Bermuda Music and Dance

Bermuda Music and Dance

This tiny Atlantic island Bermuda is highly enriched with traditional music and dance. However, Bermuda music is often treated as part of the Caribbean music. Why?

This is because this island had long been an overseas territory of the United Kingdom and hardly had any musical origin of its own.

Caribbean islands are not too far away either. So Bermuda music ended up having a significant Caribbean influence.

It was Eddie Demello who took the main initiative of bringing Bermuda music to a new high. Eddie, who was born in 1937 in Azores, Portugal, came to Bermuda when he was just 11 years old. In 2004, he went on to get Bermuda Arts Council’s Lifetime Achievement Award for his tremendous contribution to Bermuda’s music and art.

What did he do?

Demello introduced singers from different countries and of different hues like classical, fado, jazz and calypso, to enrich Bermuda music.

He was instrumental in bringing to Bermuda some of the famous musical talents like Ray Charles and Amalia Rodrigues.

Also, his Edmar records became an all time hit in Bermuda.

Some of the biggest names in Bermuda music who went on to achieve great international success includes Heather Nova as a pop singer and Collie Buddz for Reggae hits in the US and the UK.

Traditional Bermuda music

There are essentially four types of traditional Bermuda music. Go through the links below to know more about a specific Bermuda music and dance tradition.

1. Bermuda folk music that includes:

Gombey: Bermuda Gombey dance and music is the mixture of British, West African and indigenous new-world cultures.

Bagpipe: Bagpipe music was brought to Bermuda by the Scottish and Irish soldiers between the 18th and 20th centuries.

2. Choirs: Choir is a popular traditional music in Bermuda. In many local churches, this is a long established tradition.

3. Calypso Music: The Talbot Brothers were the first to bring Calypso music to Bermuda. They were the first major calypsonians of the island.

4. Steelpan Music: After 2nd World War, Steelpan music originated from Trinidad and was introduced to Bermuda in 1950s mainly by the Esso Steel Band.

Milton Robinson has been the Jazz star in Bermuda and was acclaimed as the father of all musicians in the island. He passed away in May 2010. Here is a Tribute to the Bermuda's greatest Jazz Musician - Milton Robinson

Bermuda Music and Dance Schools

Music of Bermuda became popular to the whole world with presence of many notable classical musicians like the opera singer Marcelle Clamens and pianist Peter Carpenter. And, there are many well known Bermuda music schools that are nurturing such musical talents in the island.

Bermuda School of Music: This is one of the most popular music schools in Bermuda established in 1978. Check the link to know all their offerings.

Other Music schools in Bermuda: Provides a list of all the popular music schools in Bermuda, their major offerings and contact details.

National Dance Foundation of Bermuda (NDFB) offers great dancing courses, scholarships and financial aids to the entire dance community of Bermuda including trainees, teachers and choreographers.

Bermuda Ballet Association: Established in 1962, this was the oldest dance school in Bermuda. It was later merged with the National Dance Foundation of Bermuda.

Sabor Dance School Bermuda: The main unit of Bermuda Salsa Group - Sabor Dance School specializes in high quality Latin dance courses.

Dance Schools in Bermuda: A list of all the popular dance schools and institutions in Bermuda along with their contact details.

Bollywood Dance in Bermuda: Bollywood dancing, a style originated from Indian film choreography, has been taking the island by storm. There are schools that have now formally introduced this dance in Bermuda.

Bermuda Music Festival

Annual Bermuda music festival, formerly known as the Bermuda Jazz Festival, is held in October. This is a great opportunity to spend nights full of incredible music from some of the best musical talents from all over the world.

Bermuda Music Festival: Find out how this grand music festival is celebrated over four unforgettable nights in the island.

2010 Bermuda Music Festival

Bermuda Music Festival 2010 is held between Sept 30 - Oct 2 in Fairmont Southampton. Stars include Grammy winners like Ziggy Marley, Braxton, Angie Stone, Estelle.

2009 Bermuda Music Festival

2009 Bermuda Music Festival was held at the Kings Wharf Dockyard between October 29th to 31st. Quincy Jones and Ne Yo were the star highlights in 2009.

2008 Bermuda Music Festival

The 2008 Bermuda Music Festival showcased performance of the Whispers, Solange, Lyfe Jennings, Beyonce, Collie Buddz, Ub40, Aaron Neville and Alicia Keys.

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