Caribbean Caribbean Caribbean

The History

The Caribbean did not begin with Columbus. One cannot claim that he discovered the Caribbean. In 1492 he sailed through the West in order to find a faster Sea route to India. Instead he landed in San Salvador-today known as the Bahamas. Already in 900 a certain Erik and his Viking crew discovered the Caribbean. But the Vikings left without claiming the new land, just as hundreds of years later the Danish, Spanish, English, Dutch and the French did, completely without scruples. Even before Columbus the Caribbean Islands where heavily fought for. The war like Caribbean, being the people from what we know as today’s Venezuela and Columbia, rowed small boats toward Trinidad, where they conquered the local peaceful living Arawak Indians and whet on to do so in each of the Antilles.

Later, after the discovery through Columbus, the Caribbean’s courageously maintained ground on the small Antilles, supported by numerous runaway African slaves from other islands. The English brought the final resistance, and this partly led to the deportation of black Caribbean’s to the Spanish Honduras, where today they live beside Guatemala and Belize and maintain their culture.

Three hundred years after the arrival of Columbus, the Caribbean was a cruel battleground of the European nations. Everyone wanted to own a piece of the New World. The conquests became heated with the raids and Pirates such as Henry Morgan and Francis Drake. The European occupancy changed innumerable times on the Islands. The slaves remaining on the Islands had to adjust themselves to the Dutch, French and Spanish or English languages. The African language they brought with them, during the time gradually changed to a mixture of the different languages of the occupants, for example, Patois in Jamaica and St. Lucia, or the Papiamento in Aruba and Curacao. Dialects other than the official national languages are still spoken today by the natives.

The party of all parties is the Calypso Carnival.

Dancing - Wild, ecstatic and Mystical in the Caribbean it is never Ash Wednesday. The reason for this originates from the time of the slavery. The African slaves had no interest for the Christmas of the Colonial gentlemen. But yet the holidays of the Christians where the only holidays they had all year, so they took advantage of it and became boisterous and happy with traditional rituals, song and drums. Through this the Caribbean mentality was developed and their special way of enjoying life, are probably the most important characteristics of the Carnival time, where through dancing and laughing their everyday social problems are forgotten.

In the Port of Spain, the Capital of Trinidad, the title of an old song is “Don’t stop the Carnival”. For decades, on all the Caribbean Islands this is extravagantly realized with enthusiasm. The Carnivals between the North of Cuba and the South of Trinidad are unstoppable. With over thirty Islands there is always a celebration, and sometimes several times a year, at the same time.

For many inhabitants of the Caribbean their Carnival is the biggest and nicest in the world –not quite, but at least the second worldwide, after Rio de Janeiro. The Costume designers, Mask designers, Musicians, dancers and nearly all of the inhabitants of the Caribbean from all social classes, work the entire year for the many votes for the best Steel Band, Calypso Queen, Calypso King, Carnival queen and the prize for the best performance by singers and dancers. The joy of life for the natives becomes a colorful festival of parades with music. There are shiny costumes, deafening Calypso and Steel Drum music, expensively and creatively decorated floats and dancers that are constantly energetically trying to out do one another with dance rhythm. A huge trailer, meters high with deafening loudspeakers, strengthening the live bands, heating up the atmosphere, while circling hips ram together “Walk and wayning” behind the traffic.

An extraordinary delight and exciting reflections

I offer you with my dance performance the Caribbean Carnival. Whether Calypso, Soca-Dance, Limbo Dance, Bachata, Reggae, Merengue, Salsa, Cumbia, Lambada, Live percussion, with a twist from the afro-Cuban rhythm.

It will be your pour Caribbean Party Time!

Info Artist Direct

Your booking direct contact

Yussara Cunha
Hermann Steinhäuserstr. 18
63065 Offenbach am Main
Germany / Deutschland

Telephone: +49 (0) 69 - 82 57 37
Cellular: +49 (0) 171 - 70 60 647

E-Mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Homepage: yussara.com

Info Who is Who

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Yussara Cunha
Member of Who is Who

The personalities people encyclopedia 2009

Info German Media Award

German Media Award

German Media Award

Best international Revue Dance Show

2004 & 2007