Konpa Night in Jacksonville

Konpa Night in Jacksonville

Konpa Night in JAX

With International renowned Konpa instructor and artist Jean-Rene

DEC. 14, 2024

Dance Workshop 8PM -10PM

Afterparty 10PM-1AM

Studio 904

10210 San Jose Blvd, Jacksonville, FL 32257

$25 for class and afterparty

Konpa Night in Jacksonville

Come join us for a night of Konpa dancing, music, and fun at Studio 904 Ballroom! Get ready to groove to the infectious rhythms of Konpa music with friends and fellow music lovers. Whether you're a seasoned dancer or just looking to have a good time, this event is perfect for anyone who enjoys lively beats and a great atmosphere. Don't miss out on this exciting night out in Jacksonville!

History of konpa music:

Konpa is a popular urban dance music genre of Haiti. Often described as a “modern Haitian merengue” although very similar to Dominican merengue. konpa is wildly popular throughout the entirety of the Caribbean.

The history of konpa music began in Haiti during the mid-1950s, when saxophonist and maestro, and band leader Nemours Jean-Baptiste and his first band Conjunto International began adapting the traditional sounds of Haitian dance music into a new style.

The beginning of the sound. Jean-Baptiste and his bandmates, including fellow saxophone player Webert Sicot and conga drummer Kreutzer Duroseau, began folding elements of Haitian music into their sound. They would play the new sound during performances at clubs in Haiti’s capital city, Port-au-Prince. The insistent beat of the tanbou drum, a Haitian instrument heard in many forms of Latin and Caribbean music, featured heavily in the music. Their ensemble eventually added more brass and electric guitar—a rarity in Caribbean groups at the time—into the mix. The resulting music, which they called “konpa direkt” (“direct rhythm”), became popular as the band—which changed its name to Ensemble aux Calebasses in 1956, and later became Ensemble Nemours Jean-Baptiste—brought its sound to listeners across Haiti and neighboring islands.

The genre impacts other musical styles. As konpa spread throughout the Caribbean, its core sound influenced other groups, putting their own spin on its propulsive sound. In Haiti, jazz groups like Jean-Baptiste’s adopted a stripped-down lineup format called mini-jazz, which reduced the brass component while increasing guitars. Webert Sicot parted ways with Jean-Baptiste and established his variation on konpa, which he called cadence rampa, or kadans, that would, in turn, lead to the development of cadence-lypso in the Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti. The genre, which blended konpa and calypso, was perfected by the Dominican/Guadeloupe band Exile One throughout the 1970s and beyond.

Konpa goes international. Jean-Baptiste, Sicot, and many of the bands that followed helped spread the konpa influence to other countries throughout the Caribbean and world. In Africa, the popularity of ‘70s konpa acts, like Haiti’s Tabou Combo and athlete turned bandleader Coupé Cloué (aka Jean Gesner Henry), led to homegrown variants of konpa like coladeira from Cape Verde and kizomba, a slower take that also found favor in Brazil. Konpa was also crucial in the development of soca, a hybrid music genre from Trinidad and Tobago, which drew from reggae, calypso, and funk and soul from America, and developed a devoted following in North and South America, the United Kingdom, and Japan. Konpa also created competing music forms; chief among these was zouk, a faster, carnival-influenced take on its steady rhythm by the French Antillean band Kassav, which earned a devoted following throughout the West Indies and beyond.

The evolution of contemporary konpa. Konpa remains popular among listeners worldwide and continues to expand its signature sound through new artists and music genres. The new breed of konpa musicians, or the konpa nouvelle génération—groups like Kreyol La and performers like T-Vice and Klass—are helping bring the music to a more diverse audience by folding elements of rock, hip-hop, soul, and electronic into the konpa mix.

Similarities to other dances:

One can say if you dance Dominican merengue, you also can dance konpa. Konpa can be described as a slower tempo of Dominican merengue and the basic moves are pretty similar.

Bachata: A Bachata dancer can also dance Konpa as konpa resembled bachata. konpa is a 4-step count but more free flowing. one can incorporate all the basic moves of modern bachata and dance konpa.

Kizomba and Tarraxinha- you will find the sense sensual vibe in Konpa as you find in tarraxinha and kizomba and much similarity between the 2 dances as konpa has influenced both dances.

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