It’s 9:00 pm. Shouts of ‘pull up!’ pierce the air as women and men simulate sex through dance against a backdrop of suggestive lyrics that segue easily into revival songs and hymns. The scene is typically dancehall, but actually a cut from last Friday’s ‘wake’ for Errol ‘Juppie’ White, the late deputy mayor of Falmouth and councillor for Duncans.

“Roll, Jordan Roll!” As the lead singer for the Cummings Occasion Band, belts out the old gospel favourite, the physically fit women on the dance floor-young and old alike-ensure that more than Jordan rolls, their posteriors commanding the attention of the men and fulfilling Falmouth’s mayor, Colin Gager’s promise that the night dubbed “the council’s Nite” would be a grand affair.

An understatement at best, grand doesn’t begin to capture the night which is characterised by seamlessness in the many fusions of the religious and the profane as well as generous portions of food and libations that the Trelawny Parish Council provided for the large turnout comprising White’s family, friends and supporters of the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP).

“He Touched Me”, “It is Well with My Soul” and “Thank you Lord for your Blessings on Me”. The first set sees one of the band’s singers leading the crowd through a physical routine similar to what would obtain in an aerobics class. At the end, the crowd is begging for more. The second set plays into the revivalist culture under the guidance of the other band member who alternates between the roles of revivalist pastor preaching fire and brimstone and sexually suggestive sound system selector. Moving effortlessly from songs such as “bitter water, dem a bitter water” to the sexually explicit “mi likkle but mi wild oh”, he creates a sexual frenzy on the dance floor. At minutes to 11:00 pm, the rhythmic gyrations tame, out of respect for Prime Minister, Bruce Golding whose entrance is greeted with a slightly modified Marley hit “don’t worry about a thing, Bruce seh every likkle thing is going to be alright”.

Many rush to greet him, shoving and jostling for a touch, a hug, a picture.

As the Prime Minister and his colleagues go inside White’s Spicy Hill residence to pay their respects to the immediate family, the festivities pick up pace again, providing a surprising contradiction of many of the social norms that define how the sexes interact in the dance hall. Men hold hands and dance alongside each other and there are no attempts to copy the latest dance moves. Indeed, some persons simply jump up and down in one spot.

At about 12:20 am some patrons are spent and follow the Prime Minister’s lead out of the occasion. Others however showed no signs of stopping and the celebration continued into the wee hours of the morning.