Caribbean Music & Dance

Caribbean music is also greatly influenced by the region’s history. Popular Caribbean music, such as zouk, soca, reggae and calypso, originated in Haiti, Jamaica, and Trinidad. The popularity of these musical forms today is proof of the enduring legacy of Caribbean culture.

Caribbean dance and music complement each other well. Music can be heard wherever people congregate in the Caribbean. Distinctive musical styles can be found on each island, but each musical style is designed for dancing.

Festival and street dancing are the most well-known form of dancing throughout the Caribbean.

There are numerous forms of dancing throughout the region and Jamaican jonkonnu dancing is a popular form of folk dancing. Distinctive elements of Caribbean and African culture have been mixed in with salsa dancing. Top Caribbean Festivals include Carnival, Trinidad & Tobago, Junkanoo Festival, Bahamas, New Year’s Eve, Jost Van Dyke, British Virgin Islands, St. Patrick’s Day, Montserrat

Patois, a mixture of African languages and English, is the most spoken local dialect in the Caribbean.