Riddim Tribe is not tied to any dance group nor dance school –it is an independent entity.
That is the message founder Aisha Comissiong needs to be heard.
She stated: “Yes, people will notice that Riddim Tribe does in fact feature dancers that have and still currently dance, train, and perform with several schools and groups in Barbados.
“But therein lies the very beauty of Riddim Tribe – it is truly a collaborative and collective effort of a group of individuals working together toward one shared vision. We look forward to inviting and collaborating with more enterprising and ambitious individuals and groups in the future.
“Dance is at the very centre of my professional/career life – it is not done for recreational purposes, neither is it part-time. Riddim Tribe constitutes an effort on my part to craft a commercially viable career centred on dance as an art form, and also on all of its associated commercial applications such as entertainment, promotions, advertising, cultural productions and so on.
Aisha said Riddim Tribe has intentions to go beyond dance while still using dance as the vehicle.
A bold and risky undertaking.
“Funny enough, Riddim Tribe didn’t even start out as a group of dancers per se. I had several conversations with a few of my friends and I realised the conversations kept revolving around the same topics – creating business opportunities for ourselves by utilising our talents.
“The common base was dance and it was decided that dance could be the vehicle through which these pursuits could be sought. After putting pen to paper I approached a number of dancers that I had been working closely with about embarking on this journey and project with me.
Word started to get around that a dance group was looking for people who saw dance as an enterprise.
“At that time it was only six of us but over the next three years I came across some more beautiful souls that I saw shared the same desire, passion and vision I had and I invited them to be a part of Riddim Tribe. Currently there are nine dancers in the Tribe. The name came about when my father suggested it after what we had just didn’t fit. We’ve moved from Queens of Riddim Tribe, to Queens and Kings of Riddim Tribe. Elombe Mottley, on congratulating me on my efforts to start something of this nature, expressed that I must not forget every tribe has men in it and I took his advice. The collective was reintroduced simply as Riddim Tribe in 2016.”
Aisha has danced and choreographed numerous pieces for Soca Ignition, Soca Royale 2016 (Nikita – Bun It Up and Damian Marvay’s – Know The Face presentations); Arturo Tappin and his band, Honey Jam and Honey Jazz, Naniki Music Festival and collectively Riddim Tribe’s members have worked with artistes ranging from the likes of international celebrities such as Nick Cannon, J Cole and Trey Songz, to regional artistes such as Alison Hinds, Skinny Fabulous, Peter Ram, Lil Rick, Etana, Gentleman, Alaine, Richie Stephens, Beenie Man, Lady Saw, Shaggy, Biggie Irie, and the list continues.
“We also conducted a series of dance workshops under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture in St Vincent in early February.”