| Dancehall Queen is one of those movies that anybody | | | | boyfriend/girlfriend and just strangers on the street. |
| drawn to Jamaica or living in Jamaica has seen at | | | | Additionally, Dancehall Queen is different from other |
| least once in their life. I've seen Dancehall Queen | | | | Jamaican films in that there is no excessive gun |
| several times, and every time I notice something new. | | | | violence. The movie contains comedy elements while |
| This weekend was no exception as I decided to | | | | still some of the truths and hardships of Jamaican life, |
| watch Dancehall Queen again. | | | | especially for people of Downtown Kingston. |
| After watching Dancehall Queen this time, I believe it is | | | | Besides the ability to learn an immense amount of |
| the most complete movie to learn Jamaican Patois, | | | | Jamaican Patois, there are many aspects of Jamaican |
| Slang and day to day Jamaican Culture for most | | | | culture and life displayed in the movie. This movie |
| Jamaicans. Dancehall Queen is the story of a | | | | focuses on the life of the day to day people as |
| downtown Kingston street vendor named Marcia | | | | opposed to the police or "badman" contained in so |
| (played by Audrey Reid) who tries her luck at | | | | many other Jamaican films. For example, in one scene |
| becoming the queen of a dancehall contest hosted by | | | | Tania brings home an "uptown" boy from her school to |
| Beenie Man, the self-proclaimed King of The Dancehall. | | | | her "downtown" home for her mother and sister to |
| Marcia, is a single mother of two girls who does what | | | | meet. At first her mother, Marcia, reacts strangely to |
| she needs to do in order to make sure her daughters | | | | his presence, but eventually she is accepting. This |
| get the best education and life, but this becomes costly | | | | division between uptown and downtown is very |
| when her older daughter, Tania, a young teen is forced | | | | prominent in Jamaican culture. Generally, uptown is |
| to sleep with Larry (played by Carl Davis). Larry is the | | | | home to the more financially privileged people while |
| economic support or sugar daddy of sorts who pays | | | | downtown is home to the less educated and less |
| for Marcia's children to go to uptown schools while | | | | financially privileged. This is just one example of many |
| Marcia is working the street stand with her brother, | | | | culturally subtleties at work. You see the interaction of |
| Junior (played by Mark Danvers). Once Tania tells | | | | the Jamaican Country folk with the City dwellers of |
| Marcia that she does not want anything to do with | | | | Kingston, the relationship between single mothers and |
| Larry and she resents her mother's dependency on | | | | men acting as father figures to their children and of |
| Larry, Marcia begins to find alternative methods of | | | | course, you experience the dancehall culture. |
| making money. While Marcia is fine tuning her skills on | | | | The idea of a dancehall queen is something very |
| the dance floor, her brother, Junior, spends his time | | | | common in Jamaica and now around the world. There |
| hiding from Priest (played by Paul Campbell), the man | | | | are dancehall competitions all around the world. These |
| who stabbed and killed his friend, and the police chief | | | | competitions were inspired by the dancehall |
| (played by Carl Bradshaw). Once Marcia learns that | | | | competitions of Jamaica. In fact, foreigners have gone |
| Larry and Priest are both no good, she devises a plan | | | | to Jamaica and won dancehall competitions. Just like |
| to make sure that neither of them ever hurt her family | | | | reggae, dancehalls and dancehall competitions are |
| again while still competing to be the Dancehall Queen. | | | | elements of Jamaican culture that have been |
| The great thing about Dancehall Queen is that film is | | | | exported to the world. The movie provides a good |
| comprised of Jamaican actors speaking in the | | | | foundation into what the dancehall competitions are like, |
| language of Jamaica, Patois. There are very few | | | | but should not be the last resource into learning this |
| instances of Standard English being spoken in the film. | | | | aspect of Jamaican culture. |
| This is great for the student Jamaican Patois because | | | | In conclusion, Dancehall Queen is a positive film that |
| key phrases are spoken in the appropriate contexts. | | | | highlights many aspects of Jamaican culture, but also |
| One could really not ask for more because you are | | | | teaches us to reach for the stars and just maybe are |
| able to hear patois in all the main scenarios of life such | | | | dreams will come true. |
| as interacting with your parents, friends, the police, | | | | |