'Consistent with certain African beliefs, the dance reflects the whole cycle of life.The dancers move under a pole that is gradually lowered from chest level, and they emerge on the other side, as their heads clear the pole, as in the triumph of life over death'. Limber is a sixteenth-century word used in the dialectical sense to refer to a cart shaft, alluding to its to and fro motion: It is conjectured that limbo is a West Indian English derivative of 'limber'. The word 'limbo' dates back to the 1950s. The name comes directly from the Trinidad dialect of English Merriam–Webster lists the etymology as 'English of Trinidad & Barbados akin to Jamaican English limba to bend, from English limber'. The winning dancer often receives a prize. In recent years, limbo dancing has been conducted as a social 'icebreaker' game for tourists at Caribbean and other tropical resorts. The massive popularity of limbo emerges directly from this audience participation. In touristic presentations, professional limbo dancers often invite spectators to participate after their presentation.

Limbo is still practiced and presented by numerous dance troupes in the context of the Prime Minister's Best Village Competition and during the Carnival season in Trinidad and Tobago. It is also widely heard in Jamaican mento recorded in the 1950s, in songs such as 'Limbo' by Lord Tickler and Calypsonians or 'Limbo' by Denzil Laing & the Wrigglers, as well as many other songs not directly related to the limbo dance theme.

Indeed, in Jamaica, the trendy limbo music of the 1950s was often based on a clave rhythm. When several dancers compete, they go under the stick in single-file the stick is gradually lowered until only one dancer, who has not touched either the pole or the floor, remains.Īs Limbo spread out of Trinidad and Tobago to the wider world and the big screen, in several other Caribbean islands, such as Barbados and Jamaica, limbo became a major part of the tourism package. The dancer is declared 'out' and loses the contest if any part of the body touches the stick or pole that they are passing beneath, or if the hands touch the floor. After a preparatory dance, the dancer prepares and addresses the bar, lowering and leaning back their body while balancing on feet akimbo with knees extended backwards. Limbo is unofficially considered the national dance of Trinidad and Tobago, which refers to itself as the land of limbo, steelpan (steel drums), and calypso. One major example is the song 'Limbo Rock' (recorded by Chubby Checker), which became a number 2 charted hit on the Billboard Top 100, from which emerged the popular quote/chant that is associated with limbo which Checker also helped to popularize: 'How low can you go?' Limbo was brought into the mainstream by Trinidadian Calypsonian Brigo (Samuel Abrahams) with his popular Soca song 'Limbo Break'. As Limbo gained popularity as a tourist activity and a form of entertainment, pop music began using Caribbean rhythms to respond to the emerging craze in the United States. Limbo dancers generally move and respond to a number of specific Afro-Caribbean drum patterns.

Julia Edwards added a number of features that are now considered standard, such as human 'bars' formed by the limbs of other dancers and the use of fire in the performance of limbo. In its adaptation to the world of entertainment, troupes began reversing the traditional order. Traditionally, the limbo dance began at the lowest possible bar height and the bar was gradually raised, signifying an emergence from death into life. Limbo played as a children game in Virginia school.

Lowest limbo