DECADES OF DANCE 9-15th October 2011
DANCE FESTIVAL 2011-in Trinidad
In 2009, the Ministry mounted an exhibition entitled ‘Decades of Dance’ which featured Dance Companies of Trinidad and Tobago from 1968 to 2008. The exhibition was mounted on the exterior of the Culture Division office at 51 – 55 Frederick Street, which now serves as the head office to the Ministry of the Arts and Multiculturalism. It featured:
• Five Decades of Dance companies of Trinidad Tobago in performance photos
• A profile of the Company
• A profile of the founding Artistic Director

This was stage one of the Ministry’s strategy to bring dance back into focus and more importantly, support the development of the art form through workshops and seminars and contribute to audience development for this fine art.
The Ministry in conjunction with the National Dance Association of Trinidad and Tobago, “Dance Festival 2011” will provide dance practitioners in Trinidad and Tobago with training in dance techniques; exposure to dance forms traditional to these regions; an opportunity to share experiences, styles, choreography techniques and opportunities to promote and advance not only the art of dance but the Caribbean as the Mecca of Cultural Diversity. The Caribbean dance festival also gives Trinidad and Tobago an opportunity to increase audience appreciation and interest in the dance as an art form.

A FOCUS ON YOUTH
In recent years, dance in Trinidad and Tobago has been experiencing a surge in participation, through dancers and dance enthusiasts alike. Through the B’Mobile Dance Off Series, dance companies such as Elle Incorporated and Eclectic Dancers, to the Secondary Schools’ Dance Festival produced by the National Dance Association of Trinidad and Tobago; not to mention international programs like ‘So you think you can Dance?’, ‘Dancing with the Starts’ and ‘America’s Best Dance Crew’ the youth more now than ever are thoroughly involved in dance practice. ‘Decades of Dance; Dance Festival 2011’ does have a place for the youth, not only through the workshops that are designed to focus on technique and style and how dance and movement are key to a healthy lifestyle but the career opportunities that exist for young dancers both locally and internationally but also via the ‘Hip Hop Fest’ that will showcase the more popular genres inclusive of ‘dancehall’ and ‘fusion’.




OVERALL GOAL
1. To recognize and present a broad range of dance styles towards developing and improving standards in the field of dance in Trinidad and Tobago, through networking and discourse amongst dance practitioners, dance enthusiasts and cultural researchers of the Caribbean

OBJECTIVES
1. To revitalize dance as a dramatic art-form in the Trinidad and Tobago.
2. To expose the dancer’s too technically sound practices through workshops and performances that would encourage higher professional standards.
3. To provide young persons with the opportunity to participate in dance education and performance amongst regional practitioners.
4. To present three quality dance performances to the public of Trinidad and Tobago.



 PROJECT DESCRIPTION

It is proposed that the Dance Festival 2011 take the form of a week of dance activities inclusive of performances, workshops, symposia, film screenings and youth activity to be held at NAPA and Queen’s Hall in Port of Spain and Naparima Bowl in San Fernando.

Dance Africa and Of another Nature Dance Troupes from Barbados will perform.
L’Acado-a-united Caribbean Dance Troupe from Jamaica will perform.

Decades of Dance ..Dance Festival- October 9-15.2011

DECADES OF DANCE
DANCE FESTIVAL 2011
9-16 October 2011


In 2009, the Ministry mounted an exhibition entitled ‘Decades of Dance’ which featured Dance Companies of Trinidad and Tobago from 1968 to 2008. The exhibition was mounted on the exterior of the Culture Division office at 51 – 55 Frederick Street, which now serves as the head office to the Ministry of the Arts and Multiculturalism. It featured:
• Five Decades of Dance companies of Trinidad Tobago in performance photos
• A profile of the Company
• A profile of the founding Artistic Director

This was stage one of the Division’s strategy to bring dance back into focus and more importantly, support the development of the art form through workshops and seminars and contribute to audience development for this fine art.

The Dance Festival 2011 will provide dance practitioners in Trinidad and Tobago with training in dance techniques; exposure to dance forms traditional to these regions; an opportunity to share experiences, styles, choreography techniques and opportunities to promote and advance not only the art of dance but the Caribbean as the Mecca of Cultural Diversity. The Caribbean dance festival also gives Trinidad and Tobago an opportunity to increase audience appreciation and interest in the dance as an art form.

The festival is envisioned as a pioneering event that will create an enabling environment for the presentation and discourse of dance and the reaffirmation of the existing ties between the regional dance community and cultural workers alike.

OVERALL GOAL
1. To recognize and present a broad range of dance styles towards developing and improving standards in the field of dance in Trinidad and Tobago, through networking and discourse amongst dance practitioners, dance enthusiasts and cultural researchers of the Caribbean
OBJECTIVES
1. To revitalize dance as a dramatic art-form in the Trinidad and Tobago.
2. To expose dancers to technically sound practices through workshops and performances that would encourage higher professional standards.
3. To provide young persons with the opportunity to participate in dance education and performance amongst regional practitioners.
4. To present three quality dance performances to the public of Trinidad and Tobago.

 PROJECT DESCRIPTION
It is proposed that the Dance Festival 2011 take the form of a week of dance activities to be held at different venues throughout Trinidad and Tobago. The festival is divided into three major components, each of which supports one or two of the objectives of the festival.
1. The first major component will be the performances by the host and visiting dance companies. The signal performances will be held in Port of Spain and San Fernando.
2. The second major component of the festival will be a symposium to exchange views and ideas on the state of dance in the Caribbean today and the way forward. This forum will bring together dance practitioners as well as cultural scholars, activists and entrepreneurs from the participating countries.
3. The third major component will be dance workshops on selected dance forms and styles with an emphasis on folk dance. The workshops will be held at the main performance centers and at selected schools.

The launch for specially invited guests will take place on Friday 9th at 10:00am at NAPA. The exhibition then continues from the 10th to the 24th. We are extremely excited about this project coming to fruition.

Projects worked on recently: For Ministry of Multiculturalism in Trinidad & Tobago

• The Evolution of the Steelpan and Pan in the Art Exhibition September 2009

• The Division’s “People’s Space” presentation as the country hosted the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2009 (CHOGM 2009), I programmed and managed 3 Pavilions and part of the sponsorship and marketing team.

I was also part of this team of cultural officers in the Marketing, Planning and Advertising of the inaugural events staged at the National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA) namely:

• “Dance, Meh Lover”

• NAPA Fest 2010

• Pan on a Higher Note 2011


With my experience in event promotion and management, hospitality and entertainment, I believe that I can effectively support the communications, advertising, promotional aspects, development and implementation your programmes, projects and services.

Soca Monarch 2011 Rules Broken

Breaking the Rules//WOW...Mr. Munro said IWER did not listen..he bullied the back stage....Breaking the Rules...according to the Trinidad Express today.

Mr. Munro also said according to today's Express; " Iwer has to understand he didn't obey the rules of the Competition. He went on to say
Montano performed for 12 minutes while George performed for 14 minutes. Yet Artistes are allocated 8 minutes. George also had 40-50 props, only 25 were allowed. Well it sounds to me Montano and George who placed Ist and 2nd in that order should have been disqualified. What kind of competition is this? Break the rules and come out winners. GO MacFarlane break all rules next years. That is Carnival.

Soca Monarch 2011...Observations and Questions

Yesterday I wrote about devotion to living without judgements and the devotion to letting things be because I knew today some bad news about the much talked about Soca Monarch 2011 would surface. They said the world is watching, the promotion was in your face for weeks yet the venue was not paid for up to midday of the show. Unacceptable, then to accuse the line minister of terrorism for making sure funds are paid was unreasonable. How Fantastic a Friday was it to start a show like this a 9:30pm and yet get a late start? I think the overseas Celebrity Panel is a great promotional tool for Cultural Tourism, but please have them in place for comments from competitor no 1. The local panel should be a Celebrity panel of persons with knowledge of the art form, not Celebrities of another art form. Did Benjai pay a price for his criticism of this very event(Soca Monarch) for not having two backing bands (which they now have) for the different segments? Was Iwer robbed? Why a false start for the Power Soca after a break? I always said, it's okay to promote any event at a high level with media sponsorship, but to do a fantastic production takes skilled people with a track record in production. I could go on and on...I'll say this ...Trinidad and Tobago can boost of having the greatest indigenous cultural products in the Caribbean, but one can also ask are these products in the right hands?.http://mrfile.blogspot.com ---or mrfile@twitter.com and click the link