Fresh Water Reach!
Today makes exactly one month, to the date, since I returned to Trinidad & Tobago.
And if not for the space in which to work at
The Republic of Sydenham, I might be going mad. My wi-fi service is out and will be repaired in "3-5 business days" (read: anywhere up to 3 months). Aagghh! And, despite the international impact of
Pearl Primus and
Geoffrey Holder, the contributions of
Beryl McBurnie, the reputation of former Graham dancer,
Peter London, and former Ailey dancer,
Solange Sandy-Groves among others, there are many obstacles for the professional dancer in Trinidad & Tobago: audiences trained to value dance mainly in competitive terms (a legacy of the
Best Village Competition), lack of performances spaces, and almost non-existent paid performing opportunities for professional dancers. The 15-years-and-counting formation and development of a
National Dance Theatre Company of Trinidad & Tobago is, at this point, a myth. And
$100 million dollars from China to develop 7 performing arts institutions throughout the country was developed without the consult of even 1 performing artist I know of. So why do I choose to live and work in Trinidad? Because what this dynamic has created, is a unique underground Shango spirit world of dancers who create and perform work for one reason only: because they must. And this world, lends itself to a range of creativity that perhaps may not be found in a company run by a government ministry.
This was reflected in
Dave Williams's performance last Friday, part of the '
Conversations in the Yard' series at
Alice Yard
in Woodbrook, Port of Spain. The performance was based on a series of
drawings and aimed to experiment with elements of dance to develop a
contemporary performance vernacular. Williams quite interestingly did
so, beginning with a dance featuring 5-foot stilts in a 9' x 7' box.
The stilts are part of Trinidad's moko-jumbie tradition - an West
African stilt-walking legacy and integral part of Trinidad & Tobago
Carnival. (See "
Moko Jumbies: The Dancing Spirits of Trinidad" written by Geoffrey Holder with photography by
Stefan Falke - with whom I collaborated with on a
project in Coney Island.)
This
stilt dance was the first of three separate solos - so distinguished by
the choreographer/performer in a post-performance discussion. The
second solo, performed on a single cinder block, further enhanced the
limited feeling imposed by the performance. The last work was
'centered' on one corner of the space - a force constantly pulling the
soloist in and out of that corner. Gathered with the fact that Williams
stands a majestic 6' tall, the whole performance felt as - as
audience member
Glenford Bhagat noted - "restricted". Even the
time frame of each solo - a quick 3- 4 minutes - felt restricted. Dave
Williams offers the following artist statement on the work, entitled
"Waiting":
"The size and shape of the space around us figures the shape of what we
feel we need to get out of and how far away from it we think we need to
run. The shape of the space around us, therefore, prescribes not only
what we move like but what we form ourselves into in order to reside
in, or escape it."The
show was an appropriate metaphor for dance/life in Trinidad &
Tobago and was greatly appreciated by the supportive (packed) audience
of mostly artists.
The box, designed by
Trinidadian architect Sean Leonard and artist
Christopher Cozier
was conceived of as a multi-purpose space. D' Box in D' Yard features
wall space on which art could be exhibited, or space in which a
sculpture could be viewed, with floor space on which dance or theatre
could happen. The 4th wall is glass, and completely swings out open to
further chop up the small yard space. With a semi-soundproof band room,
bar, dj area, kitchen, toilet facilities, and now, the new box - the
space called Alice Yard is quickly running out of space! All this goes
to show, is the urgent need for more art spaces like these in Port of
Spain.
The
need for more art spaces in Port of Spain may be addressed with the
construction of the Academy of Arts and National Carnival &
Performing Arts Centre in Queen's Park Savannah, scheduled for
completion in Spring 2008. But until that can be proved, historic
institutions like the
Little Carib Theatre and Caribbean School of Dance hold court. The
Caribbean School of Dance (which celebrates its 50th Anniversary next month) was the site of rehearsals I attended the following evening.
Sonja Dumas's Continuum Dance Project
will present "new shoes and a thin line: contemporary dance and
theatre" at Little Carib Theatre on 1 & 2 December. I observed the
Company's rehearsal at Caribbean School of Dance on Saturday, returning
yesterday to work with the dancers (Delores Alexander, Lisa Beharry,
Joanna Charles-Francis, Louanna Martin, Anushka Achan and Dumas).
An after-rehearsal midnight snack at
More Vino
led to great conversation about the GOOD in working in Trinidad: the
village community working environment and the tremendous support
dancers give one another. But all in all, let's not get "tie-up"
(Trini-speak for confused and out of focus). Artists MUST be supported
by the society which they serve. Although we CAN, it is not acceptable
to beg, borrow, and steal to make your production happen. It is not
acceptable that with Trinidad's contribution to the "mother of all
arts" - we wait 15 YEARS! for a National Company. In response, this '
fresh water' suggests an
Independent
National
Company
- with works by Trinidadian choreographers, performed by Trinidadian
dancers, in true Trini style: outside of Trinidad! Lewwe make some
work! Get some wuk! Suggestions to develop an artist-run Arts Council
is met with the usual "scheups".
"Dis is Trinidad!" they say.
Well, right.
And de freshwater reach.
Posted by Makeda Thomas at 1:20 PM - Permalink
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