Under the Coconut Tree: Music From Grand Cayman and Tortola

Kitchen dance music is a traditional social dance style from the Cayman Islands, performed at home gatherings where people cleared space in the kitchen or great room to play and dance. The sound is led by a fiddle carrying lively reels, polkas, and waltzes, supported by homemade percussion such as a metal kitchen grater (scraped with a fork or comb), triangles, maracas, drums, bottles, and handclaps. The repertoire blends British Isles dance forms with Caribbean rhythmic feel, creating a bright, driving groove designed for communal dancing and call‑and‑response fun.