Limbo originated in Trinidad in the 1950s and quickly became the world’s favorite gimmicky party dance. Dancers move around the room to Caribbean rhythm, leaning one by one in turn backward beneath a horizontal pole without touching it or the ground. The stick moves lower and lower until only one dancer who hasn’t touched it or the floor remains. According to Wikipedia, there’s more to the Limbo than just a fun game to play at the roller rink right before “all skate.” “Consistent with certain African beliefs, the dance reflects the whole cycle of life”. “The dancers move under a pole that is gradually lowered from chest level, and they emerge on the other side, as their heads clear the pole, as in the triumph of life over death”. This dance is also used as a funeral dance and may be related to the African legba or legua dance.” (Note: Very few funerals in the United States feature a limbo.)
More information:
Wikipedia’s history of the limbo | Don’t try this at home | Don’t try this anywhere
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