Bravo!

Chester Francis-Jackson, Gleaner Writer

Of his stewardship of the National Dance Theatre Company (NDTC), its artistic director and founder, the late Professor Rex Nettleford, was always wont to say: "I am presiding over my own liquidation."

Embodied in those words were the sentiments that if the NDTC were to survive his existence, succession planning and facilitation were integral to that inevitable transition! Mind you, the words and sentiments did not necessarily find favour within the ranks of the NDTC, as some had come to regard the indomitable professor as synonymous in an immortal sort of a manner! For those who could not separate the NDTC from him, his favourite rejoinder was: "Renewal and continuity." Indeed!!

Professor Nettleford was no ordinary mortal. This inspirational cultural leader and icon kept faith in Jamaica, its people and institutions, when many in the national body politic and directorship have despaired. For those who ran amok sounding the death knell of Jamaican culture over the years due to the emergence of dancehall as a leading proponent of protest, entertainment and celebration of the majority underclass, the late professor took no such umbrage. in his wisdom, he embraced the genre and included it in the company's repertoire, as he understood that Jamaica was not a homogeneous community, but a rich textured tapestry of complementing influences that meld to create the one national identity to which we all subscribe! And it was that tapestry that became the very essence of the NDTC so many years ago, that was so evident in its annual Easter Sunday Morning of Movement and Music under the direction, of artistic director Barry Moncrieffe and musical director Marjorie Whylie.

Sheila Barnett

Dedicated to the memory of the late founding member, choreographer and dancer Sheila Barnett, and stage manager of long-standing Anthony Locke, last Sunday's event was of such that Nettleford can take a deserved bow for not only successfully 'presiding over his own liquidation', but also managing to ensure 'renewal and continuity' in such a profoundly rich manner that when the curtains came down after 7 a.m., many exited the Little Theatre fighting back tears of joy and appreciation!

For the many who still harbour doubts about the survival of Jamaica's rich cultural heritage, they need only to have been
witnesses to the show as not only was the experience one that was rich in its rewards, it proved a blessing, as it was clearly a passing of the proverbial baton from the founding generation, their contemporaries and protégés to the current successors. And not only was the transition monumental in its artistic and creative channels, it brought with it a relatively new audience to the fore and it all portends well for the creative future and longevity of the ensemble! Now, it's been just a little over 30 years since the NDTC introduced its Easter Sunday offering, and kicking off at the bold hour of 6 a.m., the event is a challenge for the many not just because of the time, but also due to the fact that it falls in the middle of the long holiday when many families are out of town.

Well it was standing room only as dance aficionados, supporters and fans came out and luvs, they were richly rewarded for keeping the faith. The morning began with the Alleluia Chorus, with musical arrangement by Whylie and choreography by Nettleford, and saw the company singers and musicians setting the stage for a glorious morning of celebration.

And if there were those who thought it was going to be another morning of predictable dance prose, then the absolutely fabulously talented dancer Alicia Glasgow disabused them of the notion, as she took to the stage in her interpretation and rendition of Cry of the Spirit, choreographed by Gene Carson to music by Sandi Patti, and literally danced her way off the stage into the cockles of the collective heart of the audience, with awe-inspiring form and equanimity. Talk about grace under fire! The statuesque Glasgow not only made the dance her own, but for many who had seen the piece before, her interpretation made of it a completely new addition to the company's repertoire, a remarkable feat, considering the piece was first mounted in 1996!

morning of excellence

Now with Glasgow laying the groundwork for a morning of excellence, the singers were next, doing the music of Norbert Farrell, Everton Joseph and a traditional spiritual, preceding excerpts from the Bert Rose-choreographed Ave Verum (coached by Melanie Graham) to the music of Bach and Ennio Morricone, with dance captain Marlon Simms and Kerry-Ann Henry continuing in the vein of excellence. It was like that for the entire show, save and except when it came to the Barnett-choreographed The Rope And The Cross of 1974, with excerpts performed by Tamara Noel and Keita-Marie Chamberlain. Now, this is a simply fabulous piece, and normally, both Noel and Chamberlain are dancers of beauty, poise and prose who would stir even the most jaded, but in last Sunday's excerpts, they were less than memorable, lacking the basic in complementary language to make for the beautiful duet that is associated with this particular rendition.

If both were underwhelming in their performance, Marisa Benain stole the show in the Monika Lawrence/Patsy Ricketts choreographed Freedom, set to the music of Dionne Farris, first mounted in 1999, and done in tribute to Locke. Dears, the uber-talented Benain was awesome in every bit of the word, in substance, style, prose and rejuvenated interpretation of the piece, inspiringly so, earning a rapturous burst of applause during her performance. So awesome was she that there were those who compared her to the talent of Ricketts and Graham, and little wonder as she was nothing but brilliant!

Kevin Moore soloed after Benain and he too showed his prowess and accomplishment as a dancer of mettle. But it was excerpts from the 1996 Nettleford-choreographed Blood Canticles, to the music of Bach and Whylie, that brought on the goose pimples, and by the time the Company Dancers took to the stage for the debut of the Marlon Simms-choreographed In The Son, to the music of the Katalys Crew, the goose pimples had given way to tears in the majesty of the dance that unfolded. And precious angels, they flowed until the curtains came down on the full company performance of Psalm 150 to rapturous applause!

Guests

What a morning! Among those out including family members and relatives of both Barnett and Locke, the former in the personages of her daughters, Rhona Persuad and Patsy Newland and the latter, his widow Albertina Locke and son Adrian Locke.

NDTC family out included Chairman Geoff Cobham; artistic director Barry Moncrieffe; NDTC alums the lovely Bridgette Spaulding; the très élégant Barbara Requa; Bert Rose; Alaine Grant; Clive Thompson; Arlene Richards; the fab Natalie Chung; former Lion King star Shakie Dobson; lighting guru Rufus McDonald; Clive Cunningham; sound technician and engineer Tony Holness; tenors Howard Cooper; Carl Bliss; front-office Emma Crooks and Quinlan Ferguson.

Other guests included Judge Hilary Phillips; her sister Ambassador Elinor Felix; Ambassador Marcia Gilbert-Roberts and son Marlon Gilbert-Roberts; former High Commissioner to London David Muirhead, QC; Professor E. Nigel Harris; Rev Dr Ralph Hoyte; Professor Mervyn and Helen Morris; Professor Dr Carolyn Cooper; Dr Howard and Beverly Spence; Dr Winston Davidson and wife Dr Sonia Davidson and their daughter Tamu Davidson; Dr Leighton Jackson; Dr Maria Smith; Neil and Sandra Glasgow and her mom, Irene Walter; the esteemed Maria LaYacona; Noel Dexter; Evelyn Samuels and her daughter Carol Campbell; Lennie Little-White and companion the fab Cheryl Ryman; Fitzgerald Casserly; noted entrepreneur Ashley Beckford; Scarlett Gillings; Ruddy and Joy McHugh; the lovely Nancy McLean; the dapper Glen Case; Nicki Wilkins; Carl Thomas; Sharon Wolfe; the charming Verica Bennett; the elegant Karen Neita; celebrated flautist Steven Woodham.

We saw playwright Basil Dawkins; actor Teddy Price; folklorist and entertainer Joan-Andrea Hutchinson; Patrick Pitter; the charming Winsome Minott; the fabulous looking Barbara Bogues; the affable Roger Hinds; Sonia Gill; Richard Nevers; the charming Margaret Smith; Paul Morrison; Ivaline McLean-Brown, in from London; Angeline Moulton-Forrest and family, visiting from Perth Australia, plus several others!