Tanya Batson-Savage, Freelance Writer
Shelley-Ann Maxwell (left), and Oneil Pryce perform with a globe during a benefit performance organised for them by Neila Ebanks, at the Little Theatre last Sunday. The performance was to raise funds to aid both dancers further their studies in choreography in the United Kingdom. - COLIN HAMILTON/FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER
WITH AN energetic and diverse show, Oneil Pryce and Shelley-Ann Maxwell along with their friend and colleague, Neila Ebanks, attempted to show Jamaica their passion for dance and their wish to further their studies in choreography with the show I'll Send You A Postcard.
The concert took place at the Little Theatre on Sunday, with two shows. It featured performances from Dance Theatre Xaymaca, The Company, L'Acadco, NDTC, Praise Academy of Dance, The University Players along with others and as such highlighted why Jamaican theatre (dance and drama) has been able to grow under a culture of volunteerism.
The show was first staged by Ebanks in 2003 when she was preparing for her own trip to England to pursue her Masters in Theatre Performance. Now the name has been trademarked and will become a part of a trust to help dancers pursue graduate study.
DANCING IN THE AISLES
I'll Send You a Postcard 2006 danced around the theme of the two dancers' exodus to London to attend the Laban Centre and pursue a Masters in Dance Choreography. The evening began with the two dancing in the aisles of the theatre. They began on opposite sides of the room and made their way to the stage. When the curtains opened, it revealed a huge globe, with London dominating its centre.
As such, the opening dance mirrored how the two had converged on their present course of study. They had begun their research independently and then both been accepted by the same school, the prestigious Laban Centre.
Pryce and Maxwell's globe dance was sprinkled throughout the concert, and effectively reminded the audience why they had turned out to the theatre. As they moved the ball between them, it highlighted their current attempt to work together and get to their goal.
What was particularly interesting about the night, however, was that it brought across the diversity available in Jamaican dance theatre.
ENERGETIC PIECE
The first of the groups to perform was Dance Theatre Xaymaca, whose piece enhanced the theme of departure as they danced to Bob Marley's Exodus. The energetic piece was particularly interesting for its use of light, as the dancers explored movement that expressed, born from a Rasta vocabulary.
L'Acadco presented a more intense exploration of the Rastafari iconography in dance with 'Body Rhythms', choreographed by L'Antoinette Stines. The use of a Jamaican vocabulary, particularly Rastafari, was also explored by the University Dance Society who explored the shift from the dominance of European dance to the rise of movement guided by reggae.
The National Dance Theatre Company's contribution to the concert also highlighted the value of further study. Dancer and choreographer Marlon Simms delivered Sweet in the Morning choreographed by Leni Wylliams and directed from its Labanotion Score by Simms.
Simms is among the growing number of dancers who have pursued graduate study in their art, and his direction and performance of 'Sweet in the Morning', which is a fantastic work, highlights his achievement.
Popular dance also got its chance on the stage through the performance of the group Ihatas, recent winners of the MiPhone Dancing Dynamites competition. The group of four brought sexy, light-hearted fun to the evening with their dance, which attempted to give Shakira a run for her money.
DRAMATIC THEATRE
The evening also included dramatic theatre and this came from the University Players with an excerpt of The Black That I Am, exquisitely performed by Nadean Rawlins, and Ashe, who delivered an excerpt of their musical Curfew.
In her address to the audience, Ebanks thanked the audience for putting their money where their heart is. "The arts are just as valid, and just as relevant, if not more so (than traditional subjects of study)," she said. "The arts speak to people's hearts."
As the concert ended with Shelley-Ann and Oneil being given token pieces of Jamaica, from bun, to crackers, to rum, to breadfruit to take along with them on their journey to England and higher education, the occasion certainly spoke to the heart.
