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.