#rex nettleford

[ndtcjamaica]

It’s about how this isolated piece of soul-stirring, emotional, out-of-body experience I endured as I sat down for the National Dance Theatre Company’s 43rd staging of Morning of Movement & Music, moved me in many ways.

[caribeandthebooks]

February 2024 Reading Wrap Up

I read 3 books and got 2 kindle challenge achievements this month!

Now let's look at the breakdown :)

Reading Challenge Progress: I committed to reading 30 books in 2024 so currently I'm ahead by 2 books!

Top Genre read in February 2024: Historical

My first read for February and 5th read for the year was Dance Jamaica: Renewal and Continuity, The National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica. Rating: 3/5

This book was gifted to me by the current Artistic Director of the NDTC. Personally non-fiction books are easier to digest when they're topics that interest you/impact your life AND when you can recognise the people mentioned in the book. Was a good read, a bit wordy but that's to be expected given the author.

Book #6 was Weyward by Emilia Hart. Rating: 2.5/5

I'm not surprised at the rating since I generally don't like books that have women suffering for no other reason that it's a thing that happens. This book won Best Historical Fiction for 2023 so that placed it on my radar. Definitely take the content warnings into account for this one.

Thanks to Weyward being a kindle read, I earned the New Year Kindle Challenge Achievements: Happily Ever After & Groundhog Day while reading this book. A win is a win!

Book #7 was The Eternal Ones by Namina Forna. Rating: 2.5/5

The Eternal Ones is the last book in the Deathless Trilogy. The book wrapped up the series as expected. As annoying as the characters were sometimes it wasn't out of context. I am looking forward to more from this author in the future!

And that's it!

See you next month but in the meantime, what have you been reading?

[fanfic-lover-girl]

Bookstore scene: The tale of the 2 manbabies

First of all, let me preface with this: to me, the Weasleys are low class. Not in terms of wealth but in terms of how they carry themselves. Someone can be poor and carry themselves with poise and elegance. And someone rich can act as if they belong in the gutter with the riff-raff. In Jamaica, we say this saying by Professor Rex Nettleford "A butu in a Benz is still a butu".

This is not me saying the Weasleys are a horrible family (not the best either) or that the Malfoys are saints. I just hate the conduct of the Weasleys in general. I have seen some people on Tumblr praise how they act but I am not one of them.

Like father, like son - Reacting with physical violence when provoked by words

“Not as surprised as I am to see you in a shop, Weasley,” retorted Malfoy. “I suppose your parents will go hungry for a month to pay for all those.” Ron went as red as Ginny. He dropped his books into the cauldron, too, and started toward Malfoy, but Harry and Hermione grabbed the back of his jacket.

“Clearly,” said Mr. Malfoy, his pale eyes straying to Mr. and Mrs. Granger, who were watching apprehensively. “The company you keep, Weasley . . . and I thought your family could sink no lower —” There was a thud of metal as Ginny’s cauldron went flying; Mr. Weasley had thrown himself at Mr. Malfoy, knocking him backward into a bookshelf. Dozens of heavy spellbooks came thundering down on all their heads; there was a yell of, “Get him, Dad!” from Fred or George; Mrs. Weasley was shrieking, “No, Arthur, no!”; the crowd stampeded backward, knocking more shelves over; “Gentlemen, please — please!” cried the assistant, and then, louder than all —

Props to Arthur for lasting longer, I guess. Barely. How embarrassing, starting a fight in front of children in a public area like a hormonal teenage boy. Molly said it best:

“A fine example to set for your children . . . brawling in public . . . what Gilderoy Lockhart must’ve thought —”

It's not an admirable trait for a man to be so quick to use his fists to solve conflicts. It may sound romantic but it's an express ticket for your man to end up in jail.

Two men acting like children

Also, look here:

“Well, well, well — Arthur Weasley.” It was Mr. Malfoy. He stood with his hand on Draco’s shoulder, sneering in just the same way.

Arthur is such a wonderful family man that he launched himself at Lucius while he was standing near his preteen son. He could have hurt Draco in the scuffle. The cynical part of me thinks Arthur doesn't give a damn if a child was hurt in the process of him acting like a teenage punk.

And why is Lucius wasting his time mocking the Weasleys? Does he not have better things to do? He's not exactly teaching his son proper manners either.

Just look at this man baby:

He was still holding Ginny’s old Transfiguration book. He thrust it at her, his eyes glittering with malice. “Here, girl — take your book — it’s the best your father can give you —” Pulling himself out of Hagrid’s grip he beckoned to Draco and swept from the shop.

Throwing books at a little girl like Lucius isn't a grown-ass man. Exiting the scene like a humiliated highschool mean girl. No wonder Draco is like this. Goodness.

[preethecaribbean]

“The National Dance Theatre Company extends heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, and loved ones of Judith Jamison, as well as to the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and the wider dance community.

Ms. Jamison was a treasured friend of the NDTC, forging a meaningful bond with our own icons, co-founder and past artistic director Rex Nettleford and the incomparable Clive Thompson. Her steadfast support was felt each time she attended an NDTC performance in New York or sent flowers with her best wishes.

A woman of heart and grace, Ms. Jamison embodied a profound love for her craft. We are grateful for her life, her contributions to dance, and her support of the NDTC. May her legacy continue to inspire, and may those who mourn find comfort in cherished memories of her remarkable life.” National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica

[lovedvra]

March 31, 2024 I woke up at 3:54 a.m. It felt like an adult field trip. I was too excited to sleep the night before and still excited when I woke up. By 5:30 a.m. we were on our way, five ladies on a trip to be blessed by dance and song. 6:00 A.M. The service began with an opening hymn to “Oh Worship the King”, directed and choreographed by Marlon D. Simms, artistic director of the National Dance Theatre Company with Dr. Kathy Brown as musical director. NDTC is always on time, but they gave the audience five minutes to be seated. We were in for a spiritual treat. My favourite pieces were an excerpt of a 2003 Clive Thompson choreography entitled “Of Sympathy and Love” danced by Mark Phinn. Please give Mark more solos. This is the third solo I’ve seen him do and he gets better every time. My next favourite is “Blood Canticles” (1996) with dancers Marisa Benain, Kerry-Ann Henry, Tamara Noel, Mischka Williams with music accompaniment from NDTC Singers and musicians. It was a tribute to recently passed Dr. Brian Heap who was integral in the company’s and Jamaica’s cultural impact. I assume that most of my readers are new to NDTC, so let me introduce a few of the dancers that I am familiar with. Kerry-Ann Henry is the principal ballerina for NdTC and a lecturer of Dance at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts. Marisa Benain is a firecracker woman! She is a lawyer, CEO of Plíe for the Arts and dancer with NDTC. I’m sure she has many other accolades, but I love to see her on stage. “Luminosity” choreographed by Paul Newman and Amaya Gomes who is also danced this piece, made me want to throw an invisible fancy church hat and say “Yes girl, dance yah gyal! Dance!” My ultimate favourite from the day was “Creed”. Everyone held their breaths for this piece. This one made me excited for this year’s Season of Dance. I’ve tried to write about my experience watching the National Dance Theatre Company perform many times. Tears always well up in my eyes during their shows. I get  goosebumps too. I can’t help it, my spirit expands beyond what my body can contain and the appropriate response for the space isn’t spontaneous dancing or hooting and whollering from the audience. After watching my first Easter Morning show I can clearly say, that my eyes and heart respond since all my body can do is sit and sway as the pieces lift me to another creative realm. The synchronisation of choreography, dancer, song, lighting, costume, and stage props for each performance heals my connection to self, Jamaica and my African heritage bit by bit. I wonder if that was the intention behind each decision professor Rex Nettleford had in mind when began his journey with the company? It is refreshing to experience the continuation of that legacy through Marlon Simms’ leadership. To be honest, from the very first time I had the opportunity to watch an NDTC show in the Little, Little Theatre I’ve dreamt of being on that stage, dancing with them, rehearsing, pushing my body and creativity beyond limitations to make others feel what I feel every time I see dancers who love their craft perform. 8:30 a.m. I sat in my parents’ kitchen in awe. As I recounted the service with birds chirped their morning songs on the powerlines and from the trees. I felt so at peace that adding a spoon of brown sugar to my green tea felt like a blessed ritual. That’s how the arts move me. Without the arts where would we find respite amidst the chaos life brings? A grievous occasion such as Jesus’s cruxification is now the inspiration for a service of Movement and Music. The message and healing are there. They’re always available. All we need to do is tap in. Follow the page on Instagram @ndtcjamaica and stay hydrated lovelies.

[eriinn]

Je suis toujours sous le choque. J'ai enfin terminé mon Master. J'ai travaillé énormément.

J'ai eu pleins de doute. Parfois je ne croyais plus à mon travail. Ce travail m'a énormément mis dans la solitude. Et puis en même temps j'ai rencontré un amour exceptionnel.

A présent plein de portes s'ouvrent à moi. Je ne vais pas me plaindre. Mais limite je me perds, c'est suffocant. Je suis encore fatiguée.

Je veux faire de mon mieux. J'ai bientôt une conférence et ça me fait peur. Et puis j'écoute ma mère me parler. Il faut que je fasse comme si j'expliquais à une personne, à un enfant. Le plus simplement possible.

J'ai toujours cette énergie de gêne. Comme si je n'étais pas à ma place, ou si je n'étais pas légitime. Non. C'est bien moi qui ai parlé à une assemblée, même si j'ai aligné 3 phrases en anglais. J'ai monté une exposition seule, à l'étranger. Je suis capable de le faire. Mon objectif est de transmettre puis construire des idées. De créer des projets et j'ai pleins d'idées.

Alors même si des gens ne m'aiment pas, même s'ils tentent de me rabaisser, de par mes origines, mon histoire, mon physique. Non, je dois aller au dessus de ça. Mes projets sont plus grands que ces balivernes. Je m'inspire de modèles intellectuels (Rex Nettleford), artistique ( Frida Khalo) et puis le soutien inconditionnel de mes familles.

Tout va bien. A moi de faire la suite.

[havatabanca]

[gravalicious]

A counterdiscourse to postindependence elite representations of a harmoniously creolized society can be seen in a scholarly tradition that emphasized the nature of the discursive space occupied by Africa within creolization and was articulated in the early 1970s by Elsa Goveia, Rex Nettleford, and Sylvia Wynter. In her essay “The Social Framework,” Goveia acknowledged the sole integrating factor within West Indian society as “the acceptance of the inferiority of Negroes to whites.” Wynter targeted the concept of creolization directly as a “fraudulent multiculturalism,” and Nettleford acknowledged that “the mixture (of European and African cultures) has produced a Creole culture in which European and African elements persist and predominate in fairly standard combinations and relationships with things European gaining ascriptive status while things African were correspondingly devalued, including African racial traits.”[21] All of these interventions point not just to the tensions inherent in conservative, nationalist, and radical discourses on culture but to something else, too often unremarked within contemporary debates about creolization and culture—namely, actually existing racism in the Caribbean.[22]

Aaron Kamugisha - BEYOND COLONIALITY: Citizenship and Freedom in the Caribbean Intellectual Tradition (2019)

[islandpeeps]

Happy Birthday Prof. Rex Nettleford!!! Jamaican born Scholar, Social Critic, Choreographer, and Vice-Chancellor Emeritus of the University of the West Indies (UWI), the leading research university in the Commonwealth Caribbean!!! Today we celebrate you!!! #RexNettleford ⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ #islandpeeps #islandpeepsbirthdays #UWI #Chancellor #Jamaica (at The University of the West Indies, Mona)

[scholarshipja]

Kerry-Ann Henry celebrates 25 years with the #NDTC When the National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica (@ndtcjamaica) takes to the stage at the Little Theatre in St Andrew on July 19 for the opening of its 57th annual season of dance, ballet mistress Kerry-Ann Henry will be celebrating a milestone of her own. This year marks her 25th year as a dancer with the renowned local troupe which was co-founded by the late Professor Rex Nettleford and Eddy Thomas in 1962. Read more in today's Sunday Observer or follow the link in @jamaicaobserver IG story. https://www.instagram.com/p/BzYRC6FhNPP/?igshid=abapg750ia1r

[ndtcjamaica]

The National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica (NDTC) once again captivated audiences with its season of dance, which opened to widespread acclaim and concluded on August 11.

[caribeandthebooks]

Caribe's Physical TBR

This is the most random TBR List but bear with me skskskskks. If anything this is proof that I read any and everything.

Let's begin! Links to books are below the images.

Cain's Jawbone by E. Powys Mathers received as a gift.

Spark Joy by Marie Kondo got this in a subscription box.

How to Beat Anyone at Chess by Ethan Moore got this with a chess board in a subscription lol.

The Original Folk & Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm by Jacob Grimm received as a gift.

Dance Jamaica: Renewal and Continuity The National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica 1962-2008 by Rex Nettleford received as a gift.

The Apocrypha - King James Version received as gift to read after a full bible read through.

[africandiasporaphd]

 Wynter, Sylvia. “1492: A New World View.” In Race, Discourse, and the Origin of the Americas: A New World View, edited by Vera Lawrence Hyatt and Rex Nettleford, 5–57, 1995.  

[goodnewsjamaica]

‘The Lion King’ Recruits In Ja, Because Garth Said So

New Post has been published on https://goodnewsjamaica.com/news/recruit-says-garth/

‘The Lion King’ Recruits In Ja, Because Garth Said So

It is upon Garth Fagan’s insistence that The Lion King on Broadway repeatedly visits Jamaica to source talent to include in their astronomically successful, perpetually touring, award-winning theatrical production.

The Jamaican choreographer has been an instrumental and inimitable contributor to that production in particular and to the wider world of dance in general, with his work presented on stages all over the world. Fagan has been settled in New York for many decades, but remains acutely aware of his roots, choosing to sustain his connection to home through the recruitment of whomever impresses enough to join the cast on stage.

“I insisted on that; to go where I was made,” Fagan told The Gleaner.

Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport Olivia Grange in discussion with dancers who recently auditioned for roles in Disney’s ‘The Lion King’.

Naming other revered dancers like Rex Nettleford and Ivy Baxter, Fagan suggests that his experience on the island nourished his creative skills. “All those people nourished me. I learned a lot from them. Jamaica is my blood, my veins and soul. I understand the rhythms – the subtle difference from the Africans. I studied modern dance with the best. It’s a rich hue – where my work comes from,” he said.

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Garth Fagan’s first dance company, Bottom of the Bucket Dance Theatre, gave its first public performance in November 1970 in Buffalo, New York. In September 1990, his second, Garth Fagan Dance, officially opened its doors. It remains wide open to this day.

Among Garth Fagan Dance’s pivotal moments were in 1990, when New York Times critic Jennifer Dunning proclaimed the company’s Easter Freeway Processional (1983, scored by Philip Glass) “a modern-dance classic”. Fagan himself received a Bessie Award that same year for “an extraordinary sustained achievement in building a new dance language born of African, Caribbean, and contemporary vocabularies, a physical whirlwind of mind and body”.

50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS

Come 2020, the current company and alumni will perform at various locations around the world to celebrate their 50th anniversary. Fagan, however, lamented that Jamaica is not on the list, but he is determined to change that. “I insist we perform in Jamaica,” he said.

A picture of Rex Nettleford is flashed across the screen as the Stella Maris Dance Ensemble performs a piece at Remembering Rex, held recently at the Little Theatre in Kingston. Photo By: Shorn Hector

If Fagan’s insistence remains as powerful as it has proven in the past, there is more than a glimmer of hope that the desire for Garth Fagan Dance to include Jamaica in their golden anniversary celebrations will result in improvements in performance art infrastructure.

Last August, the theatrical performance artists and their audience were sent into a tizzy when prima ballerina Misty Copeland came to Jamaica to perform. Held at The Little Theatre, the event was sold out in no time. However, infrastructural limitations ultimately scaled down the event. Michele Rollins, patron of Copeland’s Jamaican presentation, was quoted as saying, “I sit here thinking, a floor was all that stopped us from being at the arena. We need to fix those things because there’s so much talent here.”

BROADWAY

The Lion King on Broadway opened in November 1997. The following June, Fagan received the coveted Tony Award for Outstanding Choreography. Proof beyond the engraved award that Fagan’s choreography was indeed outstanding, lies in the fact that over two decades later, the production is still around.

“It’s quality. [The Lion King] will always gain audience. It has made more money than any production in theatre, in history,” Fagan shared.

A seasoned professional, the choreographer noted that his dance moves where designed to fit with the gargantuan vision of the director and the unquestioning support of the technical crew.

He elaborated, “Different cultures, languages and races have enjoyed it, and stamped and cheered – not only because of my work. Julie Taymor, the director, is sensational.” He recalled reviewing preliminary sketches of the production. “I thought, this woman is possessed … in a good way by The Lion King. All my colleagues – costumes, lighting, all of us – we worked feverishly way into the night, every night, until we got it right.”

Perhaps because the opportunity to demonstrate their skills do not pervade in the Caribbean space, Fagan has observed that those who do make it past the audition phase share a similarity beyond they’re region. “One thing we know is discipline. I always learnt that discipline is freedom.”

Though he hasn’t visited in a few years (the last visit being about four years ago to lay a family member to rest), Fagan is confident the production can find more Jamaicans to add to the iconic cast. “I’m not up to speed, but there is big talent [in Jamaica]. Everything should be fine.”

By: Kimberley Small

Original Article Found Here

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[ghanagist]

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[sexypinkon]

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