10 things you didn't know about Tony Wilson

1. He started dancing in high school while at Kingston Technical. Then he danced with Sheila Barnett, one of the founding members of the National Dance Theatre Company (NDTC).

2. Wilson studied dance on a full-time scholarship with three famous dance schools in the United States - The Alvin Ailey American Dance Centre, Martha Graham, and Dance Theatre of Harlem. He choreographed works for New Breed Dance Company in Chicago.

3. He first formed the Company Dance Theatre in Chicago, then moved back to Jamaica. So the celebration of the company's 25th anniversary is a celebration of the company's 25th year in Jamaica, not their 25th year of existence.

4. Despite being an acclaimed international dancer who is constantly performing in front of crowds, Wilson says, "I'm a very shy person." He does, however, enjoy going to the disco and the dancehall, as he finds these visits inspirational. He notes that an untrained eye is not aware of the creativity and ingenuity employed when free-dancing in the dancehall.

5. Wilson is the founder and principal of the Dance Centre - the 25-year-old dance school now operating from the American International School, that has provided Jamaica with some of its most brilliant young dancers.

6. He lectured at the Edna Manley College. As artistic director of the college, he was a guest lecturer in the Theatre Colón in Argentina. His tenure at the NDTC has seen him in the roles of principal dancer, choreographer and set designer.

7. Has won the Best Actor Award at the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission festival.

8. Wilson is very meticulous and 'fussy' about his personal surroundings, but generally hates domestic chores. He is an exceptional cook, but hates to do so and only does it on very special occasions.

9. He still enjoys dancing as it has afforded him the opportunity to travel the world on various cultural exchanges. One of the most memorable travels is his visit to Australia and a visit to the Sydney Opera House.

10. Wilson has one major phobia - he is terribly afraid of lizards.

Tony Wilson is one of Jamaica's leading exponents of dance, with a career spanning four decades. A graduate of Kingston Technical High School, he first discovered his love for the art form while still in his early teens. From then on, he embraced dance not only as a vocation, but as a vehicle he can use to give back to the community. He regards the discipline required to train, study and execute complex choreography as crucial to building personal discipline and character.

To date, this is part and parcel of his motivational armoury, particularly coming from a time and place where dance was never considered a worthwhile occupation for anyone, more so a young man.

Today, on the eve of celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Jamaican launch of the Company Dance Theatre, (a company he first founded and launched in the late 1970s in Chicago), Outlook shares 10 things you didn't know about Tony Wilson - founder, artistic director, and principal choreographer of the Company Dance Theatre.

- CFJ