Traditional Folk Forms – Zella Competition: What It Is, Where It’s Run and How It’s Judged

A staged group performance of the Jamaican death-observance dance that shares the Dinki Mini structure but is driven by a pair of Kumina drums; recorded on the template as a four-minute team entry scored out of 100.

Traditional Folk Forms – Zella is the seventy-third entry on the Jamaican national performing arts festival template and the sixth of the seventeen items in its Traditional Folk Forms discipline. The festival handbook lists it simply as Zella. A school or community group stages a living Jamaican custom on the competition stage, and the panel rewards how faithfully the piece keeps the character of the form rather than how inventive the choreography is.

The handbook is short on Zella and defines it by comparison. It says the form is similar in form and structure to the Dinki Mini because it is part of the death observances, and that the difference lies in the main instruments, which are the pair of Kumina drums. A group therefore builds its piece on the same lively, circle-based, call-and-response foundation as a Dinki Mini, but replaces the bamboo benta with two Kumina drums as the driving sound.

That makes the music the first decision an organiser or teacher has to get right. Live musical accompaniment is required for all the folk forms, so a recorded track is not an option. Drummers and singers do not count towards the dancers, but together they may not exceed six people. A group aged 19 and under fields a minimum of twelve and a maximum of sixteen dancers; adult community groups may field between eight and sixteen. Each entry has a four-minute limit.

Because the handbook points the reader to the Dinki Mini for the description of the movement, entrants are expected to know that form well: a lively, celebratory mood geared to cheering the bereaved, a ring-game layout using circles and semi-circles, and mento-type songs sung in call and response. The folk forms rules also ask for a strong element of the form staged without losing authenticity, with no sacrifice of animals and no rum used as a libation.

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. The handbook table lists Zella for Classes 2 to 7 only, while the template assigns it to all seven classes, so an organiser should decide whether to offer it to Class 1. Organisers run it because it keeps a less commonly staged tradition in front of young performers and tests drumming and singing as much as dancing.

Where Traditional Folk Forms – Zella comes from

The handbook places the Zella among the death observances and describes it as similar in form and structure to the Dinki Mini, with a pair of Kumina drums as its main instruments. It gives no dates or founding history, so none is claimed here.

Where Traditional Folk Forms – Zella is run

On eTalenter this item is used in one template, the Jamaican national performing arts festival template, where it is the sixth Traditional Folk Forms category and is assigned to every class from Class 1 to Class 6 (adults aged 20 and over) plus the combined Class 7. 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 Zella itself belongs to the death observances, and a staged entry is a presentation of the form, not the custom.

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

Key facts

• Team entry, both genders together, in English; assigned on the template to Classes 1 to 6 and the combined Class 7
• The template records a four-minute window with the warning bell at three minutes, scored out of 100. The handbook category table gives three minutes for Classes 2 and 3 and four minutes for Classes 4 to 7, while its explanatory note says four minutes for each entry, so 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; adult community groups 8 to 16; live music only
• Defining feature against its sister form: the pair of Kumina drums as the main instruments, where the Dinki Mini uses the benta
• Shares the Dinki Mini structure: celebratory mood, ring-game circles and semi-circles, call-and-response mento-type singing
• Ideas, not rules, for a staged piece: open with the two drummers establishing the pulse before the singer calls the first line; let the dancers enter into a full circle on the response; move to a semi-circle for a middle section; close by returning to the circle with the drums marking the final phrase. Check the choice against the rules and the organiser before rehearsing it

On eTalenter, Traditional Folk Forms – Zella 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 – Zella 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 – Zella

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

• The handbook marks Zella 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 and traditional content, each 20 at auditions and parish level and 8 of 50 at the national finals. The panel asks whether the drums, songs and movement belong to the death-observance tradition. A Zella that sounds like a general drum-and-dance party piece loses marks on both headings
• Instrumentation is where this item is won or lost: the handbook singles out the Kumina drum pair as the difference from Dinki Mini, so a piece built on a benta or on recorded sound misses the one thing that defines it
• Relevance of form, theme and mood, 15, 15 and 7 of 50. The mood is lively celebration meant to cheer the bereaved; a funereal or a chaotic treatment both lose marks
• Role playing, 10, 10 and 5 of 50. Dancers should hold the ring-game relationships and move in circles and semi-circles rather than in straight lines or a staged chorus line
• Movements and steps (10, 10, 6 of 50) and musicianship, rhythm and tempo (10, 10, 6 of 50): dancers that stay with the drums, and drummers and singers who stay together and lead the changes
• Costuming (5, 5, 5 of 50) and stage presence (10, 10, 5 of 50): ordinary-looking community dress, a confident entrance and exit, and a 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 – Zella under Scoring Setup, or start from the full folk dance judging criteria guide.

How to prepare for Traditional Folk Forms – Zella

How entrants and their teachers usually get Traditional Folk Forms – Zella right on the day:

• Start with the rules: confirm the class, the dancer count of 12 to 16, the six-person limit for drummers and singers, the time limit and the live-music requirement, then plan inside them
• Study the Dinki Mini first, because the handbook defines Zella by reference to it; know what the two share before deciding how the Kumina drums change the feel of the piece
• Recruit two capable drummers early and rehearse with them from the first week. Dancers who only ever practise to a recording will lose the pulse when real drums enter
• Choose call-and-response songs with short, clear lines so the lead singer can cue changes between circle and semi-circle without a conductor
• Drill the formations on their own: circle to semi-circle and back, with every dancer knowing the next position. Untidy transitions cost marks under role playing and presence
• Keep costumes close to ordinary community dress and suitable for the age of the performers, and for younger classes choose a short, repeatable sequence the group can perform accurately
• Time the piece at full speed with entrance and exit included, then trim it. A clear ending inside the limit 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 a community teacher; if rhythm was low, spend the next fortnight rehearsing only with the drums

Frequently asked questions

Is Traditional Folk Forms – Zella 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 the Zella in a folk forms competition?

The festival handbook describes it as similar in form and structure to the Dinki Mini because it belongs to the death observances, with a pair of Kumina drums as its main instruments. In competition a group stages it as a short presentation with live music.

Is Zella the same as Dinki Mini?

No. They are separate categories with separate entries. The handbook says they are alike in structure, and that the difference is the main instrument: Kumina drums for Zella, the benta for Dinki Mini.

Can I use a recorded track for Zella?

No. The handbook requires live musical accompaniment for all of these folk forms. Drummers and singers do not count towards the dancers, but may not exceed six in number.

Which classes can enter Zella?

The handbook category table lists Classes 2 to 7, while the template assigns Classes 1 to 6 and the combined Class 7. Organisers should confirm whether Class 1 is offered.

How long is a Zella entry?

The template gives four minutes with a warning at three. The handbook table gives three minutes for Classes 2 and 3 and four minutes for Classes 4 to 7, while its note says four minutes for each entry, so confirm the limit before entry.

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