Dance of Fire: Bungo at Jolly Beach, Antigua

When we visited the island of Antigua, which I keep recommending you do, we were treated to an amazing show hosted by the resort down on the beach. Normally when at all-inclusive resorts, we skip the shows (I’ve mentioned this in previous blogs). If you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. I find them to be a bit cheesy. While the performers are usually very well trained in their local dances, there’s seems to be a bit of fluff as well. This performance at the Starfish Jolly Beach Resort was the exception. Staff and other tourists kept asking if we were going to the show and insisting we should, and we were very glad we did.

The performers told us this dance is called the “Bungo” or “Bongo” and it originated in West Africa. There is very little I could find about it besides that. What I did learn upon further research is that it’s a dance accompanied by “qua-quas” which are large sticks of wood beaten together rhythmically. Dancers hop and jump between them in a way similar to when we used to double dutch while skipping rope.

They dance to and from the circle of spectators and other qua-qua players wait on the sidelines until it’s time to swap out. Dancers make particular steps that other dancers then try to imitate. The dance is performed to the sounds of “Kwa-kwa”; hand clapping, singing and chanting and a bongo drum. The little research I did find mentioned islands like Grenada and Trinidad and Tobago where it’s noted that this is a dance often done by men for wakes before funerals.

Our show featured plenty of very talented women and men. I’m not sure if they all include fire shows as well, but ours did and it was fantastic. The dancing was rhythmic, extremely athletic and mesmerizing. Being out on the sand on the beach in the dark gave it a really primal feel. We are certainly glad that we went to the show. Even though these photos are from way back in 2015, it seems the resort is still doing the shows, as there are fairly recent videos on YouTube, should you want to check out some live action. Enjoy, feel free to comment or ask questions and, as usual, happy traveling!