a full season. Of course, this time was not any different from the last, in that the trip I had planned in my head was completely different than the experience that was thrown before me. 

This time around, I only had 6 full days in the country, which meant I had to pack even more in than I did that first time around. My "plan" was to stay with my teacher, and his family, and get a foundation in the Old Skool rhythms of Dancehall. It seemed simple in my mind, and, without much planning, I was stepping off the plane into the sweltering heat once again. Before I knew it, I was rushed into an old jalopy driven by my teachers' good friend and driven to the neighborhood that I was briefly introduced to a few months earlier. Stepping out of the car, I shed the whirlwind of my red eye flight and bumpy car ride, and could once again feel the calm that being in Jamaica brought me. 

While my last trip had been an introduction to Jamaica as a whole, this trip was my up and close introduction to the way of life in Kingston. The house was small, with three makeshift rooms that each led into one another. At least two people slept in every room, except if there was family visiting, which increased the number to 3 or 4 . The yard, where classes were held, was all dirt, leading to a pathway of chicken coops and clotheslines. With music playing at least 12 hours a day, and the almost twice a day video game gatherings, personal space was considered a luxury. Despite me being a complete stranger, I was welcomed as a member of the family. My six days were spent eating an Easter dinner of fried chicken and pasta salad, playing video games with the group of neighborhood boys, kicking a soccer ball with the little kids, hanging up laundry, and participating in the occasional class led by my teacher in the yard to a group of foreigners passing by. So much was packed in, with time flying by and standing still at the same time. 

When the lively chaos of the day time subsided, the magical evenings set in. My first night of learning took place on top of the entry gate to the house. As people in the community passed by under the darkness of the night, my teacher explained to me the different time periods in Dancehall music. We started with the beginning, with Old Skool and Rock Steady, to the Mid Skool era recounting the radio war between Vybz Kartel and Mavado, ending with the New Skool era we are in right now. The next few evenings panned out the same way, this time dancing to the steps. We covered about 20 in total, with my teacher struggling to break down the barriers of my current movement style, often throwing up his arms, confused why I moved like a "cardboard box". We were able to break through some, thankfully. I learned to pick my feet up more, put more detail into my movement, and actually started to feel the tiny nuances that went into step. 

We skimmed the surface, which was the best that we could do in 6 days, and although I wanted to come back from this trip completely transformed, I knew the depth at which I wanted to explore Dancehall would take significantly longer. 

But first, I had to go to another party...

A Quick Note at Being a Guest in Someone Else's Culture

Taking into consideration what is going on in our world right now, I thought I would address the topic of cultural respect and acknowledgement as it pertains to Dancehall. I personally operate in a distinct realm because I am a foreigner who has a strong passion for a cultural dance that is not my own. The harsh truth is, is that there are many people in my same position. Some people do acknowledge that, and consistently pay respect to the creators within this movement, and when confronted with the reality of the racial inequity that exists within the United States, will actively fight against it.

 There are some people who don't, however. Some people will dance the steps, create choreography, and not realize the bigger picture they are existing within. They will never travel to the country where the dance originated from, they will never give credit to the creators of the movement, and when it comes to a political movement, they will remain "neutral", and try to not get involved. This is why this is a necessary dialogue to have.

This problem doesn't solely exist within Dancehall, of course. There are many people that dance Hip Hop, Salsa, and even Jazz, without fully recognizing the cultural context in which they are operating. Dancehall just pertains to me, and my own journey. The real root of this issue remains, ( and is universal), which is that if you dance a dance of Afro peoples, you need to be deliberately anti-racist by: consistency paying respect to that culture, checking your knowledge, and your training, and being on the front line of the Anti-racist fight.

Dancehall itself is not just a dance. It is not just music. It is a culture. Dancehall rose from the ashes of poverty as an expression of the hardships of daily life in Jamaica. The movement is rich with history, and characteristics of the streets of Kingston. Many dancers don't only dance because it is their passion or because they are following their bliss, they dance because they have to. It's a means of survival, and a way of bridging the gap, and creating a better life for themselves and their families. So, when foreigners begin learning the movement from Youtube, or another foreigner, and then start teaching, and never step foot in Jamaica, or take a class from a Jamaican, they are only adding to the problem.

They forget that, ultimately, they are a guest in this culture. When you're invited over for dinner at someone's house, you don't just ring the doorbell, take the food and leave. You come in, you pay respect to the person who invited you, you dine with them, hold a conversation, and when you leave, you give thanks. This is how we should approach our position as foreigners in Dancehall.

For me personally, I never wanted to teach Dancehall, because I loved it so much. I thought it wasn't appropriate to teach it because it wasn't mine to share. I only started teaching because I had two master teachers in Jamaica who told me that I, out of anyone was a good person to share the movement in my city because I could properly educate my students on it. When I eventually did for this very reason, I made it my mission to educate my students not only on the steps, but who created them. As of now, it is my goal not only to do this, but to take my students there too, and bring Jamaicans to my city to teach as well.

So, I personally wanted to make it clear that my documentation of my dance journey, and my journey within Dancehall is not just a surface approach. For me, properly sharing the culture goes hand in hand with my passion, which goes hand in hand with the anti-racist fight happening in our country,    ( and our world) at this very moment.

I have included a link with resources about how to take action in this fight below.

https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co