- Ian Allen
Left, Jeanette Walters, tutor of the Clonmel Dancers, has held the award for best teacher (traditional dance) for six years in a row. Right, Clonmel dancers in performance.
Avia Ustanny, Outlook Writer
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THEY ARE inspired and inspiring. Alternatively, they could be possessed.
The silky smooth and slow, then at-times frenetic movements of the Clonmel dancers in traditional dance would lead one to think that they were in possession of or possessed by the spirits of their African ancestors.
Fascinated by their exquisite movements in the most recent Jamaica Cultural Development Company (JCDC) traditional dance finals, we made our way to Clonmel in St. Mary recently to discover this community in which, surely, many generations must be involved in the dance.
For the sixth year running, Clonmel Primary and Junior High school and members of the Clonmel Cultural Club won awards for the traditional dances for which they took home the Kirby Doyle award and the Rex Nettleford Award for 'Most Outstanding Youth Group'.
Their performances attracted the top marks for 'Best Ring Games/Ring Play', 'Best Quadrille Camp Style', 'Best Quadrille Ballroom', 'Best Quadrille Contra Style', 'Best Maypole', 'Best Dinki Mini', 'Best Bruckins Party', 'Best Gerreh', 'Best Revival' and 'Best Jonkunnu'.
In Clonmel, however, we were in for a surprise.
We discovered that there was no tradition of dance passed from one generation to another. Instead, we found one individual who was responsible for the eruption of talent in the rural district.
She is Jeannette Walters, dance tutor and the Clonmel groups' leader, who this year won the Jay-Teens Dance Workshop award for 'Most Outstanding Traditional Teacher' islandwide, a feat which she has done several times before.
The story of the miracle she has created in her dance students is told by principal of the primary school, Althea Joan Hamilton.
Jeanette Walters, she said, went to Clonmel Primary School (now primary and Junior High) in 1995, the same year in which the performing arts were time-tabled as part of the school's curriculum.
The graduate of Passley Gardens Teacher's College eagerly embraced the new mandate to make Clonmel shine in these areas.
Before 1995, Jeanette herself says that she had never taught or even participated in traditional dance, but when she saw them being performed she instantly liked them and thought they were something her students could do.
The traditional maypole, the dinki mini... all the folk dances were new territory, but she set out to learn them and pass on the ancient movements to her students. Mrs. Walters attended many workshops put on by the JCDC in order to accomplish this.
According to her, she received a lot of encouragement from the JCDC officer with responsibility for this area of dance.
Preparing the students was "at first a challenge. They were not used to this sort of activity," Mrs. Walters recalls.
Many students were also affected by low self-esteem. Bouts of counselling and daily lunch time and evening classes in dance changed all that.
The primary school's first attempt at integrated dance was one lacking in artistic authenticity, Mrs. Walters admits. More workshops and meetings with traditional dancing groups, as well as research into the history of each dance movement (facilitated by the JCDC) also took care of this.
"I ate lunch with them dancing," the teacher admitted. The dancers were also introduced to the culture and the way of life which accompanied Bruckins, Gerreh, Etu and other dance forms which they were to perform.
The new lessons were soon having their effect. The teacher of the Clonmel dancers says that the dancers now "love it, the traditional dance, just as much" as she does.
It shows in their attitude.
The joy with which the Clonmel dancers move is unparalleled. Their teacher says, "I tell them that they must be able to enjoy the dance from within, When you love it, then every thing comes naturally."
She comments, "They have gained a lot of confidence in themselves. I have seen them performing better academically too. All the dancers get good (academic ) results.
And, since 1999, the primary school and junior high continues to hold the trophy for most the outstanding performances in traditional dance. Early in the summer, Outlook caught the young dancers preparing for a performance in Miami during the Independence period. "This will be our third time there," says Jeanette, noting that the group has been to Venezuela as well.
The excitement among the group was palpable.
Movement
Sixteen-year-old Dwayne Capnott, a past student of Clonmel and still a member of the youth club and cultural group, told Outlook, "Mrs. J is just nice. She teaches us the movement and how to do well. She also teaches us right from wrong."
Principal Althea Hamilton adds in comment: "Her contribution is somewhat rare.
"The kind of time and effort that she puts in... She is a perfectionist. Hers is an example of committed servanthood."
Her primary school has initiated the formation of the Clonmel Cultural Club as a means of retaining graduates with the skills to 'give back'.
Dwayne Capott, with a far away look in his eyes, told Outlook, "I want to take this ( the dance ) far, across the world. When other students come, we will show them too."
