Arts Entertainments

Dancehall Queen is the most complete Jamaican movie to learn Jamaican patois and slang without weapons

Dancehall Queen is one of those movies that anyone who is attracted to Jamaica or who lives in Jamaica has seen at least once in their life. I have watched Dancehall Queen several times, and each time I notice something new. This weekend was no exception, as I decided to rewatch Dancehall Queen.

After watching Dancehall Queen this time, I think it is the most complete movie to learn Jamaican patois, slang and Jamaican culture from day to day for most Jamaicans. Dancehall Queen is the story of a downtown Kingston street vendor named Marcia (played by Audrey Reid) who tries her luck to become the queen of a dancehall contest hosted by Beenie Man, the self-proclaimed King of Dancehall. Marcia, is a single mother of two girls who does what she has to do to ensure that her daughters receive the best education and life, but this becomes costly when her eldest daughter, Tania, a young teenage girl is forced to sleep with Larry. (played by Carl Davis). Larry is the breadwinner or sugar daddy who pays for Marcia’s kids to go to uptown schools, while Marcia works the street stall with her brother, Junior (played by Mark Danvers). Once Tania tells Marcia that she wants nothing to do with Larry and is bothered by her mother’s dependence on Larry, Marcia begins to find alternative methods to earn money. As Marcia hones her dance floor skills, her brother, Junior, spends his time hiding from Priest (played by Paul Campbell), the man who stabbed and killed his friend, and the chief of police (played by Carl Bradshaw). . Once Marcia learns that Larry and Priest are no good, she devises a plan to make sure neither of them ever hurt her family again as she competes to be the Queen of Dancehall.

The best thing about Dancehall Queen is that the movie is made up of Jamaican actors who speak the Jamaican language, Patois. There are very few instances where standard English is spoken in the film. This is excellent for the Jamaican Patois student because the key phrases are spoken in the appropriate contexts. You really couldn’t ask for more because you can hear patois in all of life’s major settings, like interacting with your parents, friends, the police, boyfriend / girlfriend, and strangers on the street. Also, Dancehall Queen differs from other Jamaican movies in that there is no excessive gun violence. The film contains elements of comedy, while still some of the truths and difficulties of Jamaican life, especially for the people of downtown Kingston.

In addition to the ability to learn an immense number of Jamaican Patois, there are many aspects of Jamaican culture and life that are depicted in the film. This film focuses on the daily life of the people as opposed to the police or the “bad man” that appear in so many other Jamaican films. For example, in one scene, Tania brings home a boy from the “uptown” of her school to her home “downtown” for her mother and sister to join her. At first, his mother, Marcia, reacts strangely to his presence, but eventually accepts it. This division between uptown and downtown is very prominent in Jamaican culture. Generally, the upper zone is home to the most economically privileged people, while the center is home to the least educated and economically less privileged people. This is just one example of the many cultural niceties at play. You see the interaction of the Jamaican countryside people with the townspeople of Kingston, the relationship between single mothers and men who act as father figures to their children, and of course you experience dancehall culture.

The idea of ​​a dancehall queen is very common in Jamaica and now all over the world. There are dancehall competitions all over the world. These contests were inspired by the Jamaican dancehall contests. In fact, foreigners have gone to Jamaica and won dancehall competitions. Like reggae, dance halls and dancehall competitions are elements of Jamaican culture that have been exported to the world. The movie provides a good foundation for what dancehall competitions are like, but it shouldn’t be the last resort to learning this aspect of Jamaican culture.

In conclusion, Dancehall Queen is a positive film that highlights many aspects of Jamaican culture, but also teaches us to reach for the stars and maybe dreams will come true.

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