00:00Limbo is dance. Limbo is fire. Limbo is resilience and depth.
00:13After 18 years, the Northwest Laventure Cultural Movement has reclaimed its place at the top,
00:19winning the 2026 Limbo Competition, a title last held by the group in 2008.
00:26Vice President of the movement Bernard Shepard says the group's strength lies in its ability to bridge generations
00:33while creating real opportunities for its dancers.
00:37This victory was important because we have a number of dancers who perform at Universal Circus
00:43and they came back and they always come back and they come back and they give.
00:47For example, the lead bender, Kadeem, that's what he does.
00:50And Northwest has provided an opportunity for a number of just basic, regular people
00:58who Gail would have invested in and gave them a skill set.
01:03And based on that skill set, it has now become an occupation.
01:07From the rhythm of the drums to the bend beneath the bar,
01:11Limbo remains a powerful reminder that culture lives when a community commits to carrying it forward.
01:17The 2026 Limbo King, Shaquille Mitchell, describes Limbo as Trinidad and Tobago's national dance,
01:25welcoming its return as a competitive art form within Carnival.
01:29It's actually a continuation because I was so happy this year that they bring back the Limbo in particular
01:44as a competition because that encourages people more to get into the art of limboing
01:49because it was kind of dying down for a bit.
01:50So now, and as we're seeing more of the younger generation being involved,
01:55it's good to see the younger ones.
01:57There's a little kid that was so small in the competition and it was so eye-opening
02:01for me to see that young people taking part.
02:03But beyond performance, Limbo demands a discipline, both physical and mental.
02:09Limbo is like a sport.
02:11So you have to really do work on your body.
02:15So it's like stretching, most important, stretching again instead of warm.
02:20And what you eat also is very important because when you're playing your body,
02:27it can't be too heavy.
02:29Because when you're going under the bar, you need to be as light as possible.
02:33So mentally, you have to be focused.
02:36Focusing on your movements, focusing on your technique,
02:39focusing on everything that you need to focus on,
02:41successfully make it under the bar.
02:43Second-in-command drummer for the Northwest Laventil Cultural Movement,
02:49Isaiah Cummings, says he was speechless after the win,
02:52crediting the drummers as the heartbeat of the group.
02:55I was, shoot, it was emotional.
03:01It was something that, you know, we work hard for, we practice a lot for,
03:07and practice with real vigorous beat.
03:09It was something else.
03:11It was real emotional for me, to be honest.
03:14The drummers is the heartbeat, the vibes,
03:17the timing, everything for the dances.
03:20We keep the rhythm, we keep the timing, we keep the vibes.
03:23Without the drummers, you can say the dance might be flat.
03:26Okay, Isaiah, so I'm going to play a little game with you, right?
03:30So limbo is more than a dance.
03:32It is?
03:34Limbo is we.
03:35We people.
03:36Something you could say traditional to Trinidad and Tobago is we, is we.
03:43It is life.
03:46Challenging and fun.
03:49Life.
03:49Life and fire.
03:51It's very cultural to me.
03:55Energy.
03:59Vibes.
04:00Hiya!
04:02The greatest expression of our culture.
04:06Limbo is more than a dance.
04:08It's a rhythm, a resistance, and a living part of Trinidad and Tobago's carnival.
04:13Charlotte Kisto.
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