Chester Francis-Jackson, Contributor 
MY DEARS, when the notion of an Easter Sunday morning
performance by the National Dance Theatre Company (NDTC) was first noised about, there were some who thought the idea quite absurd, as in their
limited worlds, they never
conceived of the notion that the NDTC was one institution that dance and music lovers could never quite get enough of. Any
and all outings by the celebrated company would be welcomed
with open arms, even if that
performance would commence at 6:00 a.m. on Easter Sunday.
That was 25 years ago, and from its premiere outing until now, every year at the appointed hour, the Little Theatre, on Tom Redcam Avenue, between New Kingston and Cross Roads, sports a jam-packed auditorium, as loyal patrons queue from as early as half past five, to secure admission to the
hallowed halls of the mecca of Jamaican dance, and how!
Now dears, little wonder that culture vultures, music lovers and dance aficionados would defy the gravitational pull of comforters and canopied beds in the wee hours to attend a dance recital. After all, the NDTC is not only Jamaica's
premier dance ensemble, boasting a fabulous repertoire of dance and song, culled from the Jamaican experience and the Caribbean and African diaspora, the company is an international institution; its founder and artistic director, (UWI) Vice Chancellor Emeritus, Professor Rex Nettleford, an international icon in the world of dance, and leading intellectual.
And so it is my dears, that which each new season, not only does the company find new a new generational audience and, in so doing, find a new life cycle. Not that the NDTC is ever on the verge of expiration, as indeed, infused as it is with the will, aspirations, and manifestations of our cultural traditions, this here is one institution that will go on, and on, and on.
Dears, presented under the
direction of its artistic director, Professor Nettleford, associate director, Barry Moncrieffe, and musical director, Marjorie Whylie, the dance and song offering was a beaut, and then some.
FULL HOUSE
The Little Theatre complex was full and overflowing when the curtains went up last Sunday, as dears, we are talking standing room only for the hundreds of patrons who packed into the auditorium for a cultural feast that was a fusion of music, dance and song, that not only titillated the senses, but enriched the soul!
Dears, when all is said and done about religion, particularly Christianity, none can deny the absolute joy and beauty of the music it has bequeathed this here world. Dears, and so it was that there we were, part and parcel of this rich heritage of praise, that was truly a blessing, and then some.
Mind you, while beautiful songs all, and delivered by some rich and powerful voices, the repertoire the NDTC Singers shared with its
audience, while ecumenical, for
the most part, failed to really stir, that was, at least, until they
delivered Gloria, from the Misa Criolla. Now, here is a beautiful song, and Luvs, did the singers work it! Dears, we are talking one
fabulous rendition here, that set the goose pimples off in all directions.
Now, dears, if y'all have never seen the absolutely wonderfully talented Mark Phinn dance, y'all are doing yourselves a disservice! Sweet things, the man was built to dance, his lines, his technique, his ability to envelop, superb! Pumpkins, we are talking easily one of the finest to have emerged from within the ranks of the NDTC, and with the promise of Nettlefordian greatness here, and then some! Dears, the dancer is a true beauty to behold in full solo flight, or as part of the ensemble, as he exudes the passion of the committed with the almost reverential fervor of the 'Clap-han' church enthusiast. But, what a performer!
It was that kind of a morning artistic greatness on display in song, dance, choreography, music and costuming that not only captured the very essence of the work, but also transported the
audience from being mere
onlookers, or vicarious inter-lopers, into frustrated wannabees!
And then there was Candice Morris oh my word, what a body! Oh, sweet-mint-juleps, what talent! Oh, the elegance! Oh, the beauty! Dovecakes, in a word sensational!
Dears, from the ultissima 'Spirits At A Gathering', done to the Music of Deep Forest, to the opening 'Christ Arose', (both choreographed by the professor) and Clive Thompson's 'Of Sympathy And Love', Oneil Pryce's 'Total Exultation', MoniKa Lawrence's 'Ancestral Praises', Keith Fagan's 'Of the Cross', 'Whispering' by Arsenio Andrade-Calderon, 'Blood Canticles' (Nettleford) and 'Life After Death', by Kerry-Ann Henry and Marc Hall, we are talking a feast of dance there that was a privilege to behold.
And those who came out for the do included: president of the
senate, Senator Syringa Marshall Burnett; United States Embassy consul general, Conrad Robinson; UWI Vice Chancellor, Professor Nigel Harris and wife Dr. Yvette Harris; Professor Sir Roy Augier; Professor Kenneth and Rheima Hall; Barbara Gloudon; Professor and Mrs. Barry Chevannes; Dr. Phyllis Green; Mr. and Mrs. Richard Small; Dr. Carol Ball; Patrick Bailey; Maria LaYacona; Dr. Carolyn Cooper; Lennie Little-White and companion Sheryl Ryman; Carmen Tipling; Byard Lancaster; Fae Ellington; Monica McGowan; Glen Kaisse; Sonia Jones; Carmen Clarke; Camille Hines; Patrick McDonald; Judy Wedderburn; R. Christene King and her sibling Dawn King; Nancy McLean; Basil Dawkins; senior scribe Barbara Ellington; Joy McHugh; Robert Stephenson; Dawn Fuller-Phillips; Patrick Pitter; Deborah Donaldson Schorlemmer; Michael and Shari Belnavis; Everton Pryce; Dr. Leighton Jackson; and many
others.
