UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA RIVERSIDE Take a Wine and Roll “IT”!: Breaking Through the Circumscriptive Politics of the Trini/Caribbean Dancing Body A Dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Critical Dance Studies by Adanna Kai Jones March 2016 Dissertation Committee: Dr. Anthea Kraut, Chairperson Dr. Marta E. Savigliano Dr. Amalia Cabezas Copyright by Adanna Kai Jones 2016 The Dissertation of Adanna Kai Jones is approved: Committee Chairperson University of California, Riverside ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS You know how at fundraisers they say, “Every penny counts,” well the same applies to the process of dissertating. Every hug, every smile, every cheer, every piece of advice, every rough draft read, every second of listening, every book borrowed, every meal offered, every dollar granted, and every prayer sent on my behalf, all of these moments pushed me closer to the very real moment of completion. According to the south African philosophy of ubuntu, meaning “I am because we are,” I could only have made it here because of each and every one of you who hugged, smiled, cheered, mentored, read, listened, shared, cooked, and prayed for me. We all participated in a journey that has not only changed how I approach learning and teaching, but it has also changed how I view myself, as well as my purpose in this world. For each and every one of these necessary moments, I am eternally grateful. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart, mind, and soul. And now it is time for the “shout-outs!” With regards to funding for my research in both Trinidad and Barbados, I am grateful for the support of the Dissertation Research Grant and the Dissertation Year Program Fellowship, both of which were received through the University of California, Riverside. I am also thankful for the Dissertation Writers' Retreat in Big Bear, which I attended during the summer of 2014. There, my writing mentor, Janet O’Shea, offered insightful advice on how to turn my ethnographic data into a functioning dissertation. Additionally, I am appreciative of the astute feedback given to me on my introductory chapter during my attendance at the fourth annual Mellon Summer Seminar in Dance Studies, held at Northwestern University. Lastly, I must iv acknowledge that a truncated version of this chapter four can be found in The Oxford Handbook of Screendance Studies (2016). Thank you to Oxford University Press and the book’s editor, Douglas Rosenberg, for permitting me to use the peer review feedback to sculpt a stronger version of what is now chapter four of my dissertation. From my informants to mentors, to cheerleaders, readers, and listeners, there would be no dissertation without your support. Thanks to all of my LA-Caribbean informants/friends/family—especially the Garcia family, Cassandra Chase, Chandra Chase, Jair Aurel, and Sarah Zibowsky—my Trinidad-based informants/friends/family— especially my God-mother Coopsie, Kambon Mason, the Wilson family, Gru’mum, Aunty Nixie, Aunty Glenda, Carla Boyce, and Ryan Harry—my Barbados-based informants/friends/family, and lastly my New York and New Jersey-based informants/friends/family. I am so appreciative of you all for taking care of me, looking out for me, feeding me, driving me around, and especially for opening your homes, lives, and hearts to me. Your investment in my research and belief in my work and in me is invaluable; I would never take you all for granted. Thank you all for trusting me with your stories. To Winston Thompson, Nawala Salim, Anne Eller, and Alistair Williams, thank you for allowing me to take out books, download articles, and access files through your affiliations to the libraries at Columbia University, New York University, Yale University, and Rutgers University. Because of you, I was able to stay connected to academe during my years away from UCR. To my readers—Justin Rose, Adom Philogene Heron, Meghan Quinlan, Hannah Schwadron, Nyama McCarthy-Brown, v Mario LaMothe, A’Keitha Carey, and Emily Mattingly—how blessed am I to have you all in my corner. You really helped me to clean up my act! All of your feedback played a big role in clarifying my writing. With that said, I need to give a special shout-out to Meghan Q, who (like a magical dissertation fairy) helped me to make sense out of what is now chapter two. Chapter two came into existence in the eleventh hour of my final editing stage, and Meghan’s invaluable feedback played a big role in keeping that chapter manageable. Thank you Meg for reading three drafts in seven days. You are my blessing. To my #PhDentourage, aka my #RideOrDies, aka my #HeartAndSoulFamily who stayed with me from the beginning to the end—Melissa Templeton, Cymphonee Williams, Osiris Senghor, Aakia Seymour, Marpessa Sanchez-Dominique, Elizabeth Kurien, and Fatimah Muhammad—to my grad-school mentor, Mark Broomfield, and to my #SoCal support system—April Smith, my roomies (Jeffrey & Nick), Tanya Rawal- Jindia, Alvin Rangel, Alfonso Cervera, Irvin Gonzalez, and Xiomara Forbez—thank you all for your kind words, your unwavering encouragement, your cooking, your hugs and laughter, and your salient pep-talks, as well as our “wine-time,” our whimsical movie outings, and our late-night study sessions. I am especially grateful for the moments you made time to listen to me when I was at my lowest or when I was most “confused” on how to translate my data into a chapter. (I must send special shout-outs to Justin, Adom, and especially Osiris for enduring the many-many-many lengthy brainstorming sessions, over Skype, with me. I must give further recognition to Mel T for allowing me to use her office when I was in dire need of a quiet space. Because of your generosity, I was able to produce the first full draft of my dissertation. I love you friend !.) Ultimately, you all vi made the process of dissertating manageable by bringing your love and light into my life; for that, I am truly grateful. Moreover, I must take a moment to express my gratitude towards Paul Ryer, an honorary member of my dissertation committee. Thank you for reading all of the extremely rough drafts of my chapters; I was always amazed at how you were somehow still able to see the value in my writing after reading those drafts. Thank you for the constant encouragement, the laughs, and your unwavering belief in my potential. And, with regards to my official, and rather amazing, dissertation committee, I must profess my profound indebtedness to you all and express my gratitude for all of your esteemed mentorship in all aspects of my life. Amalia Cabezas, thank you for your powerful advice and encouragement. You have my back no matter what, even when things seem hardest. I also appreciate your tough-love and tireless desire to push me to be the best scholar I can be. Marta Elena Savigliano, my first chair, how blessed I am to call you my guru. Your advice and critical inquiry inspire me to push beyond the limits of traditional scholarship, to never be satisfied with the “easy” answer, and to be the best writer/ethnographer I can be (even if that means “getting in trouble” every now and again). You are the voice that I hear in the first stages of my writing. Anthea Kraut, there are just not enough words; thank you for stepping in at the eleventh hour and pushing me to clarify my thoughts, emotions, and winin’ into this here dissertation. Your straightforward approach to writing was invaluable to keeping my scholarship clear yet complex. And as much as I complained about “mapping out each chapter,” I am truly grateful for every piece of vii advice you have offered. Thank you all; you women are my greatest inspirers. I am profoundly honored to know that you are in my corner. Lastly, I must take time to shower my family with love and appreciation, for if it were not for your strong backbones, I would have nothing to stand upon. Honestly, saying “thank you” is not enough. We all went through the worst year and a half of our lives together, and somehow we made it through the darkness and into the light, stronger and even more motivated. It was because of your strength that I was able to make it to the #Ph_inishe_D line. Know that I am eternally grateful to you all for absolutely everything you have done in support of me getting here, to this point in life. From money, to food, to hugs, to laughter, to tough-love and tough-words, I express the deepest of thanks to you all—Johanna, Kweli, Kia, Jamaal, Derrick, Kwasi, Ade, Mommy, and Daddy. I love you for always. Axé! viii DEDICATIONS Firstly, I dedicate my dissertation to my powerful brother, Kwasi, who went through hell and back just to survive the anti-black racisms of the United States of America. I thank you for your strength and endurance. In channeling you, I forever strive: to be stronger than my excuses … to be vaporous, not unlike my tears … to be fluid and constant, like a stream of knowledge and memories as it empties out into the sea … to be the sea itself, which collects the world’s knowledge … and to then pour myself, like the energy of the sea, onto the page as to provide salve and overstanding to those souls who hurt and are blinded by the pain. I love you for always. Thank you for being the best big brother anyone could ask for! Also, in loving memory of those who passed during my journey to completing my PhD, I further dedicate my dissertation to Aunty Jackie, my matrilineal grandparents, Auntie Sheila and Granddad George, and my homegirl, Madelyn (a.k.a.