Fletcher's four children from left Nasha, Kamika, Kamar (holding Kamika) and Shani. The occasion was Kamika's 21st birthday party.
SHE IS the mother of three grown children from ages 19 to 26 years. Her outward appearance, however, belies her age and she owes it all to dancing.
"I don't miss dance classes ever. For me to miss it is either I'm travelling or sick," said Paula Fletcher, management consultant and executive director of the National Road Safety Council.
Unlike some of her dancing counterparts she did not start dancing until she started attending the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona campus where she joined the UWI Dance Society.
LIBERATED
"When I first joined I felt so liberated. I always wanted to dance from I was a little girl. My mother however denied my wishes and made me do piano lessons which I really wasn't interested to do although I did classes up to Grade 5 level," reminisced Fletcher.
Since being bitten by the dancing bug in her late teens, she has continuously danced for the past 20-odd years. In fact, she notes that dancing has become an integral part of her fitness regime, especially after having her four children only two years apart each. "It (dancing) enhances me both creatively and physically. If I didn't have it to keep me sane, I don't know how I would have managed with four young children."
Desirous of sharing her dance experience with her children Fletcher sent her first daughter Nasha to dance classes with Mrs. Punkie Facey and then sent her to Morma Spence, where she learnt ballet from ages five to 11. By the time all the girls had reached the age of 11 they signed up with Tony Wilson Dance Centre. After graduating from high school, they later joined The Company Dance Group, also operated by Tony Wilson. Shani, her second daughter, she noted, became one of the most outstanding dancers in the group which, received the Tony Wilson Award for Excellence.
"Looking back now, I realised that they are better off for it, because they have become successful in their studies. Nasha is now a dentist living abroad, while Kamika and Shani are doing very well in medical school," she noted.
BOND
The professional, who is well in her 40s, alluded to dancing as an excellent way to bond with her children and was responsible for her spending quality time with them and enabled me to pass on some valuable advice.
"Although I have stopped dancing in concerts and no longer attend rehearsals, I still sit and watch them when they are doing theirs. Doing this also makes me feel worthwhile as a mother as they still value my opinion."
Shani, who is now 22 and a final year medical student at UWI, said that dancing with her mother and her other two sisters has helped her as an individual, both personally and professionally. "Dancing forces me to manage my time well. Personally, if I never had an extra-curricular activity, I would just waste my time away. But since I started dancing, it makes me realise the importance of every minute. It has given me a foothold with my studies and at the same time, generates a sense of well-being."
- Michelle Barrett
