[This is a complete reprint of Part II of a four part 2012 pancocojams series of posts on the African roots, and the music & dance traditions of the Bamboula in the Caribbean, and in the United States. All of the 2012 posts in this series are still available on this blog.]
This post focuses on descriptions of the Bamboula dance in the Caribbean, and features several videos of the Bomba, which is considered to be similar to the Bamboula.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/09/bamboula-dance-and-music-then-now-part.html for a 2026 complete reprint of Part I of this series that was published in 2012. That post provides an overview of the Bamboula, and features several videos of dance traditions from a few African ethnic groups in West Africa, the region from which most Black people who were enslaved in the Caribbean and the Americas came.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/01/bamboula-dance-and-music-then-now-part_10.html for Part 3 of this series. That series focuses on the Bamboula in the United States, features a 19th century sound file entitled "Bamboula", features selected videos of contemporary gatherings in Congo Square in New Orleans, Louisiana. Part IV focuses on showcasing selected videos of music that was inspired by the Bamboula and/or Congo Square.
These posts are presented for historical, folkloric, educational, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and all those who are featured in these videos. Thanks also to all the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
The bamboula a dance, and music and drumming tradition, with African origins, is cousin to the "bomba,” a folkloric tradition, which still thrives in Puerto Rico. Brought to the Caribbean by enslaved Africans, the bamboula is a dramatic dance of rebellion and determination.
Versions have survived in Guadeloupe, St. Lucia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
Marked by swaying hips, trembling of the body and dramatic drum accents, the bamboula dance can go on for hours, with audience members joining in. A traditional heartbeat played on the drum speeds up and inspires the dancers’ movements, which accelerate and climax in response to the drums.
Chenzira Kahina, managing director of Per Ankh Institute in St. Croix in the Virgin Islands dances the bamboula at cultural events and teaches it too. She says it’s a powerful dance, where the dancers and drummers are both animated, and "the dancers are fully engaged with feet, shoulders, waist, hips and breasts." -snip- From "Candombe, African Nations, and the Africanity of Uruguay" by Tomas Olivene Chirimini in African Roots/American Cultures: Africa In The Creation Of The Americas (Shiela S. Walker, ed.; London, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.,2001; p. 262) "The bamboula, based on a syncopated 2/4 beat, was similar to the calenda, the choreography typically picking up speed toward the end of the song. A group of women dancers circled around the musicians and around one or more male solo dancers, who sometimes executed athltic flips. The dancer's ankle bells provided additional layers of rhythmic complexity.
The chica or congo was also performed in much of African America. The basic moves, characterized by early chroniclers as erotic, were made with the shoulders, hips, and arms, while the rest of the body remained immobile evidencing the bodily isolation characteristic of much Central African and related African Diaspora dance styles. The dance continued to be dance out of the view of whites in th same way that so many other African cultural expressions prohibited by white ecclesastical and political authorities continued to exist in various guises. The semba or zamba was an evolution of the calenda, bambula, and chica, with a slower rhythm and cadence. Sembam in Kimbunda, means navel, referring to the coming together of navels in the pelvic thrust." -snip- Also, read the comments in Part 1 of this series about the Bamboula and the Chica which are quoted from Lynne Fauley Emery's book Black Dance from 1619 to Today. -snip- Similar to what I wrote in the first post of this series, if researchers believe that the Bamboula dance might have be similar to the Bomba or other Caribbean (and South American) folk dances, wouldn't it make sense to familiarize ourselves with those dances? The few videos below are interesting and-for me-aesthetically pleasing examples of what the Bamboula dance might have been like.
**** VIDEOS OF THE BOMBA DANCE [Videos in this series of posts are numbered in consecutive order throughout the entire series. No order of preference is given to these selected videos.]
Video Example #5: BOMBA (Puerto Rico)
Uploaded by disk0ne on Jun 25, 2007 -snip- A commentor on this video's viewer comment thread wrote that this clip was filmed in 1957.
**** Video Example #6: Bomba in Loiza, Puerto Rico #1 (Puerto Rico)
Uploaded by gyenyamesankofa on Aug 9, 2008
This is one of several videos that I will be posting from my trip to Puerto Rico in July 2008.
This clip features Bomba drummers and dancers at Raul Ayala's house in Loiza, during La Fiesta de Santiago Apostol.
**** Video Example #7: JAM YARD-Brukkins Dance Falmouth Jamaica March 2011 [Jamaica]
Uploaded by JAMYARDVIDEOS on Apr 15, 2011
This Dance is called Brukkin- its a traditional folk Dance,check out the musical instrument,and movements of the Dancers. JAM YARD sharing a piece of our Jamaican culture with u.
**** Video Example #8: Batuque de Umbigada Revelando São Paulo [Brazil]
Of interest here for you - within Puerto Rican bomba, there are included a number of distinct rhythm/song/dance forms, all with their own names and the majority of which are shared with other cultures across Afro-America - particularly territories influenced by the French slave trade such as Haiti, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Trinidad, St Lucia, Eastern Cuba, and New Orleans. In the first above clip, from Ponce, PR, is an example of the son de bomba "Leró", and the second video from Loiza is of a rhythm called "rulé". To this day in Puerto Rico the terms calindá (kalenda), sicá (chica), yubá (djouba), cunyá (Kounjaille), and bambula/bambulaé (bamboula) among many others are alive and well, as designations for specific sub-styles of bomba. Thank you for posting these clips from PR in this context. Due to the influence of colonized mindsets, people tend to classify PR as an essentially "Hispanic" country, yet of course history, culture, and lineage tie the island strongly to Africa, its non-Hispanic West Indian neighbors, and the broader Afro-Atlantic... cunyajelemue@gmail.com
[This is a complete reprint of Part I of a four part pancocojams series. Part II is also a complete reprint. Both of these posts and the other two posts are still available on this blog.
I reprinted only these two parts of this series because they focus on the history and origins of the Bamboula and other dance traditions in New Orleans. The information about and videos of contemporary New Orleans second lining in Part III and Part IV are available in other more recent pancocojams posts.]
**** This is Part I of a four part series of pancocojams posts on the African roots, and the music & dance traditions of the Bamboula in the Caribbean & in the United States.
Part I of this series provides a general overview of the Bamboula dance, and features several videos of dance traditions from a few African ethnic groups in West Africa, the region from which most Black people who were enslaved in the Caribbean and the Americas came.
These posts are presented for historical, folkloric, educational, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and all those who are featured in these videos.
Thanks also to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
**** Part I
OVERVIEW OF THE BAMBOULA From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamboula "A bamboula is a kind of drum made from a section of giant bamboo with skin stretched over the ends. It is also a secular dance accompanied by the drums. Both were brought to the Americas (notably New Orleans and the Virgin Islands) by African slaves."
In her now classic book Black Dance from 1619 to Today Lynne Fauley Emery writes this about the bamboula: "One of the drums used to accompany the Chica [dance] was known as the baboula. The dance called the Bamboula undoubtedly derived its name from this drum. This dance is discussed by a few authors, but a careful examination of the descriptions leads to the conclusion that the Bamboula is in fact another name for the Chica.
In his 1823 book J. Stewart wrote of a dance performed by a man and woman inside a ring. "When two dancers have fatigued themselves", he said, "another couple enter the ring." (Princeton Book Company, second edition, p. 26)"
Lynne Fauley Emery reports that in 1774 Edward Long wrote this about the Chica or the Calenda, a similar dance done by Black Jamaicans: "The female dancer is all languishing, and easy in her motions; the man, all action, fire, and gesture; his whole person is variously turned and writhed every moment, and his limbs agitated with such lively exertions, as serve to display before his partner the vigour and elasticity of his muscles (op.cit, p. 25)."
In 2008 a blogger using the screen name "knight" wrote on Yahoo's Answer page for the UK & Ireland asking "Which part of africa do most jamaicans descend from?". Here's an excerpt of the comment written by dadude70 which knight ranked as the best answer: "The majority of the slave trade was conducted along the West african coast in what is the coastal areas of the modern african countries of Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Cameroun, Nigeria, Benin, Sierre Leone, Togo, Ghana, Congo and Angola.
Some of the biggest linguistic groups within these areas are the Yoruba, Ibo, Ijaw in Modern Nigeria the Ga, Fa, Twi of Togo and Ghana as well others. These will be the main constituents of the country of Jamaica.http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090328161833AANoSPq" -snip- If (or because) the Bamboula very likely originated in West Africa and/or Central Africa, it seems to me that some hints about the Bamboula might be gleaned by researching the traditional music and dances that are still performed among those populations from those African regions. The videos that follow provide a hint of that study.
**** VIDEOS OF TRADITIONAL AFRICAN DANCES Videos in this series of posts are numbered in consecutive order throughout the entire series. No order of preference is given to these selected videos. The selection and presentation of these videos aren't meant to infer that I think that any of those dances are necessarily a precusor to the Bamboula or any other 18th or 19th century Caribbean or American dance.
Video #1: Atilogu / Atilogwu Dancers (Nigeria)
uploaded by zookat; July 04, 2008
Atilogu/Atilogwu Dancers as filmed by famous Cream drummer Ginger Baker & crew at Ikoyi, Lagos-Nigeria, 1971
The Atilogu dance is perhaps the most intense African cultural dance form performed as a group.
**** Video #2: Vulolo (Ghana)
Uploaded by zotorglo on Mar 9, 2009
Sample clip from an upcoming DVD featuring the dance-drumming of the Dunenyo Haborbor of Three Town, Denu. For more details see our website: www.cepafrica.org
**** Video #3: Benin-Alekpehanhou- nou wa boyi mè [Benin]
Uploaded by EHUZU1 on Mar 23, 2008
Zinli traditional music from benin
**** Video #4 (Senegal)
Uploaded by diattacounda on Nov 15, 2007
Fête célébrant la fin des luttes. Sport national du Sénégal qui rayonne jusqu'en Guinée Bissau et au délà dans toute l'Afrique de l'Ouest. -snip- Here's some information in English about this video. (I'm combining two comments from the same writer): "i will try and explain a few things. i am from Casamance and some of my roots are related the Cabrousse people. Cabrousse is one component of the wider Diola nation which is made up of over 60 sub groups.
The Diola have a number of celebrations which all involve singing, dancing, bombolong and drums playing (bombolong being a tree trunk with an internal excavation that emits particular sounds). in this video, you have a mix of drum and bombolong. This here is celebration of the harvest." -jongandal; 2010 -snip- Could the "bombolong" drum be the father (or mother) of the "baboula" drum that Lynne Fauley Emery wrote about? Could the Bomba dance be a folk etymology form of the Senegalese word bombolong? Inquiring minds want to know but we might have to settle for speculation.
**** This concludes Part I of this four part pancocojams series.
TBC Brass Band performing Donny Hathaway's 'This Christmas' at the Big Nine 2009 Second Line Parade
**** Edited by Azizi Powell
Latest revision- September 5, 2026
[This is a complete 2026 reprint of a 2024 updated version of a pancocojams post that was originally published in 2013. That post is still available on this pancocojams blog.
Corrections for the information that is given in this post are very welcome.]
**** This is Part II of a two part pancocojams series on the 19th century dance known as the "buck & wing", and the "buck jumping" dances may be derived from it or whose terms are sometimes mistaken for it.
This post features information about & several videos of New Orleans "buck jumping" (also referred to as "second lining" and "footwork" (although the term "footwork" may refer to very similar but also different types of dancing and/or competitive dance activities).
Part I provides information & video demonstrations of buck & wing, buck dancing, and several wing movements in tap dancing.
The content of this post is presented for folkloric, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owner.
Disclaimer: I'm not a dancer or a dance historian. My comments are shared in the interest of eliciting more information & opinions about this subject. -snip- Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/09/videos-of-black-americans-in-new.html for the related 2026 pancocojams post entitled "Videos Of Black Americans In New Orleans, Louisiana Second Lining While Holding A Handkerchief".
**** THE DIFFERENT MEANINGS FOR THE TERM "BUCKING" The term "bucking" is currently used to describe a rodeo event, and three completely different African American originated dance movements.
In this pancocojams post "buck jumping" refers to New Orleans, Louisiana second lining (dance movements).
The other definitions of "bucking" refers to 1. a rodeo event.
2. "buck dancing" ("flat foot dancing" and "clogging") or the pre-tap dance movements called "buck and the wing"..
3. majorette "bucking" (as performed by Jackson State University's Prancing J-Settes, the Dancing Dolls from the television series Bring It among others). Those movements consists of rhythmic pelvic thrusts (pelvic contractions) that are done within a dance routine.
-snip- In addition, the verb "buck" is a shortened form of the term "buck wild". The saying "Knuck if you buck" means "Fight" (Knuckle) if you have the nerve to (if you dare to; if you're crazy enough to challenge me knowing that I'm formidable and you will lose).
Also,"buck" is positive adjective that term is associated with the Hip Hop dance form "krumping"
**** DEFINITIONS OF AND INFORMATION ABOUT BUCK JUMPING (SECOND LINING) These article excerpts are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.
Lily Keber’s upcoming, feature-length documentary, “Buckjumping,” will take filmgoers deep into more than a half dozen New Orleans neighborhoods, where second-line parades boost the spirits and bring communities together in a way that happens nowhere else. -Chuck Reece; no publishing date given; 2019?
"The Oxford English Dictionary defines “buck jumping” as “a rodeo event in which a rider attempts to stay in the saddle of a bucking horse.”
The Pigeon Town Steppers, one of New Orleans’ many community-based social aid and pleasure clubs, would define buck jumping differently. They would tell you it’s the dance style associated with the city’s second line parades and that without it, New Orleans would not be New Orleans." **** Online Source #2 From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EG6KH905cGU&t=30s "You better second line! Jazz funeral in New Orleans for Juanita Brooks", posted by kookydave, Oct 20, 2009 Come pay your respects like we do down here in Nawlin's. Experience a real New Orleans second line jazz funeral for the lovely and talented Juanita Brooks. 1. @wb7ptr, 2013 "The first line is the actual family of the deceased, close friends, etc. who are right up with the hearse. Not sure but I think the band is part of that as well. The second line is the people behind the band. The tradition has been around New Orleans several hundred years. Many here believe a person must EARN a jazz funeral but I'm not sure on the common thought on that. Just about any decent musician, Mardis Gras Indian or other "culture bearer" can expect one." ** 2. @seanlambert2865, 2015 "the first line is the family and friends who would normally dance to the music. That's why when the band plays, it's called second lining."
** Reply 3. @seanlambert2865, 2015 "Well the hired musicians are usually a brass band that travel with the 1st line. The actual "second line" is made up of random musicians playing out of respect and the pure enjoyment of playing. And it's all good, it's a very beautiful thing that should be shared with everyone "
** Reply 4.@amybaker4654, 2017 "Sean Lambert..Thank you for explaining that.I wondered what second lining meant." **** Online Source #3 From http://nolabounce.com/?p=4499"Second Line Jump: New Orleans Rap And Brass Band Music" By Matt Miller; September 27, 2010
"The number of brass bands has expanded along with the proliferation of “second Line” clubs, so-called “social and pleasure” organizations which hire bands for parades. These clubs stage parades on Sunday afternoons throughout the second line “season” (which spans much of the Fall, Winter and Spring), often to celebrate the anniversary of the club’s founding. These second line parades, along with the “jazz funerals” and Mardi Gras parades that often define New Orleans in the national imagination, serve as a central venue for brass bands and play a key role in disseminating and reinforcing a commonly-held musical sensibility. To outsiders, second line parades might seem like a purely celebratory event, but they can also channel more destructive energies.
The bands are often joined by a rowdy group of spontaneous participants (often teenagers or young men) who contribute highly expressive dance and ad-hoc music-making. “Buck jumping,” an individual dance form associated with both brass bands and local rap, is one of the many features of New Orleans’s musical culture that in concept and nomenclature can be traced back to the 19th century and the era of slavery.”... -snip- This article was reformatted to increase its readability.
**** Online Source #4 From https://gambinos.com/history-second-line/ "Jump In The Line: History of Second Lines [Gambinos Bakery"*; no publishing date given; retrieved September 17, 2023] "Second Line Basics
For those of you who are new to the idea of a second line, at its base it is a brass band parade. The brass band usually is made up of a trumpet, a trombone, a saxophone, a tuba, a bass drum, and a snare drum, but these instruments vary depending on the band and the event. At the core of the parade is what’s called the “main line,” this includes the band itself, the krewe or club with which the band is affiliated, and in the case of funerals or weddings it includes the funeral and wedding party.
The “second line” refers to the spectators who join or follow the main line and contribute to the walking parade. This is what separates a second line from any other New Orleans parade: groups are not only welcome but encouraged to follow along, allowing the second line to grow as it marches. The term “second line” doesn’t only refer to the parade itself, it also speaks to the type of dancing you will find during those parades. “Second lining” is a highly recognizable strutting, chicken-like dance move that many people use to keep pace with the band. So “second line” is a term with many meanings; it applies to a type of parade, a part of the parade, and a dance move used within that parade.
Second lines have a multifaceted history that blends traditions of both European and African cultures and while the second line can be said to have developed in conjunction with a number of events, the one we most closely relate it to is the jazz funeral. A jazz funeral is a New Orleans tradition that has a brass band following the hearse and leading the funeral procession to the cemetery. On the march to intern the body, the brass band usually plays solemn dirges, a more classic way of experiencing a funeral. What makes the jazz funeral different from other funerals, however, is that after buying the body, the brass band transitions to upbeat, happy, and celebratory music. They lead the funeral procession away from the cemetery with a brightness that is meant to allow them to reflect on the dead’s life with joy and help them to celebrate being alive.
Second lines are still used for funerals in New Orleans, but they have evolved with a number of differences from the classic jazz funeral. Second lines tend to use upbeat songs for the entirety of their march, leaving out the dirges. Where jazz funerals are usually restricted to the family and friends of the deceased, a second line allows for others to join in, helping to celebrate and honor the life of the one who passed.
Where Do They Come From, Where Do They Go?
Most research shows the second line dating back to the mid to late 19th century, its development deeply ingrained in the African-American community in New Orleans. In large part the second line’s creation and evolution can be attributed to what we now refer to as Social Aid and Pleasure Clubs. In the period following the Civil War, African-American citizens struggled to attain proper governmental support and insurance, which incited the development of communal societies or co-ops that would provide social aid for their members. These neighborhood organizations would charge their members dues which would contribute to a fund used for basic health and funeral insurance.
One of the earliest social aid organizations was the New Orleans Freedman’s Aid Association which was founded in 1865. This specific social aid group worked to provide loans, education, and insurance to recently freed slaves in the post-Civil War era. This club, and many like it, often hosted parades and block parties to advertise their services as well as celebrate and honor members when they died. These celebrations coincided with jazz funerals and together evolved into what we now recognize as second lines.
As racial segregation began to fade in the south, the need for individualized organizations to provide insurance faded as well. This is what created the transition from social aid clubs, to pleasure clubs or benevolent societies. Contemporary Social Aid and Pleasure Clubs in New Orleans, like Zulu or the Jolly Bunch, usually don’t provide insurance anymore. Instead they are used as clubs to allow locals to engage with one another and socialize in celebratory ways. Their name, however, still references the purpose they originally served.
The Contemporary Second Line
It is New Orleans tradition to use second lines to celebrate weddings as well as funerals, but nowadays we second line for more than just these purposes. Many Social Aid and Pleasure Clubs use second lines as a way of introducing themselves to the community or providing a reason for their members to get together. It’s rare that a Sunday afternoon goes by in the French Quarter without being able to catch at least one or two second lines put on by these clubs.”…
*Here's information from that page about Gambino's Bakery "In New Orleans and around the world, Gambino’s Bakery is a household tradition that offers over 74 years of experience with delicious baked goods."... -snip- Buck jumping is closely related to- if not the same as- the 21st century HIp-Hop dances known as "footwork", "gangsta walkin", "jookin", "buckin", and other terms. Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gangsta_Walking for information about these Hip Hop dances. That Wikipedia article traces the origin of "gangsta walkin" and suggests that dance may have "a New Orleans connection. Early gangsta-walking in Memphis was often called "buck jumping", and "buck jumping" is another name for second-lining in New Orleans.”...
**** SOME INFORMATION ABOUT NEW ORLEANS SOCIAL AID AND PLEASURE CLUBS http://www.neworleansonline.com/neworleans/multicultural/multiculturaltraditions/socialaid.html "Strutting and jumping and high-stepping underneath their decorated parasols, blowing whistles and waving feathered fans, the African-American members of New Orleans’ social aid and pleasure clubs are the organizers, originators, and sponsors of the second line parades for which the city is famous. The brass band that follows the parade’s grand marshal and club members, who are always dressed in coordinated suits and classy hats, blast out exuberant rhythms to propel everyone’s high-spirited march through the streets. The club and brass band are known as the first line, and the audience that forms behind the parade to join in the festivities is the second, hence the term second line parade.
African-American social aid and pleasure clubs aren’t just about parading, however. They grew out of organizations of the mid to late 1800s called benevolent societies, which many different ethnic groups in New Orleans formed. Serving a purpose that today has largely been supplanted by insurance companies, benevolent societies would help dues-paying members defray health care costs, funeral expenses, and financial hardships. They also fostered a sense of unity in the community, performed charitable works, and hosted social events. Benevolent societies always had strong support in the African-American population, and some scholars trace the roots of the African-American societies back to initiation associations of West African cultures from where the majority of New Orleans blacks originally came." -snip- The members of New Orleans Social Aid & Pleasure Clubs (SAPC) & the second line paraders strut while they perform footwork that consist of particular fast hopping kinds of jumping, sometimes with leg lifts and squatting (dips). These movements typify "buck jumping".
**** FEATURED VIDEOS These videos are posted in chronological order with the videos with the oldest dates posted first.
Video #1: New Orleans Secondline Dancing
SneakinSal, Uploaded on Dec 25, 2006
Secondline dancing on a porch on Washington Avenue, New Orleans. New Generation Social Aid & Pleasure Club parade, December 10, 2006.
**** Video #2: Sudan 2008 Second Line featuring Rebirth
Posted by BigRedCotton, December 03, 2008 -snip- Notice the dancer crawling under the legs of another dancer. I've seen videos in which that same dance movement in some traditional Senegalese dances. I've also noticed that movement in performed in certain videos of African American Jazz dancing (swing dancing) and in videos of African American "krumping".
**** Video #3: The Hot 8 Brass Band with Ladies And Men of Unity -'Poppa Was A Rolling Stone'
Uploaded by BigRedCotton on Apr 6, 2009
Ladies and Men of Unity Social Aid and Pleasure Club 2nd Annual Second Line Uptown
**** Video #4: Divine Ladies Social Aid & Pleasure Club 2009 Annual Parade
Uploaded by BigRedCotton on May 17, 2009
**** Video #5: Buck-jumping dance-off on Oak St. during the Pigeon Town Steppers Easter Second Line
Lisa Pal, Uploaded on Apr 5, 2010
**** This concludes Part II of this series.
Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to those who are featured in these videos, and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
This pancocojams post showcases some YouTube videos of people in New Orleans, Louisiana second lining (buck dancing) while holding a handkerchief.
Some of these videos also show second liners or musicians in bands (first lines) with a sweat towel around their neck or draped on their shoulder.
The content of this post is presented for historical, socio-cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are featured in these videos and thanks to the videographers and publishers of these videos on YouTube. -snip- Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/09/new-orleans-buck-jumping-second-lining.html for this reprint of a closely related 2013 pancocojams post:"New Orleans Buck Jumping (Second Lining) definition, information, & videos (2026 Reprint)".
**** INFORMATION ABOUT SECOND LINING From https://secondlines.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoqkoF_2q181jKuoH9k4A0MTMQZG57tBHAm_cGfHEMxc2O0QAa0X "A Second Line is a cultural parade organized by Social, Aid,
and Pleasure Clubs in New Orleans, Louisiana. The first line is the parade's
main section, which consist of the Social, Aid, and Pleasure Club, and the
brass band. The Second Line consists of people who follow the brass band to
enjoy the music and dance. Second Lining is a dance form where participants
dance and walk along the S.A.P.C. in an African-based, free-form style. Second
Lining is one of the most African retentive cultures in the United States." -snip- "Buck jumping" is a referent for the type of dancing that is done by second liners.
**** PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE Handkerchiefs that are carried by New Orleans second liners serve the utilitarian purpose of wiping away the person's sweat. However, handkerchiefs carried during New Orleans second liners also can serve aesthetic purposes of enhancing the way the dancing looks.
Here's a quote about the history and the spiritual significance of waving handkerchiefs, scarves, and parasols (small decorated umbrellas) during second lining: "The characteristic use of waving handkerchiefs, scarves, or
raising umbrellas high during a second line traces back directly to
19th-century Congo Square celebrations and Afro-Caribbean sacred dance
traditions (such as those from Saint-Domingue/Haiti). -https://sk.sagepub.com/ency/edvol/the-sage-encyclopedia-of-african-cultural-heritage-in-north-america/chpt/popular-dances-congo-square-new-orleans) -end of quote- This custom of carrying a handkerchief or some other item such as a small towel or a long scarf has spread to some other forms of African American dancing such as some examples of Soul line dancing.
** Also, here's information about the origins of the footwork and other signature moves that are done for New Orleans "buck jumping" (second lining) "The Bamboula and Tresillo Rhythms: Enslaved and free people
brought Caribbean-filtered West African drum patterns like the bamboula (and
its underlying tresillo or habanera pulse) to New Orleans' Congo Square. This
syncopated stepping foundation dictates the iconic bounce, strut, and
polyrhythmic footwork of second line dancers today. [1]
(https://www.noirnnola.com/post/2018/06/18/congo-square-new-orleans-the-root-of-the-culture),
[2] (https://pulse.berklee.edu/?id=4&lesson=376)
-end of quote- I retrieved both of these above quotes from AI Overview (in response to my question about the influences of Caribbean dances on New Orleans second line dancing.
Also, click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/09/a-youtube-video-compilation-of-creative.html for Part I of the two part pancocojams series entitled "The Creative Use Of Handkerchiefs In African American (Soul) Line Dancing - From Sweat Cloths To Dance Movement Embellishment". The link for Part II of this series is given in that post.
**** SHOWCASE VIDEOS OF SECOND LINING (with a focus on second liners carrying a handkerchief, or towel, or some other type of cloth)
These YouTube videos are presented in chronological order based on their publishing date with the oldest videos presented first.
Numbers are given for referencing purposes only.
SHOWCASE VIDEO #1- Buck-jumping dance-off on Oak St. during the Pigeon Town Steppers Easter Second Line
Lisa Palumbo, Apr 6, 2010
Meet my Sunday runnin' podnas, Stooges Brass Band trumpeter Eric Gordon, (blue shirt) and Jerel James Brown (white wife-beater) plus two other guys I don't know and check out their footwork with the Free Agents Brass Band providing the beat.
Meet one of New Orleans' most beloved second line dancers,
Rodrick "Scubble" Davis, known for this exuberant, athletic footwork
and dancing through the Crescent City's streets. While tourists are familiar
with Mardi Gras processions that attract hordes of tourists to #NewOrleans
every Carnival season, for locals, the real-deal is the second line parades,
which fill the streets with joyful dancing and live brass bands every Sunday,
ten months out of the year.
Scubble grew up in the historic African-American
neighborhood Tremé, known as the birthplace of jazz and center of second line
tradition. Its parades took off after the end of slavery, when African
Americans formed Benevolent Societies and Social Aid and Pleasure Clubs as a
form of mutual social aid. Then, in the early 20th century, second lining
merged with New Orleans’ burgeoning jazz culture.
Today, club members and their bands burst out onto the
streets often wearing matching, brightly-colored outfits with elaborate hats
and headdresses; they wave banners as the crowd parts to make way for them and
their high-stepping dance moves. Scubble, a club member with the Tremé Sidewalk
Steppers, was introduced to second-lining when he was four years old by his
mother, and his love for it grew. “I was always a hyped-kid, couldn’t keep
still, and anytime I heard the band, I was moving,” he says.
Watch as Scubble dances his way through historic Tremé,
including in front of the popular Candlelight Lounge, and as he joins in a
Sunday parade, stopping to show off his moves on raised porches and atop bus
stop shelters. Featuring music by New Orleans' Rebirth Brass Band and the Big 6
Brass Band.
**** SHOWCASE VIDEO #7-New Orleans Second Line | Original Big Seven | 2026 | 30th
Annual Mother’s Day Celebration
Subject Matter Experts, May
10, 2026
Experience the unforgettable energy of the 2026 Original Big
Seven New Orleans Second Line, celebrating its 30th Annual Mother’s Day Parade
through the historic streets of New Orleans! 🎺💐
This iconic second line is one of the city’s most beloved
traditions, bringing together thousands of revelers, stunning parade fashion,
live brass band music, and the unmatched culture of New Orleans.
From the dazzling suits and custom umbrellas to the
electrifying dancing and soulful music, the Original Big Seven Social Aid &
Pleasure Club continues to showcase the heart and spirit of the city on this
special Mother’s Day celebration.
If you love New Orleans second lines, brass bands, Mardi
Gras Indian culture, and authentic street traditions, this video captures it
all in stunning detail.
Of interest here for you - within Puerto Rican bomba, there are included a number of distinct rhythm/song/dance forms, all with their own names and the majority of which are shared with other cultures across Afro-America - particularly territories influenced by the French slave trade such as Haiti, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Trinidad, St Lucia, Eastern Cuba, and New Orleans. In the first above clip, from Ponce, PR, is an example of the son de bomba "Leró", and the second video from Loiza is of a rhythm called "rulé". To this day in Puerto Rico the terms calindá (kalenda), sicá (chica), yubá (djouba), cunyá (Kounjaille), and bambula/bambulaé (bamboula) among many others are alive and well, as designations for specific sub-styles of bomba. Thank you for posting these clips from PR in this context. Due to the influence of colonized mindsets, people tend to classify PR as an essentially "Hispanic" country, yet of course history, culture, and lineage tie the island strongly to Africa, its non-Hispanic West Indian neighbors, and the broader Afro-Atlantic...
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