FOR OVER THE past four years, a group of talented young adults have been donning Shaggy Bear and Green Monkey costumes as members of the Michael Taitt Tumblers.
The Green Monkey takes its name directly from a species of monkey found on the island since the 17th century but the original species came from Africa. While wearing green body suits, the performers mimic the activities and characteristics of monkeys. The Shaggy Bear is said to represent an African “bush” doctor. The costume was originally made from vines, banana leaves and other plant material. Today it is made from strips of fabric and conceals the identity of the performer, who does handstands, spins, flips and other acrobatic movements and postures. Both characters are usually seen accompanying a Tuk band.
Recently, some of the tumblers took off their masks and discussed their passion for the art form with EASY magazine.
Jamal Dawe used to go to dancing classes with his mother, and this is where his journey in dance started. At age 11, he decided to join a line dance class and then graduated to learning ballroom and Latin styles.
The 24-year-old is now a member of Multifarious Dance Crew. He recently left his former dance group Element, which placed second in the 2012 Community DanceFest competition and won gold at the National Independence Festival Creative Arts (NIFCA) in 2014. He met Taitt at DanceFest and since then he has been performing at the Sandy Lane Gold Cup as a Shaggy Bear.
“I am somewhat of a guy that tries anything, and I must say the guys really motivate me. They help push me at the training sessions to do my best,” he said.
“I see myself dancing worldwide; it has always been my dream. I want to perform at various shows and bring smiles to people’s faces because as an entertainer it is my mandate to make people happy and cheerful.”
Cashka Turton is a 25-year-old dancer, recording artiste and gymnast who followed in his father’s footsteps (Taitt also trained Cashka’s dad).
“I have been dancing as long as I could remember, but professionally, I started in 2011.
“Working with the guys as a Shaggy Bear for Gold Cup is fun as always. We have a good understanding and we are all passionate about what we do which makes it easy as far as commitment and sacrifice.
“I like every aspect of dance, even the friendly rivalry I have with the guys.
“In the future I would like to be a coach and performer on the world stage,” said Cashka.
Thorn Wood was a late bloomer as far as gymnastics is concerned. He started at the age of 18 and now dance fuels all of his ambitions.
“What I like most about dancing is the creativity and the level of energy you have to bring to each performance; it is euphoria and a different feel for me since I used to be an athlete before. It is also a way for me to destress and unwind. Through dancing, I also gained an extreme interest in fitness training because I fell in love with the body movements.”
The 24-year-old is also a “tricker”, (a dancer who performs combinations of acrobatic and martial arts moves) recording artiste and gymnast as well. Besides owning his own gym, Cali Fit 246, he intends to showcase his talent on a regional and international scale. He is also the group leader of ADL Adrenaline Dancers, who won DanceFest in 2015 and was the first hip hop dance group to win gold at NIFCA. Thorn mimics the behaviour of the Green Monkey.
Dance is a form of expression for Pierre Chase as part of the dance group Next Step. The group is known for its creative moves and young talent and placed first in the junior category and third in the adult category at DanceFest 2013.
“When I was little, my mum used to carry me to AgroFest or any Crop Over event and I used to wuk up and everyone would look at me. From there I knew dancing was for me and I really want to show the rest of the world what I can do. I also want to be a dance teacher and be in videos and movies.”
Pierre is also an upcoming rapper, a tricker and gymnast. He usually performs as a Shaggy Bear.
Andrew Green is not the average dancer; he is also an information technology (IT) guy. When he is not teaching IT he is busy practising new moves and choreography. The Harrison College alumnus is also a martial artist and uses his athleticism to perform almost impossible tricks. The 26-year-old usually takes on the role of a Shaggy Bear.
“I started in 2006 when I was at school and I always wanted to dance from a little boy. I met a student at The St Michael School and he taught me how to dance hip hop. We met at a Bible camp and I was fascinated by the footwork and movement. From there I studied fine arts at the University of the West Indies after changing my degree in computer science. I spent so much time rehearsing it didn’t make sense living two lives so I stuck to my passion and graduated with a bachelor’s in dance and film.
“I am also a coach at Flip Gym, which is a gymnastic gym. Outside of that I perform as a Shaggy Bear and sometimes as a Green Monkey.
“Dancing is more than moving to music and I would like the younger generation to be more skilled than I am in the art form. I would like it to be offered in the schools’ curriculum so young dancers won’t have to reinvent the wheel,” said Andrew.
Before Odain Jackman was a dancer he was a martial artist. The 27-year-old was involved in the Japanese sport from the time he was eight and gradually it brought him into dance.
“After training I used to go in Queen’s Park because training four days a week was not satisfying me. There I watched a dance group named Street Legal practise and I was quite impressed by what I saw them do.
“One day as I was sitting in the park’s gazebo Ingrid Brathwaite walked up to me and asked me to try a move; she literally taught me my first dance move, called an invert. I tried and failed but I kept trying until I eventually got it done. I realised I like it and started trying different moves, playing around with footwork.”
In 2007 he joined ADL Adrenalin Dancers and when he became confident in his technique and ability he created his own dance group called Element.
“I met Taitt through the Barbados Youth Programme. Both gymnastics and martial arts require a level of acrobatics and so I went back to martial arts and fused what I knew from the sport with dancing. I trained hard every week and thanks to Corey Greenidge of Flip Gym and Taitt I got better and more dynamic.
“One day I would like to start a programme to combine dance, martial arts and gymnastics as a collective and teach young people and help fuel their passion. I want this to be a holistic programme for the youth and show them that this is a profession,” he said.
Zacquille Chandler went from performing in his backyard to performing in front of hundreds. He got into gymnastics by chance and when he realised he was good at it he never looked back.
“My mother is a doctor’s assistant and she had to collect children. One of the children did gymnastics and I went by their gym and saw Corey [Greenidge] flipping in the air and I was inspired to start.
“In 2013 I officially started gymnastics professionally under his tutelage and he introduced me to tricking, which involves a mixture of dancing and martial arts.
“Corey introduced me to Michael [Taitt] and he brought out the best in me.”
Zacquille usually performs as a Shaggy Bear and said he valued the experience working with the tumblers throughout the years.
“I would love to continue working with them for as long as possible and eventually I would like to represent Barbados at the Olympics or in other competitive events.”
Unanimously, the members of the group described what they do as more than dancing; for them it is a prosperous career.
“It all boils down to how you keep people interested in what you do. In other countries such as the United States and Canada, gymnastics and dancing is more appreciated but if we show locals what we have and how far this industry can take you, more Barbadians would see it as an active profession,” said Odain.
“There are a lot of job opportunities in this business. You can become a stunt man in movies or entertainment shows like World Wide Entertainment wrestling. Those guys are paid greatly for their athleticism and talent,” said Andrew.
