Traditional Folk Forms – Wake / Ni Nite Competition: What It Is, Where It’s Run and How It’s Judged

A staged group performance of the Jamaican nine night observance, opening slowly with hymns and building into lively death-observance dances around a covered table, judged on authenticity, traditional content and musicianship; recorded on the template as a four-minute team entry scored out of 100.

Traditional Folk Forms – Wake / Ni Nite is the seventieth entry on the Jamaican national performing arts festival template and the third of the seventeen items in its Traditional Folk Forms discipline. The festival handbook lists it as Ni Nite (Nine Night) / Wake, category 7 of the folk forms syllabus. A school or community group stages a presentation of a living Jamaican custom for the competition stage, and it is judged on how faithfully the group keeps the character of the form, not on how modern or polished the choreography is.

The handbook describes the form as the climax of the nine night observances after the death of a person. It generally starts at a slow pace, which the handbook calls “long meter”, with hymns taken from the Sanky (Redemption Songs), and it gets lively as it develops. The voice is used in a creative way, producing guttural sounds at various intervals. The dance starts with subtle Revival movements and gradually develops into movements used in the other death observances, such as Dinki Mini and Gerreh. That arc, from reverent to lively, is what the panel expects to see in four minutes.

The handbook gives the staging a clear shape. Percussion instruments from any of the folk forms may be used as accompaniment, chosen according to the geographical location the group represents. A table covered with a suitable tablecloth is placed in the centre of the performance area, displaying the paraphernalia used during the performance, and the dancers must dance around the table. Costume generally resembles ordinary clothing but depicts the various characters found in a community, and the handbook asks that appropriate clothing be seriously considered for children performing in this category.

The rules for an entry are precise. Live music is required for these folk forms, so a recorded track is not an option. A group of 19 years and under may field 12 to 16 dancers, not counting the drummers and singers, who together may not exceed six. The handbook gives the time limit as four minutes for each entry, and the folk forms rules require a strong element of the form while staying within the rule that no animals are sacrificed and no rum is used as a libation. A group may enter only one entry in a category and four categories in all, so Wake / Ni Nite is chosen in competition with the other folk forms.

It is also an age-restricted category. The handbook bars Classes 1 and 2 from performing Ni Nite / Wake, and this template assigns the item only to Classes 3, 4, 5, 6 (adults) and the combined Class 7, which is open to community groups only, so the template already matches that rule. On the day the group is marked on the shared table used for the folk forms other than quadrille, maypole and ring games, which has eight headings and totals 100 at auditions and parish level and 50 at the national finals. Organisers run the item because it gives a community’s own tradition a place on the programme and tests understanding of the form as well as performance skill.

Where Traditional Folk Forms – Wake / Ni Nite comes from

The handbook describes the form as the climax of the nine night observances held after the death of a person, built on hymns from the Sanky and on movements shared with other death observances such as Dinki Mini and Gerreh. The source for this template gives no dates or founding history, so none is claimed here.

Where Traditional Folk Forms – Wake / Ni Nite is run

On eTalenter this item is used in one template, the Jamaican national performing arts festival template, where it is the third Traditional Folk Forms category and is assigned to Class 3 (ages 10 to 12), Class 4 (13 to 15), Class 5 (16 to 19), Class 6 (adults aged 20 and over) and the combined Class 7, which is open to community groups only. The festival runs in parishes, and only the top gold-medal group per class and category in a parish moves on to the national finals. This page covers the staged competition version defined by that handbook; the nine night is a family and community observance after a bereavement, and a staged entry is a presentation of the form, not the observance itself.

• Jamaica (the national performing arts festival the template is built from)

Key facts

• Team entry, both genders together, in English; Classes 1 and 2 are barred by the handbook and are not assigned on the template
• The template records a four-minute window with the warning bell at three minutes, scored out of 100. The handbook’s category table gives three minutes for Class 3 and four minutes for Classes 4 to 7, while its explanatory note says four minutes for each entry, so an organiser should confirm the limit with entrants
• 12 to 16 dancers for groups aged 19 and under, not counting drummers and singers, who may total no more than six; live music only
• Required centrepiece: a table covered with a suitable cloth at the centre of the performance area, displaying the paraphernalia used in the performance, with the dancers moving around it
• Typical sound and movement: slow hymns in long meter from the Sanky with guttural vocal sounds, subtle Revival movements that grow into Dinki Mini and Gerreh style movements, and percussion drawn from the folk forms of the group’s own area
• Ideas, not rules, for a staged piece: open with the group gathered around the table singing a slow hymn, then let one section break into a livelier Dinki Mini style step; show a few community characters, such as an elder, a neighbour and a young relative, each moving in their own way; end on a return to the hymn. Check the choice against the rules and the organiser before rehearsing it

On eTalenter, Traditional Folk Forms – Wake / Ni Nite is filed under On Stage and typically scored with Marks. It appears in 1 ready-made event templates — each one can adjust its time limit, age-group assignment and scoring setup independently.

Across the templates that use it, Traditional Folk Forms – Wake / Ni Nite is most often entered as an Team competition, typically scored out of 100, commonly time-limited to around 4 minutes where a limit is set.

What judges look at in Traditional Folk Forms – Wake / Ni Nite

What a Traditional Folk Forms – Wake / Ni Nite panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:

• The handbook marks Ni Nite / Wake on its shared table for the folk forms, with eight headings worth 100 at auditions and parish level and 50 at the national finals. The points below follow that table and are a summary, not a quotation of the rule
• Authenticity, 20 at auditions and parish level and 8 of 50 at the national finals. The panel asks whether the piece looks and sounds like a nine night or like a general funeral-themed drama. Marks go to the slow hymn opening, the guttural vocal colour and the table at the centre; they are lost to a group that borrows the name and performs a modern routine
• Traditional content, 20, 20 and 8 of 50. This covers whether the hymns, rhythms, objects and characters come from the tradition. A made-up song unrelated to the Sanky, or a table with nothing recognisable on it, loses marks even if the performance is neat
• Relevance of form, theme and mood, 15, 15 and 7 of 50. The entry should show the build from long meter to a lively close. A piece that starts fast, or never changes pace, shows that the group has not understood how the form develops
• Role playing, 10, 10 and 5 of 50. The panel looks for believable community characters who stay in role, with dress close to ordinary clothing. The handbook also asks for care over what children wear in this category
• Movements and steps (10, 10, 6 of 50) and musicianship, rhythm and tempo (10, 10, 6 of 50): a clear progression from subtle Revival movement towards Dinki Mini and Gerreh type movement, even spacing around the table, and singers and percussion that stay together as the tempo lifts
• Costuming (5, 5, 5 of 50) and stage presence (10, 10, 5 of 50): ordinary-looking, character-suited dress, a table ready as the group enters, and an entrance, performance and exit that finish inside the time limit. The handbook applies strict attention to time limits from the parish finals

Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Traditional Folk Forms – Wake / Ni Nite under Scoring Setup, or start from the full folk dance judging criteria guide.

How to prepare for Traditional Folk Forms – Wake / Ni Nite

How entrants and their teachers usually get Traditional Folk Forms – Wake / Ni Nite right on the day:

• Begin with the rules: confirm that the class is allowed (Classes 1 and 2 are not), the 12 to 16 dancer count, the six-person limit for drummers and singers, the four-minute time limit and the live-music requirement, then plan the piece inside them
• Learn the form from people who know it. Ask a community elder, a choir leader who knows the Sanky hymns, or a drummer from the tradition to show the long meter singing, the vocal sounds and how the movement changes as the night goes on
• Plan the arc before the steps. Decide the moment the slow hymn lifts into livelier movement and the moment it settles again, and give the build-up about two thirds of the time so the opening does not eat the clock
• Choose percussion that fits the area you represent, as the handbook says, and be ready to explain the choice if asked. Rehearse with the real instruments from the start, because the group cannot use a recorded track
• Dress the table in rehearsal: a suitable cloth and the objects you will show, placed at the centre. Practise circling it with even spacing, and mark the floor, because the stage will differ from the hall
• Rehearse each community character separately before putting the group together, so every dancer can show how that person walks, sings and reacts without stepping out of role. Keep costumes close to ordinary clothing and suitable for the age of the performers
• Time the piece at full speed with the entrance and exit included, then trim it. Stopping at four minutes with a clear ending scores better than a longer piece that is cut off
• After the result, ask for the adjudicator comments and find which heading lost marks. If authenticity was low, go back to the community teacher; if mood was low, rehearse the transition from slow to lively until it feels natural

Frequently asked questions

Is Traditional Folk Forms – Wake / Ni Nite judged individually or as a team?

Across eTalenter’s templates it’s most often run as an Team entry, though an organiser can set either participation type when assigning the item to an age group.

What is Ni Nite or Wake in a folk forms competition?

The festival handbook describes it as the climax of the nine night observances after a death. It starts slowly with hymns from the Sanky and becomes lively, and in competition a group stages it as a short presentation around a covered table.

Which classes can enter Wake / Ni Nite?

The handbook bars Classes 1 and 2. Class 3, Class 4, Class 5, Class 6 (adults) and the combined Class 7, which is open to community groups only, are the classes assigned on the template.

How long is a Wake / Ni Nite entry?

The template gives four minutes with a warning at three minutes. The handbook’s category table gives three minutes for Class 3 and four minutes for Classes 4 to 7, while its note says four minutes for each entry, so the organiser should confirm the limit before entry.

Is a table required?

Yes. The handbook says a table covered with a suitable tablecloth is placed in the centre of the performance area, displaying the paraphernalia used during the performance, and the dancers must dance around it.

Can we use a recorded track?

No. The handbook requires live musical accompaniment for these folk forms, with no more than six drummers and singers together, and percussion from any of the folk forms may be used according to the group’s geographical location.

Is Wake / Ni Nite the same as Revival or Dinki Mini?

No. They are separate categories with separate notes. Wake / Ni Nite begins with subtle Revival movements and grows into movements used in other death observances such as Dinki Mini and Gerreh, while Revival is built around the Revival table and its own dip and stamp step.

Want the full judging picture? Read the full folk dance judging criteria guide, or browse every on stage competition item.