The Jamaica Star :: Entertainment :: Variety of music at Dancefest

Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer

This youngster performs with much enthusiasm as the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) presented National Festival of the Arts Concert Series - 'Speechfest', held at Ranny Williams Entertain-ment Centre, Hope Road on Thursday, July 17. - Winston Sill

Movement and music are inseparable and at 'Dancefest', held at the National Indoor Sports Centre on Friday night, the variety of music used was an indicator of the range of dance presented.

'Dancefest' had been postponed from the previous Friday, as a tropical wave sent rain pouring down over most of the island and sending the large audience streaming (and some screaming) out of the Ranny Williams Centre.

And when MC Dervan Malcolm asked for a show of hands of those who had been caught in the rain, it seemed that there were all repeat visitors at Friday's 'Dancefest'.

Before Malcolm, though, dancers ran through the audience carrying streaming swathes of cloth, which they used to form the national colours on stage. And Mineral Heights Primary's 'Tru Jamaican Style' utilised mento to very good effect to open the best of Festival show.

Humorous tale

Naturally, Jamaican music was used extensively at 'Dancefest', the women of the Tivoli High Dance Troupe shaking their oversized lollipops to the ska of My Boy Lollipop and the turban and pencil decked students of William Knibb rocked and dipped to Jason Mighty and Prodigal in Catch a Fire.

The most extensive use of Jamaican music came from the 'Future Culture Youths' In The Game Called Love, which fused drama with dance in telling the humorous tale of two youngsters flirting with the idea of a relationship. So Tarrus Riley's She's Royal and Third World's Now That We Found Love played a part in the dance, with 'Shame and Scandal' a recurrent theme and Sean Kingston's Beautiful Girl used for the tiny male lead's despair at a potential separation.

But diversity was the name of the game in movement and music, Sts Peter and Paul Preparatory and Tivoli High using soca in 'Folkie' and 'Merriment' respectively.

Eltham High's 'Pop Poppin' tore the house down with a distinctly Jamaican flavour.

Daring number

However, some of the more outstanding pieces at 'Dancefest' did not go 'yard' with the tunes, including Tivoli's 'Sphere', a daring number which utilised a wheeled office chair on which the dancers did handstands, headstands and slow summersaults. Neither did Bobby Carter's solo 'Grief, which also took the house down, both pieces done to very quiet music which fit the slow, engrossing movements which moved the audience.

There was even dance to speech, Ascot High's 'Tie Souls' done in part to Martin Luther King Jr's voice while the Norwich Primary students provided their own music to 'Verbs', clapping and speaking in union as they danced.

St Theresa Preparatory danced to To Sir With Love on School Days and the female teacher group La Blacha threw a final coquettish salute as the military rattle of drums faded for their 'Vaz Soldier Galz'.

Dancehall had a look in with Frome Technical's To The World and Morant Bay High's Bus De Place.