![]() ![]() 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 that Checker also help popularize "How low can you go?" Limbo was also 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. The contest ends when only one person can successfully "limbo" under the bar. After everyone has completed their turns, the bar is lowered slightly and the contest continues. Whoever knocks the bar off or falls is eliminated from the contest. All contestants must attempt to go under the bar with their backs facing the floor. A horizontal bar, known as the limbo bar, is placed atop two vertical bars. ![]()
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