ABSTRACT
The popular Jamaican feature film Dancehall Queen tells the rags-to-riches story of a single mother named Marcia who manages to improve her life by transforming herself from an impoverished street vendor into a glamorous dancehall queen. As the film opens, Marcia's circumstances are dire. When Marcia first visits Miss Garden's home, she offers her a hand-drawn sketch of the dancehall outfit she wants made. Turning from the negotiations over a garment's design to the activities involved in its construction might appear to be a shift in focus from the 'social' to the 'technical;' or from transactions with clients to craftwork itself. But sociality is woven into the entire process of making garments. To make a living as a dressmaker, one has to be a socially successful person. Clients are drawn in the first instance from among friends and kin.
