An excellent 23 - Company Dance Theatre mounts brilliant production of Rose Hall

The Anne Palmer story has been told through various media in the Jamaican literary and performing arts landscape. It has been told in books, poems, plays, and songs. Therefore, it was only a matter of time before the story was told through dance. The Company Dance Theatre saw to that on Sunday. For their 23rd season of dance they gave to Jamaica the untried.

The show was a demonstration of excellence all round except for a few lengthy scenes and the excessive volume of the opening music.

Led by Samantha Chin Yee, the group of young dancers gave an excellent execution of the company's vision for its 23rd season. Artistic director Tony Wilson's choreography was further enhanced by the supporting areas of costume, set, and prop. The company dubbed the show simply, 'Rose Hall'.

story takes wings

Rose Hall began with a sit-up-and-take notice opening. As a female voiceover retells the story of Annie Palmer, who was dubbed the White Witch of Rose Hall, dancers clad in white stood in the centre aisles of the Philip Sherlock Centre for the Creative Arts on the Mona campus of the University of the West Indies. They held lights depicting burning cane fields that symbolised the rebellion that preceded the arrival of Robert the bookkeeper - you may remember that it was the bookkeeper's arrival that resulted in Annie Palmer's death - and the story takes wings.

As the story goes, Annie fell in love with Robert, who had fallen in love with Millicent, a young slave girl on her plantation. Palmer, who spent her formative years in Haiti, was rumoured to practise sorcery, skills she learned from her place of origin. When she discovered that Robert was in love with Millicent, she cast a spell over her. But that turned out to be a tragic mistake as Millicent was the granddaughter of Takoo, the slave obeah man.

After failing to remove the spell cast on her granddaughter, an angry Takoo strangled Annie to death.

Now back to the dance. Scene one not only served as the introduction of Robert (Steven Cornwall) to Annie (Samantha Chin Yee), but also revealed a fantastic-looking set depicting the front of a great house that spanned the entire upstage area.

delightful performance

In a rather lengthy dance, scene two revealed Millicent's (Shari Jackson's) room where she met Robert.

Scene three was fineness wrapped in the seduction of Robert by Annie. Act One ended with another delightful performance where Annie, along with one of her servants, performed by Gabrielle Miller, evoked the curse on Millicent. The scene was made richer with smoke and appropriate lighting, Millicent's entrance on a bed further enhancing the mystery of the moment.

Act Two was flawless. It was riveting from one scene to the next (of course if you forget the voiceover and the music that preceded scene one). From Takoo's (David Reid) unsuccessful attempt to save his granddaughter, to the Christmas celebration by the slaves, to Annie's nightmare then her death, all were beautifully choreographed and well danced.

All the principal dancers gave wonderful performances. They seemed to have understood their roles and as such gave the choreographer's vocabulary the right texture. They danced with expression, showed lovely extensions, and were fluent. But it would be amiss to have not singled out Chin Yee, Jackson, and Cornwall.

They carried the dance drama with fine acting from beginning to end. And so at the end of the final scene, in spite of Annie's cruelty, a lifeless-looking Chin Yee, held by a distraught Cornwall, managed to evoke some empathy.

Jackson's best performance came in the fight scene between Palmer and Millicent. The weak and dying Millicent was also portrayed very well.

Wilson's choice of music for each scene reinforced the mood of the characters and situation. The music spanned numerous genres, including classical and mento.

There were also excellent costume designs from Sharon Jackson, Sophia Douglas, Paul Anthony Royes, Lurline Walsh, and Arlene Richards. Simple and practical, but most of all, they properly depicted the period.

The set was not only attractive but very functional and included a very effective Kirk Nunes backdrop.