Franklene Frater, Contributor
NOT TOO high in the hills outlying Port Antonio sits a fairly modest, but obviously well-loved school. It is the Fellowship Primary and Junior High where a group of ten-year-olds have organised themselves into a dance troupe. With boundless enthusiasm and immense energy, the little dancers have captured the hearts of the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) judges while bringing home national gold medals in the Traditional Folk Forms and Dance Skit categories.
A quick chat with the students after they performed two of their gold medal-winning dances reveals that, although young, their level of confidence goes way beyond their calendar ages, setting them apart from their competitors.
The school, deep in rural Portland, has developed a tradition of excellence, but they do not rely on this. According to the students, their two national gold medals (separate from and superior to the regional gold medal) deservedly belong to them as a result of their hard work and dedication.
Rehearsals are after school, three days per week and, as was demonstarted during one of the sessions, are not at all exclusive or exhaustive. On reaching home, they practise again in front of the mirror so they will know exactly how they will look on stage.
Sitting through a rehearsal with the talented Tanya-Kay Henry, Roxanne Ferguson, Lasanda Gray, Janeil Thompson, Christina McNeil, Shanice Copeland, Kaylene Buckley, Leona George, Nzingha "beautiful princess" and Mitchell attest to many of the benefits performing (particularly as part of a team). Their confidence and seriousness as artistes were obvious and admirable. They said that, apart from 'mirror work' they also practise the dances mentally so they will remember the routines.
Dance tutor Sonia Matthews, who spends hours each day rehearsing with different groups of dancers and speech competitors from the school, points out that particularly in the dance skit category students are allowed to contribute to the choreography by adding their own moves. She feels her journey into the world of dance began in her early years when she watched groups from Buff Bay and Manchioneal perform brukkins and the quadrille during the independence period and on independence day. She was determined then to learn more about these dances, thus began her journey of discovery into these art forms.
Miss Matthews later received a scholarship to the Edna Manley College, School of Dance for an in-service course. Although its objectives were to use the arts interactively to teach all subjects and this does not necessarily happen on a large scale in the school system, she is satisfied that her choreographic skills and what she learned about Jamaica's traditional dances are indispensable aids to her current work.
In her four years working with the group, they have mined gold each in each year. Despite the constant long hours of teaching and rehearsal, she gets satisfaction from the winning attitude and team spirit of her dancers. She points to the confidence and enthusiasm which they transfer to other areas of school life. In addition to being at the 'top of the class', these students are also actively involved in other clubs such as the 4H and environmental clubs, they are brownies as well as competitors on the school's spelling bee team.
The dancers are in demand in the community, performing regularly for civic functions. They have performed for the Governor-General, at the popular Portland Jerk Festival, as well as for events put on by the Women's Bureau and Jamaica National Building Society.
