Kompa, A Haiti Music Genre and Dance

Updated December 29, 2012 10:50 PM

Kompa is a genre of music and a dance whose origin is from Haiti. It is usually written differently; compa or Konpa. The music has beats with tempo that is often rated as medium to fast. This kind of music genre is complex as it changes from time to time. It first came to be from a blending of European ballroom dancing and the Haiti culture.

This specific music genre arose in the early 20th century as a result of other genres like salsa and calypso among many others. The style referred to as Kompa direct was invented by a group of famous artists, however with its increasing fame it changed to the Zouk. Unfortunately the group split up and one of them improvised the above mentioned style once again. The two genres can be confused; however the Zouk has a slower tempo than the latter.

As the years passed and the 20th century came to an end, the style became highly used to address issues such as heterosexuality and male chauvinism. This use went on into the early 21st century. The rhythm used in these songs is usually very fast, unlike other genres with Haiti origin. Songs found in this category usually portray different messages with regards to human sexuality.
Today, many festivals that arose with respect to this Haiti music genre Kompa are still celebrated. Most places are the ones found in North America which include New York, Boston, Miami and many others.