Bookmark Jamaica-Gleaner.com
Go-Jamaica Gleaner Classifieds Discover Jamaica Youth Link Jamaica
Business Directory Go Shopping inns of jamaica Local Communities

Home
Lead Stories
News
Sport
Commentary
Letters
Entertainment
The Shipping Industry
Mind &Spirit
The Star
E-Financial Gleaner
Overseas News
Communities
Search This Site
powered by FreeFind
Services
Archives
Find a Jamaican
Library
Weather
Subscriptions
News by E-mail
Newsletter
Print Subscriptions
Interactive
Chat
Dating & Love
Free Email
Guestbook
ScreenSavers
Submit a Letter
WebCam
Weekly Poll
About Us
Advertising
Gleaner Company
Search the Web!

Jambalaya It's all in the mix!
published: Tuesday | October 7, 2003

By Tanya Batson-Savage, Staff Reporter


THE WORD 'jambalaya' means mixture and it accurately captured what was to be found in the 10th anniversary season of the Stella Maris (Young Adult) Dance Ensemble.

The season, dubbed 'Jambalaya', opened at The Little Theatre, Tom Redcam Drive, St. Andrew and continues next weekend. Although the season contained no new pieces, it is quite worth taking a look at, especially since some of the pieces date back to 1996. Most of the dances were choreographed by the troupe's founder and artistic director, Monika Lawrence, who was also largely responsible for the costumes.

When The Gleaner visited on Sunday evening, the sense of mixture in Jambalaya was most impressively displayed in the two most impressive dances of the evening, 'Riddim' and 'Liza', both of which carried a marriage of Jamaican folk and popular music.

There is probably nothing so fun as an old story which has been re-told in a new and interesting way. 'Liza' embodies this idea. 'Liza' is a dance created from an amalgam of the folk song about 'mout-a-massy Liza' and the very famous plot line of what happens when 'country come to town'.

One of the pieces choreographed by Lawrence, 'Liza' premiered in the 1995 National Dance Theatre Company season and Stella Maris introduced it into their repertoire last year.

A rather humourous dance, with a few dramatic moments to add a bit more depth, 'Liza' encapsulates a slice of Jamaican life to a soundtrack which included re-worked versions of the folk songs Linstead Market and Liza. The highlight of the evening, the dance easily won the audience's approval. Monique Spence impressively portrayed the star-struck country girl, who, dissatisfied with rural living, moves to the city. Orville Hall plays the man who quickly sweeps her off her feet when she gets there. the actor/dancer filled the role with his dramatic flair, playing the role to the hilt.

SKILLS

Wendi Hoo Fat, as Liza's mother, also showed great dramatic skill during the dance. Hoo-Fat was one of the greatest assets of the season, demonstrating increasing fluidity and technical proficiency.

Hoo-Fatt would also demonstrate her prowess in an impressive solo (also choreographed by Lawrence) called 'Freedom'. She also had lead position in 'Fragments' (which she shared with Karen Seymour) and 'Where is Maria'.

'Where is Maria' featured Spence, Seymour and Hoo-Fatt, three of the strongest female dancers. The impressively-dramatic dance looks at the lives of three women at the moments they experience joy, birth and death. All three women gave performances of which they can be very proud.

Jambalaya was brought to a close with another celebration of mixture with 'Riddim,' a piece choreographed by Lawrence and Orville Hall. Broken into five segments 'Riddim', another throwback from last year's season, looked at aspects of Jamaican popular music ranging from the influence of revivalism and Rastafari to current dancehall rhythms.

During the dancehall segment, Hall was clearly in his element. He has been competently exploring other dance styles, but the popular dance moves is where he rules. Although his performance in 'Riddim' and 'Liza' were strongest, his performance was strong throughout.

The only other male who gave an impressive performance was Jamal Wakeling. Although he has a way yet to go in master the popular dance techniques, Wakeling has lost some of the abruptness of his earlier dance style. As a result, he has achieved greater fluidity, which results in a masculine grace. His solo 'Brown Sugar', which was choreographed by Abeldo 'Toki' Gonzales, gave a graphic display of his ability. The dance beautifully combined strength, agility and flexibility.

Although Stella Maris now has a slew of young male dancers at their disposal, none of them are as yet at an impressive stage. Currently, they attempt to replace skill with enthusiasm. As such, the female dancers continue to dominate.

More Entertainment






















©Copyright2003 Gleaner Company Ltd. | Disclaimer | Letters to the Editor | Suggestions

Home - Jamaica Gleaner