http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2014/02/27/prompt-dance/

“When yuh married meh/i guh dance” – is a Guyanese proverb, which without the spelling adjustments to compensate for how it sounds with our accent, is saying ‘When you get married, I will dance”.

Music is a heavily ingrained part of my Caribbean culture so the idea of dancing is a very natural one. It’s not quite a get together or a lime if by the end of the night someone hasn’t hit the floor. When the chutney music comes on and my uncles start pulling up their pant legs to get low to the grown, it’s been a great night and it’s about to get to an entirely different level.

The saying I mentioned above is more of a familial thing. It’s generally said after you ask for a favor or you’ve been granted a boon by that person. You say it as a way of letting them know that you’re close enough to be there to celebrate with them on such a grandiose rite of passage and all that being there entails. You’re asserting the power and intimacy of your relationship as well as solidifying that you will always be there for them.

Also, there is no such thing as NOT dancing at weddings. At least, not at any West Indian weddings I’ve been to unless they refrain for conservative religious reasons. Everyone gets on the floor, from the oldest to the youngest and it’s always been a good time.

Obviously there is some meaning lost in cultural and familial nuance but that’s the best I can do to explain but I was very excited to share a part of my culture with you in today’s Daily Post / Prompt. I definitely put some music on while I was blogging and my couch has made an unresponsive but present dance partner. 🙂