In Martinique, bèlè is a cultural expression and a practice of music (tibwa percussion and Creole songs in the responsorial style) and dance whose origins date back to the African ancestors enslaved on the island during the colonial period. Bèlè is danced by four couples arranged in a double quadrille who establish a dialogue with the tanbouyé (drum player). These dances, originally intended for relatives and close friends of the deceased during funeral wakes, are marked by a strong African influence in the way the bodies move to the rhythm of the tibwa. The female dancers dressed in flared skirts and petticoats with squares of fabric around their waists face the male dancers in pants and t-shirts.