Community dancers awarded

By Hallam Hope

Demolition Squad, adult winners in Community Dance Fest 2009-2010, also carried off the “Best Male Group” plaque at the awards ceremony at the Warrens Office Complex Saturday evening.

Rico King received the award as well as the trophy on behalf of Demolition Squad for his group’s triumph in the dance festival.

Demolition Squad upstaged Alexandra School (second) and Praise Academy of Dance  - New Era World Changers (third) before a packed Wiley Gymnasium audience on January 21st in winning the dance festival staged and co-ordinated by the Community Development Department (CDD).

Founder of Tabia and dance choreographer Jacqueline Brathwaite received the award for her group which won in the childrens’ category. The St. Phillip-based group won from Israel Lovell Foundation Juniors (second) and Olos (third).

Minister of Community Development and Culture, Steven Blackett, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Shirley Farnum, Chief Community Development Officer Mrs Sandra Greenidge , Professor Edcil Wickham of the University of Calgary and Trimart Manager Whitfield Batson,whose company is  a new partner with the Department,  were in attendance. Minister Blackett, Professor Wickham and Mrs Greenidge spoke on the occasion.

The Best Anti-Violence Message award was made to Xtra Hype, the 2008 winners, Reactivated Squad won the award for the Best Substance Abuse Message and Les Filles Magnifique won the award for Best Female Group. The award for Best Anti-Violence Message was donated by the National Task Force on Crime Prevention while the National Council on Substance Abuse presented the award won by Reactivated Squad. The Bureau of Gender Affairs provided the awards for the Best Male and Best Female groups.

The ACE awards for consistently high quality performance, donated by the National Initiative for Service Excellence (NISE) went to Praise Academy of Dance – New Era World Changers, Adrenalin and Xtra Hype. 

Reactivated Squad and Les Filles Magnifique won plaques for “Significant Improvement”, while the award for Consistently Positive Message went to Praise Academy of Dance – New Era World Changers. Little People Fun and Frolic, a childrens’ group, won the Community Spirit Award. The Best Newcomers were Kuumba and Supa Crazy, while Adrenalin won the award for Most Original and Xtra Hype the award for Team Spirit.

There was also a presentation of certificates of participation to 14 groups.

Blackett urges participation in arts

By Hallam Hope

Minister responsible for Community Development Steven Blackett is urging Barbadians to participate in  Community Dance Fest and other cultural activities.

Addressing the awards ceremony for Community Dance Fest 2009-2010 Minister Blackett said arts  levels the playing field across socio-economic  boundaries. “No social class has a monopoly on talent. God does not discriminate on the basis of class when bestowing artistic gifts,” he asserted.

 The Minister, who has responsibility for Culture, continued  :”You must therefore ensure that your participation in the festival affords you the opportunity for improving your own self discipline and self confidence for problem-solving and critical thinking and for skills development.”

“I urge you to talk to your friends, encourage them to participate in the arts; if not dance, then in some other art form – music, drama, writing, culinary arts, photography, or film, for example,” Minister Blackett added.

Community Dance Fest 2009-2010, organised by the Community Development Department (CDD), attracted thousands of mostly young people during the preliminaries and finals. The Wildey Gymnasium was packed on January 21st when Demolition Squad and Tabia won in the adults and childrens’ categories respectively.

Minister Blackett said the Ministry was “happy to be reaching such special young people”.
He added : “We are conscious of the need for ongoing contact with the emerging groups of dancers. We are also aware that we must provide mentorship and nurture your interest in dancing as well as in other areas of personal growth.”

The Minister said there was clearly a need for an effective strategy which would allow persons who excel in cultural activities to develop their talents.

He announced that the Community Development Department would shortly be starting a series of workshops and other activities for dance groups.

“These workshops will focus holistically on areas including choreography and costume, personal grooming, public speaking, interpersonal skills and anger-management,” he noted.

In addition to the strategy, Minister Blackett said there was also a need to provide a structure and a mechanism which would allow dancers to realise some form of economic  return. “Both the performance skills and life skills are essential to the process,” he told the award winners.