By Donna Sealy
Twenty-one of this year’s best dance performances collectively told a story of Barbados’ rich history from slavery, its achievements, its cultural heritage, its belief in God, and the resilience of its people to overcome struggle and achieve their dreams during the CIBC Caribbean NIFCA Performing Arts Dance Finals Friday night.
“One Nation. Many Movements” was the theme of this year’s edition and the audience at the Frank Collymore Hall had lots to applaud and cheer about as dancers added to a tapestry that is still being woven as Barbados’ 60th anniversary of Independence and fifth year as a republic draw closer.
The National Independence Festival of Creative Arts doesn’t only provide a platform for entrants to showcase their talents; it gives audiences opportunities to reminisce and remember what was while showing them what exists presently and what is to come.
Performances such as the impactful speed painting and dance From Chains to Change performed by Thee Art Experience’s Simone Williams, Dancin’ Africa’s mixed-discipline (a dance film) Hard At Work, and Haynesville Youth Club’s Escapism, were reminders of the painful past of slavery, the endurance of the enslaved and the cycle of labour and life.
In From Chains to Change, “a journey of rhythm and resilience”, Williams honoured the bond between heritage and home while highlighting the strides made and how ancestors such as the African-born Barbadian-enslaved woman Nancy Daniels paved the way for leaders such as Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley. And in the latter two choreographies, there were glimpses of slavery juxtaposed with the modern work life before employees escaped the drudgery of heavy loads to experience fun and freedom, albeit through dreams.
Thanks to Multifarious Dance Crew’s We Gine Town and Dancin’ Africa’s Tales from the Yard the audience was able to take a jaunt to a time when life was perhaps harder but simpler.
Aboard B246, Multifarious Dance Crew, known for its street and urban movements, took individuals on a nostalgic, entertaining, comical and enjoyable bus ride exploring some of the notable changes and historic moments through Bridgetown such as November 30, 2021, when the county became a parliamentary republic. Through movement, music, images, videos, excerpts from speeches, advertisements for popular businesses, sounds as well as references to familiar people (Blondie was included), the crew’s collage showcased the importance of the capital to the country’s history.
Meanwhile, Dancin’ Africa’s entry harkens back to yesteryear where the backyard was a gathering place for families, neighbours, as they did chores, cooked, talked, and children played games.
Arah fine arts’ Whispers of the Missing: Threads of Hope brought a sobering situation centrestage, as they delivered a piece that highlighted the unsettling issue of missing children told from their perspective.
The richness of the nation’s folkloric heritage and culture were ably demonstrated by Bim Cheer Federation in Bajan Circus with ringmaster Anansi the spider, a cast comprising Green Monkeys, Mother Sallies, Steel Donkeys and Bearded Fig Trees who flipped, jumped, and somersaulted, in the piece about togetherness and cultural expression. Haynesville Youth Club also did something similar in the delightful entry Bajan Pelau which showcased tuk music, folk music, plaiting the maypole and Grand Kadooment while the days of Yoruba Yard, the infectious rhythm of the drum, a key part of Africa dance, were contained in the Spirit of the Drum, performed by Dancin’ Africa’s junior troupe.
The power of the collective, community, belonging and friendship were the central themes of the choreographies from Nawesa Dance Movement (A Harvest Foretold), Dancin’ Africa (Ubuntu:I Am Because We Are), S. Neverson Dance Collective (Zazi Mina), Powerhouse Academy of the Arts (Us) and Queen College’s Sync 5 (No Pressure, Just Fun), testimony to what can be achieved if Barbadians work together towards a common goal.
Working hard, dreaming big, and believing that you can achieve your goals was the underlying message in 17-year-old Kato Austin’s well executed self-choreographed performance. Augmenting his on-stage performance of To Believe with onscreen images from his time at Julliard and other productions, he showed that one’s start doesn’t determine one’s future.
Three entries depicted the theme of struggle: Powerhouse Academy of the Arts’ The Armistice performed by Khyce Belgrave, J.O.Y Productions’ The Dilemma performed by three dancers and Dancin’ Africa’s Of Now. All were emotive and riveting. While the first two depicted internal struggles as the dancers explored whether the love and passion for the art and a strong religious belief co-exist with an individual, the third explored the “emotional landscape and intricate connections that exists” between two people.
And there was praising and celebrating God. Karar Dancers’ Jesus, one of the best of the show in terms of costuming and choreography, did more than highlight some of the pivotal moments of Jesus’ life. It was a reminder of the lyrics of the National Anthem that “God has been the people’s guide” and a proclamation that He is to be exalted which was also evident in Kingdom Living Dance Movement’s Anthems of Reverence and Unveiled Dance Collective in The Harvest.
(GBM)