University Dance Society moves from tragedy to triumph with ‘Homage’

Tragic events around the start of preparations for its 2026 season caused the University Dance Society (UDAS) at The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona campus, to decide on Homage as its title and theme. The tragedies included the devastation to the island caused by Hurricane Melissa and the murder of a society member, Maya Ashley. Homage was paid to Ashley and to Ruddy Williams and Stephanie Williams in the shows, which were mounted on Saturday and Sunday evenings at the Philip Sherlock Centre for the Creative Arts.

Energetically executed by the 53-strong troupe and enthusiastically received by the friend-filled audiences, the nearly 90-minute programme was divided in two by a 15-minute intermission. Part 1, with a generally solemn tone, was dedicated ‘To those we have loved and lost’; the more celebratory Part 2 was titled To tradition, art and culture.

Variety was a hallmark of the delightful production. There were 10 items, each with a different visual contribution (via colourful costumes, varied choreography and images projected on the backdrop) and aural comment on the two guiding themes. While the aural dimension was mainly the instrumental music and the songs selected by the choreographers, one item was a particularly touching dance and video tribute to Ashley, which included a recorded poem, ‘I Imagine You Dancing’ by Tanya Lord.

UDAS Artistic Director Kareen McLean was the main choreographer with three pieces: ‘Celestial’ (2025), ‘Feeling Good’ (2025), for which she gave only improvisational direction, and ‘Eccentric’ (2018), which climaxed the show with an unexpected mix of dance styles and costumes. The other choreographers were Jevon Ferril (‘Wallow’, 2024), Liane Williams (‘Walk Good’, 2024), Kai Wiggan (‘The Reality’, 2023), Shamike Gordon (‘Solara’, 2025), Orville McFarlane (‘Remnants’, 2026) and Catherine Reid (‘¡Me Gusta, Me Gusta!’, 2026).

The 10 items, five in each half, were packed into the understandably brief show. After all, the UDAS members have more than dance on their minds as end-of-year exams begin soon.

In an interview with The Gleaner, Gordon spoke of some of the original sponsors of the concert dropping out due to switching their contributions to the victims of the October hurricane. She also looked forward to greater recognition of the importance of dance and greater support for the art form by the society.

“Melissa actually taught us a few things,” said McLean. “In the face of adversity, we have to learn how to rise above the challenges and pivot whenever we need to, and we had quite a few challenges coming into this show, and the death of one of our alumni (Ashley) also changed a lot about how we wanted to approach the show.”

McLean told The Gleaner that the deaths of Ashley and other UDAS members made her think of the homage theme and shape the concert to be mostly a retrospective of past pieces. Thus, there are only two 2026 works, though usually choreographers try to create new dances every year, McLean explained.

She said her long membership (seven and nine years, respectively) at two performance companies – Cathi Levy and her Little People group and Dr L’Antoinette Stines’ L’Acadco: A United Caribbean Dance Force, of which she was associate director for some time – prepared her for her positions as UDAS artistic director and dance teacher. The latter activity, on Thursdays and Saturdays, was the most satisfying, she said. Chuckling, she added that some of her dance students who are about to graduate from the university with first degrees said they enjoyed her classes so much they were considering returning for postgraduate study, so that they could continue taking her classes.

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