2025 Theses Doctoral

‘Mo Bele for Grenada’: A Culturally Relevant Approach to Honoring Our Ancestors Through Grenadian Folk Dance as an Offering for Education

Roberts, Shola K.

Grenada, located in the eastern Caribbean, is known as the Spice Isle or Greenz and is rooted in the cultural practices that are the essence of what makes a Grenadian a Grenadian. The island of Grenada is rooted in productive folk dances, song, and drumming that go back centuries; however, there is a lack of documentation of such practices on a scholarly level.

With this study, I have declared myself a Traditional Torch Bearer and acknowledge the role of being a Grenadian who has been honored with the job of passing down the traditions of my ancestors, community, and peers to those who are right behind me. I am the vessel carrying forth the traditions of my Grenadian culture which speaks to my entry into the problem and has led me to my inquiry sparking this research. This qualitative study described and explained how Grenadian Folk Dance embodies and how oral traditions inform and impact the personal, professional, and civic identities of dance education practices for contemporary practitioners.

Compartmentalized into two phases, I described in Phase I the experiences of five Grenadian dance pioneers as well as the original intention and function of Grenadian Folk Dance and its relevance to current practices. In Phase II, I carried out a qualitative phenomenological case study focusing on six secondary-level students who either attend or will eventually attend tertiary-level institutions on the island of Grenada. Both phases used one-on-one interviews to gather data about the participants’ experience with Grenadian Folk Dance Additionally, in Phase II, content artifacts and observations were used as supplemental data collection instruments.

As a result, Making Meaning and Identity, Resilient, Passion, Purpose and Pride, and Empowered were identified as themes in Phase I. In Phase II, the themes included Dance Course as a Living History and Reconnecting to Community; Identifying Value, Pride, and Informative Lived Experiences; and Supporting Positive Identity Development. The data analysis revealed how this study captured the entities of Ubuntu, the soil, roots, and trees, by highlighting how Grenadian Folk Dance embodies and oral traditions informed and impacted dance education practices for contemporary practitioners by building continuity, foundations, and cultural significance. Furthermore, the study highlighted how the artistic and individual practices of contemporary dancers are informed and improved through Grenadian Folk Dance pedagogical training.