Tanya Batson-Savage, Freelance Writer

Scenes from the Stella Maris Dance Ensemble 13th Anniversary Season of Dance, held at the Little Theatre, Tom Redcam Avenue on Saturday October 7, 2006.

Celebrating their 13th season of dance, the Stella Maris (Young Adult) Ensemble is ushering itself into puberty and there is much about the weekend of performances at the Little Theatre that suggests the dance troupe is growing up.

Yet, despite the talent of the individual dancers and the individual choreographers the 2006 season only managed to provide two thrilling moments.

The evening was a pleasant way to spend time, and it was often quite evident that the dances were put together thoughtfully and were often well executed with individual dancers sometimes managing to shine with a commendable combination of grace and technique. What the night lacked as a whole, however, was "wow" appeal.

The season of dance featured five pieces choreographed by Monika Lawrence, artistic director, 'H' Patten, Rex Nettleford, Tokie Gonzales, and Patsy Ricketts. Of these, Gonzales' 'Coriente Negra' (Black Current) and Lawrence's 'Strange Waters' were new to the repertoire.

Movements

'H' Patten's 'Dance Jallof' had been originally choreographed in 1996 while 'Kalitaibu'/ Tradition Has Changed (also by Patten) and 'Kudos', a dance in seven movements with multiple choreographers, premiered in last season's show.

The first thrilling moment came in the opening movement of 'Strange Waters' a dance which explores survival in the face of attempted genocide.

Using Professor Nettleford's words that those in the African Diaspora "were severed, scattered and suffered but we survived," the dance attempted to show those elements. Its most moving moment came in the opening montage of movement however, when the combination of lighting, movement and costuming proved visually arresting.

The second thrilling moment came toward intermission with the end of the very long piece 'Kudos'.

The dance is described in the programme as a "tribute to musical masters whose musical offering have had a profound impact on audiences across the Diaspora". As with most of the dances in the season, the piece began being reasonably enjoyable. Music from Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Bob Marley and Jimmy Cliff proved reasonably entertaining especially as the emotions behind the music were often captured in the movement.

Tribute

However, the mood changed dramatically with the 7th movement which was a tribute to Michael Jackson and borrowed choreography from what remains his most riveting work, 'Thriller'. With the heavy influence of the Jackson choreography, the movement deserved more kudos for execution, particularly Andre Hinds' impersonation of Jackson, than for choreography. However, it was one of the most enjoyable moments of the evening because it was simply, unabashedly fun.

Yet, though not generally able to thrill, the 2006 season continued to highlight that Stella Maris currently has at its disposal a formidable cadre of dancers, several of whom are yet to make their impact on the dance arena.

Dancers such as Hinds seem on the rise, and as he has got rid of some of his bulk and has improved in grace, it seems that he is a dancer from whom interesting things may yet come.

Principal dancers such as Wendi Hoo Fatt, Monique Spence and Jamal Wakeling remain interesting to watch, and highlight that the troupe is 'non-professional' in name only. As such, it is a quite a pity that the evening never managed to be more than pleasant.

The Stella Maris Dance Ensemble 13th Anniversary Season of Dance, held at the Little Theatre, Tom Redcam Avenue on Saturday October 7, 2006. - Photos by Winston Sill / Freelance Photographer