The Decades of Dance-Trinidad & Tobago Dance Festival 2011-is a production co-ordinated by the Ministry of the Arts and Multiculturalism in collaboration with the National Dance Association.This week of activities runs until October 15 at select venues throughout Trinidad and Tobago, including the National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA), Port-of-Spain; Queen's Hall, St Ann's; and Naparima Bowl, San Fernando.This is a festival of dance inclusive of performances, workshops and symposia presented by dance companies of Trinidad and Tobago along with visiting companies from Jamaica and Barbados.The group that will be representing Jamaica is the L'ACADCO-A United Caribbean Dance Force which was initiated by Jamaican dancer/choreographer, Dr L'Antoinette Stines, who has created distinctive training and choreography, based on L'Antech dance language.This dance company is widely regarded as Jamaica's leading contemporary dance company with its membership including dancers from T&T, Barbados, Guyana, the Bahamas, Cuba, Bermuda and Suriname.
At the Decades of Dance-Dance Festival 2011, L'ACADCO's electrifying performances and originality would radiate from its revolutionary fusion of rich Caribbean folklore with contemporary themes.Another foreign featured delegation at this year's Decades of Dance-Dance Festival is Barbados which will be represented by two well known companies, Dancin' Africa and Of Another Nature.Dancin' Africa is a community group that was founded in 1992 as a 15-member adult troupe. Over the years, this group has expanded and now boasts a talented corps of dancers in both the senior and junior troupes. Dancin' Africa is trained in a variety of genres including Modern, Jazz, Caribbean Folk, Traditional and Contemporary African, Hip-Hop and Street Jazz.Of Another Nature, the second group from Barbados, is a dance troupe that seeks to embody various techniques, styles and art-forms. Artistic Director and Choreographer Olivia Hall and her ensemble have been successfully rewarded through the National Independence Festival for Creative Arts (NIFCA).The objectives of the festival are to revitalise dance as a dramatic art-form in T&T and to encourage young people and dancers to participate in dance education and attain higher professional standards in the art form.
The Decades of Dance-Dance Festival 2011 will provide local dance practitioners with training in dance techniques, exposure to dance forms traditional to these regions and an opportunity to share experiences, styles, choreographic techniques and opportunities to promote and advance not only the art of dance but the Caribbean as the Mecca of Cultural Diversity.The festival is envisioned as a pioneering event that will create an enabling environment for the presentation and discourse of dance and the reaffirmation of the existing ties between the regional dance community and cultural workers alike. In recent years, dance in T&T has been experiencing a surge in participation, through both local and foreign competitions and television programmes. The youth now, more than ever are thoroughly involved in the art of dance.Decades of Dance-Dance Festival 2011 does have a place for the youth, not only through the workshops that are designed to focus on technique and style and how dance and movement are key to a healthy lifestyle but through the career opportunities that exist for young dancers both locally and internationally.The Hip Hop Fest, scheduled for tomorrow, which will showcase the more popular genres inclusive of dancehall and fusion, will also provide a space for the youth.The festival comprises three major components; the first will be the performances by the host and visiting dance companies; the second will be a symposium to exchange views and ideas on the state of dance in the Caribbean today and the way forward; and the third will be dance workshops on selected dance forms and styles with an emphasis on folk dance.
Programme
October 13:
3 pm: Hip Hop Fest
Nalis Amphitheatre, Abercromby Street, Port-of-Spain
2 pm: Film screenings, National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA), Port-of-Spain Restaurant
October 14:
6 pm: Binaka I, Lord Kitchener Auditorium, National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA)
Programme:
Wasafoli Dance Theatre
1. Prem Jyoti Dance Academy–Shiva Stuti–Tarangam
2. Metamorphosis Dance Company-Chrysalis
3. Of Another Nature - Barbados–Soul Escape
4. Dancin' Africa - Barbados–Hear My Cry
INTERVAL
5. NDA Dance Corps–Flambeau in de Croisse
6. La Chapelle Dance Company–Shadow Lands
7. Elle Incorporated–Flint
8. L'Acadco;–Divine Unity
A United Caribbean Dance Force–Jamaica–Rastaman Chant
Haiti's Struggle
Passion
October 15:
6 pm: Binaka II, Lord Kitchener Auditorium, National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA), Port-of-Spain
Programme:
Greetings-Minister of the Arts & Multiculturalism Winston Peters
ACT I
1. From Les Sylphides –Cascade Festival Ballet
2. Saaj Sameelan–Susan Mohip Dance Co accompanied by The National Steel Symphony Orchestra of
T&T
3. Dancin' Africa–Barbados–Landship
4. North West Laventille Cultural Movement–Limbo
INTERVAL
5. L'Acadco–L'Antech Meets Reggae
A United Caribbean Dance Force–Jamaica–CultureVibes
Body Ridims to Bob
Chat Bout Dem
6. North West Laventille Cultural Movement–Tribute to Yemanja
7. Kathak Kala Sangam
8. NDA Dance Corps