In Port of Spain, I live in a 100 year old wooden house on a hill in St. Ann's - an area most known as home to Trinidad's only state run mental institution.  The house I live in is owned by Edward Bowen, a Trinidadian visual artist, and I share it with Guardian writer, Attillah Springer and Svenn "Condom Man" Grant.  It is a beautiful house that is surrounded by (and supported structurally in some places) 4 mango trees from which we never get mango but are only privy to the loud SLAM! on the galvanized roof when one falls.

On the property, are small plots of land on which we (with the help of guests at our numerous house warNings) have planted tomatoes, sweet pepper, scallion, bokchoy, and basil. We also have paw-paw, bay leaves, Spanish thyme, vervaine, a pyramid, lemongrass, aloes, and shining bush growing in the yard.   Yes, I said a pyramid. I once had a visitor who said he could feel the presence of quartz throughout the land. "Good vibes," he assessed.  The hill is also home to The Studio Annexe, Bowen's art studio and gallery. (Eddie recently closed an exhibition entitled "Recent Painting & Collages 2005-2007" at IN2ART LTD.) And a little further up our hill, is the apartment schoolhouse of Gillian Goddard - who owns Sun Eaters Organics.

We've named the entire grounds - The Old House, the Annex, the Schoolhouse, all the shacks, land, ourselves as a group, everything -  "The Republic of Sydenham".  (See pictures of The Republic here.)  A Republic flag has steadily eluded us, as if to reject any and all symbols of government.  On any given day, one can find a bucket of moving compost, 3 bottles of wine, a sound clash and lively conversation punctuated by moments of dance. We "have" 4 rude cats and are frequently visited by crapo (frogs) - which is highly auspicious and further proliferates the vibe.  I write this blog series from one of 2 hammocks in the gallery - an Om symbol to the right, Tibetan prayer flags blowing above on the left, and the sound of Jacob Miller running through my body. This goodness is what makes Trinidad so sweet.

When fellow Republicans, Svenn and Attillah, are out shooting video for their weekly show "New Voices" (and even when they're home actually), I take advantage of the space and lovely wooden floors. I dance.  In the video "Sydenham Solos" (seen below), I share an excerpt of movement I am working with for "Fresh Water." Sharing the video was an afterthought, demonstrated by the odd camera angles achieved by throwing my MacBook wherever and hitting record. Nonetheless, there are many ideas in the video that I look forward to exploring in the upcoming FreshWork series of workshops. And many other spontanteous happenings that I like - the wind blowing from the fan and my sticking out my tongue in a very Kali-esque moment:


It is a blessing to be able to live in Trinidad again and to do so in the setting of The Republic of Sydenham.  At the same time, I realize that my life in Trinidad will again manifest differently. Work in the U.S. continues to call me away with increasing frequency. I've been wanting to respond to a strong pull to Mozambique soon again. And, just last month, I was accepted into the Hollins/ADF MFA Program. I understand that both the space and my space in Trinidad has changed. Magically, both my family homes in Curepe and San Fernando no longer exist - a fact finalized last year.  I feel I've been gifted the freedom to envision a new reality for myself here.

I'm free.

I see my time here in a lab setting.  For some time now, I've dreamt of this lab - a place in Trinidad for dance artists to live and create; a place where people can come to heal, to be engaged, to learn, and where you can get wi-fi in the bush. It is a dream recently affirmed when I attended Alternative Dimensions in Piparo - a forest in the hills of Southern Trinidad.  AD is a concert that offers an alternative musical experience to the mainstream carnival music of T&T.  The event was hosted by Sheldon Blackman, son of Ras Shorty I (pioneer of soca music) on his family's vegetable farm. It was meaningful to end the Carnival season with a return to these roots.

A group of vultures (called 'corbeau' in Trinidad) greeted us as we entered the dirt trace that would take us to the 5th Alternative Dimension.  "Rain," I think, in remembrance of Oxum. (The making of 'Fresh Water' has made me keenly aware of these signs - the corbeau and the significance of this being the 5th AD.)  I arrive just as Collis Duranty's Unlimited Soul Project was playing.  (That day's line-up also included Sheldon Blackman, Shakeela, Rembuntion, Isaac Blacman & The Love Circle, Dixie-Ann Hunte, Kevon Thomas, Gillian Moore, Brother Resistance, UnCut and Tony Wiley.)  I grin in epiphanic ecstasy the whole time.  Then, it begins to rain.

It is here, deep in the forest, that I know. I know coming home was a good thing. I also know my time in Trinidad will change. It is here, that I have come full circle. A Love Circle. It is here,  that I remember my dreams. And I realize how close I am to making it all a new reality.