Contemporary dance in Jamaica
Located in the Greater Antilles, Jamaica is a Caribbean island measuring approximately 10,991 sq. km. (4,244 sq. mi.). Over 90% of the population is of African descent, with East Indians, Caucasians, Chinese and multiracial Jamaicans rounding out the balance. Culturally, Jamaica has a rich and engaging heritage of music, art and dance, with influence from the various ethnicities in its history. Although the official language is English, the informal language, Jamaican Patois is used in everyday situations and has become familiar to the rest of the world through Jamaica’s performing artists, writers and musicians.
Jamaica’s contemporary dance scene exhibits a very strong cultural identity and great connection to the act of performing. Many choreographers find links between the ever-changing popular dances, traditional dance forms and modern/contemporary, while others lean towards more North American and European frames. All tend, however, to emphasise musicality and use of rhythm.
In Jamaica contemporary dance is not seen as a money-earner and is therefore not given substantial investment in physical and human capital. Presently governmental support includes encouragement and facilitation of performance/travel opportunities but not strategic planning for progress. This mentality is also reflected in the majority of dancers volunteering time while still holding fulltime jobs in other occupations.
Kingston, the business and popular culture capital of Jamaica, is also the Contemporary Dance capital. It is here that the National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica and L’ACADCO, two of the island’s leading contemporary companies reside. All parts of the island display the rich heritage of traditional Dance, however, and the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission holds all-island workshops and competitions to unearth the work being done.
Main contexts for presentation
The National Festival of the Arts is the oldest festival of Dance in Jamaica and celebrates 47 years in August 2009. Tied to Jamaica’s annual Independence Celebrations, it is organised and run by the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) and focuses on groups practicing traditional, contemporary and popular dance island-wide. This festival has, over the years, been very important in preserving Jamaica’s wealth of traditional dance heritage and providing a channel for developing choreographic and performance talent of practitioners the island over.
A newer Festival is to come on-stream in April 2009. Called Rukumbine, this Festival is the brainchild of L’Antoinette Osunide Stines, Artistic Director of L’ACADCO: A United Caribbean Dance Force, one of Jamaica’s best known contemporary dance companies. More information on this Festival should be found at www.lacadco.org.
Even more recent a development than Rukumbine is the Inaugural Philip Sherlock International Arts Festival. This Festival, spearheaded by Brian Heap and Michael Holgate of the Philip Sherlock Centre for the Creative Arts, UWI, includes a 3 day feast of Modern and Contemporary Dance (The Jamaica Dance Umbrella), with invited performers from the Jamaican concert dance fraternity. Its first staging will be March 6 – 8, 2009.
The Little Theatre, on Tom Redcam Avenue, Kingston has been pivotal in the development of contemporary dance in the country - it is the home of the NDTC – and it continues to be the primary venue for dance performance in the island. The island suffers from a lack of suitable dance venues and so most dance companies strive to present their seasons of dance at the Little Theatre, usually between the months of July and December. The theatre is also used by a number of adult and children studio groups for end-of-year showcases. The theatre can be contacted by telephone for arrangement of international performances, and has hosted the likes of Cuba’s Danza Teatro del Caribe.
Next in line in popularity for contemporary dance presentation is the Philip Sherlock Centre for the Creative Arts, University of the West Indies. The seating capacity here is approximately 250 but the stage is well equipped for large and small productions. The majority of contemporary dance seen here is experimental in nature as younger dance companies and independent choreographers gravitate towards this venue for presentation. This venue is also very open to showcasing international contemporary dance.
A much more intimate venue, the Studio Theatre at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts houses 120 persons and is mostly booked for student showcases and the Biennial School of Dance Faculty Concert, Physical Labrish. The space is also booked by studio groups and a number of international performing groups for informal performances and lecture demonstrations.
Cultural policies for dance
Dance is not generally financially supported by public institutions, and there is room for improvement in the allocation of Government funds for its development. Still, Ministries of Culture and Entertainment will often endorse dance companies travelling abroad to represent Jamaica.
As regards Cultural Policy, a document stating the Government’s intentions for arts development was tabled under the previous administration. Considering the recent changes, however, it may very well be subject to revision.
The major funding body which has been assisting individual practitioners to further their education in dance to the Masters level, as well as to assist L’ACADCO and the Edna Manley College in studio building is the Culture Health Arts Sports and Education Fund (CHASE).
Jamaica Trade and Invest-facilitated Visual and Performing Arts Cluster, uses funds to support programmes and projects aimed at the development of the arts in Jamaica – e.g. training programmes for practitioners, festivals, conferences etc.
About the companies
Because of the natural dance talent found in Jamaica, contemporary dance companies have always produced high calibre choreography while still maintaining largely semi-professional status. The flagship contemporary company, The National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica is world-renowned for capturing the many facets of Jamaican cultural realities and still remains a largely volunteer effort, with dancers, singers and musicians contributing their time to Jamaica’s development through the Arts. The Company began in Jamaica’s year of Independence (1962) and still holds to its nationalistic mandate. Other established contemporary companies, such as Movements Dance Company, the Company Dance Theatre, the Stella Maris Young Adult Dance Ensemble and Dance Theatre Xaymaca have followed suit.
L’ACADCO, the second oldest contemporary company, has sought to break the mold artistically and professionally. This company’s aesthetic is shaped by the modern dance technique created by its founder, (L’Antech) and it seeks to fuse fundamentals of ballet training with essences and vocabulary of Jamaican/Caribbean traditional and popular forms. L’ACADCO has also differentiated itself by trying to pay dancers for performances – in-house and otherwise. This company has now branched off into providing accredited instruction in dance and employs some of its company members as teachers. The ASHE Caribbean Performing Arts Ensemble, although not strictly a dance company, is included because much of its offerings are dance-rich. For 14 years ASHE, through funding from such international sources as the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), was able to have a salaried ensemble touring extensively on regional and international circuits. At present ASHE has scaled down its activities and become semi-professional in status.
The main association for dance is the Association of Dance Affiliates of Jamaica, founded in 2006 but not yet fully functionally. The dance practitioners here are also ‘covered’ under the larger theatre umbrella, and are automatically members of the Jamaica Association of Dramatic Artists (JADA).
About dance training
In Jamaica, there are a number of independent studios offering instruction in ballet, modern and folk techniques largely with a view to performance. A number of these studios have dance companies attached to them – for example, the Company Dance Theatre’s studio is the Tony Wilson School of Modern Dance.
A few institutions offer training in preparation for a career in the areas of dance performance, choreography or education. Foremost on this list the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts (EMCVPA), School of Dance which offers a Bachelor in Fine Arts (FBA) degree in Performance and Choreography, and Diplomas and Certificates in Dance Education and Dance Theatre and Production. The EMCVPA also partners with the University of the West Indies (UWI) to offer a BA in Dance. Another institution offering training and accreditation is the Excelsior Community College which offers an Associates Degree in the Performing Arts.
The UWI allows students to pursue dance as a co-curricular activity through the University Dance Society, and to obtain credits for participation in training and performances.
Publications
The NDTC Quarterly is a document coming from the National Dance Theatre Company with general articles and discussions about contemporary dance issues, as considered by the Company’s members and invited writers.
A seminal book Dance Jamaica was written by the artistic director of NDTC, professor Rex Nettleford, tracing the NDTC’s history and connection to Jamaica’s cultural development.
Seasons of Dance is a book of dance photography featuring the images of well-known Jamaican dance photographer, Monica daSilva. Some of the companies highlighted in the book are The Company Dance Theatre, Movements Dance Company and the Stella Maris Dance Ensemble.
Text written by: Neila Ebanks, October 2008