Cologne, Germany | July 5th – 7th, 2024 – Summerjam Festival took place for the 37th time at Fühlinger See in Cologne, Germany. Known for its celebration of Reggae, Dancehall and Hip-Hop, this year’s festival continued its tradition of bringing together music lovers from around the world. Under the theme “Lost in Good Vibes”, the event attracted tens of thousands of attendees, offering a weekend of unforgettable performances, cultural exchanges and community spirit.
In our pre-post about the festival, we highlighted the key aspect of our coverage: Our unique perspective on the role of dancers on stage, with our host Famous, a renowned dancer, leading our insights. We were thrilled to be also on-site with Damion BG Dancers and Elli Don Foot on Flamez, which made our coverage even more authentic and full of vibes.
Damion and Famous talked to guests and friends on the festival ground, bringing a personal touch to our interactions and providing an insider’s view of the festival’s atmosphere. Watch our highlights featured in the Vlog below.
Adapting to Unexpected Changes
Even though Day 1 began on a saddening note with Beenie Man unable to attend due to Hurricane Beryl, followed by the absence of D’Yani and Samori-I for the same reason, SummerJam managed last-minute timetable changes. The artists’ absences were deeply felt, especially as we and other visitors were eager to witness these Jamaican performers. However, such situations are beyond anyone’s control and the festival continued to deliver an enjoyable and memorable experience for all attendees.
Now back to our key question: How were Dancehall Dancers involved and represented?
Dancehall Classes &
Cultural Representation
Damion BG Dancers hosted two Dancehall Classes on Friday and Sunday. Elli Don and Famous joined Damion on stage on Sunday, adding to the dynamic atmosphere of the sessions.
Event guests’ stories also showed them performing during various after partys. From an outsider’s perspective, it seemed like the culture and its Jamaican dancers were receiving the recognition they deserved. However, we asked ourselves why we hadn’t seen them on the main stages during showtime? How can it be that there were three Jamaican dancers at the event (actually four in Cologne) and none of them were on stage next to a fellow Jamaican artist?
Memorable Performances Despite Oversights
Respecting the enormous task of organizing major festivals, we must confess that all that glitters is not gold. We came to understand that Jamaican Dancehall dancers were not well represented at the festival (nor on social media thereafter), which is incredibly sad from our perspective. We still get the feeling of the image of it’s ‘just dancers’ and that needs to be addressed and changed urgently. The impact that dancers have on stage was evident, especially during Burna Boy’s show. The ‘African Giant,’ who closed the Dancehall & Reggae event, highlighted the potential that dancers bring to a performance.
Advocating for Better Inclusion
Despite these shortcomings, we genuinely appreciate the opportunity to experience and cover SummerJam 2024. The festival brought together music lovers from around the world and the performances we witnessed were truly memorable. We hope that future events will fully embrace and represent the rich culture of Dancehall, giving dancers the recognition they rightfully deserve.
