The Point Fortin Performing Arts Association is now preparing to produce its 2016 stage play Live Light & Weigh Heavy. And it is in the process of developing a dance troupe.
Michelle Sydney is artistic director of the Point Fortin Performing Arts Association, a group which she began in 2011 after returning to Trinidad from many years of living in the US. She founded the group to express and develop the creative talent of her hometown, Point Fortin. The group so far has produced two shows in the South, in 2011 and 2013.
Sydney, however, felt like something was still missing. She wondered: where was the next generation of dancers, vocalists, and dramatists? So, through the association, she began an arts studio in May in La Brea for children as well as adults–she said anyone who is artistically inclined may come and hone their talents, learn new aspects of culture, and better express themselves.
Sydney said, while the dramatic efforts of the association have been well received, the arts studio still has a long road ahead of it, but is welcoming all newcomers. Sydney also held a vacation arts camp for children this year, which is developing into an annual event.
Point Fortin residents may remember the association's first stage play Blood Transfusion, and its later play House ah Real Horrors which showed at the Naparima Bowl, San Fernando.
Sydney said: "...Spectators fell in love with both productions and the support and encouragement...gave us the determination and perseverance to open the doors of our performing arts studio in May."
Shortly after the shows, Sydney said she assembled a board and organised for a team of experts to design the stage and settings for her studio to accommodate dance, drama, poetry, music, music production, vocal training and public speaking.
"The association's objectives are primarily steered into the direction of merging cultures together, enabling individuals to express their talents, embracing young people and making them feel at home," she said. She added the association is open to collaborations with other groups.
Sydney is enthusiastic about the association's potential for growth, noting it currently has five tutors. She promised that Point Fortin's talents will soon be on the rise.
–with reporting by Valdeen Shears-Neptune
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Point Fortin Arts Studio: 1354 Southern Main Road, Vance River Village, La Brea. Offers daily studio sessions in performing arts ($40 & $60/session).