In its fifth dance season, Metamorphosis moves into exciting but uncharted space with its production of "Dance Spirit." The dance company, a spin off of the forty-three year old Caribbean School of Dance at Dere Street, will hold its annual performances at the open-air St James Theatre on the Western Main Road, (next door to the St James Police Station), on Saturday May 27 and Sunday May 28, at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.
The company's Artistic Director, Nancy Herrera does not see the unavailability of Queen's Hall, which is closed for repairs, as unfortunate for Metamorphosis. "I think it is exciting, we are going into uncharted waters and what has happened is Robert Lasheras, who designed that space for TIDCO, and has always worked with Caribbean School and Metamorphosis, is designing two of the costumes specifically for the space."
Lead dancers are Abby Charles, Tara Seebreth, Lisa Beharry and Camille Fitz-Worme, who have all been trained at the Caribbean School and now dance with the advanced company specifically created to showcase the very talented students who are waiting to go abroad for further study, and vice versa for the affiliated professionals who return to choreograph dance to be featured in the upcoming season.
Many things combined to make the St James Theatre ideal for Metamorphosis, explained Herrera "we needed a theatre as the Hall is being renovated, Little Carib could not hold our Moko Jumbies and there was just no other place that when you walk into it you know you are in a theatre. Also the St James Theatre is to have a sculpture of Beryl Mc Burnie and so TIDCO endorsed our season, particularly being so soon after her death, that her spirit should be kept alive. One thing she would not have been afraid to do is to use that space, because Beryl would dance anywhere."
Despite being a difficult space with which to work, not to mention the risk of being open to the elements, Herrera is sure that a company like Metamorphosis could make it work "and if we are successful others will say, okay, if they had a show there we can make it work. The demands are different, the audience is close and immediate, we cannot depend on illusion, there is no curtain, nothing on which to hang scenery, it presents a challenge because you have to rethink how you are going to be true to the principles of theatre in such a space.
When you think of it, you are going back to the familiar Greek theatre where everything is seen by the audience. In Queen's Hall, there is a closed curtain. You now have to find as an artist how to create without the sophisticated aids of a 20th century theatre. You have to produce it in a different way without disturbing all that is created for the audience throughout the show."
Herrera has choreographed "Chrysalis" specifically for open theatre. It is being premiered by the entire company, with Camille as lead dancer. While, Patricia Roe, principal of the school, has choreographed a new piece which remains unnamed, with Charles as soloist.
Sonja Dumas has choreographed three pieces, "Gabriel, your angel lives in you"; "Love Baby Love" a duet for two of the promising younger dancers, Ana Agarrat and Shari Rhyner with music by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong; and "Oh be Joyful- Red solo and condensed milk" influenced by a lot of traditional folk rhythms as the name would suggest.
The Theatre's accoustics make it an ideal place for Dumas to mount Gabriel, a total piece of dance theatre, and the space is intimate enough so that the audience can hear what the dancers are saying, without shouting or using microphones.
After Gabriel's success in November 1999 at the St James Theatre, the Inter-American Development Bank endorsed it as a project that incorporates the bank's basic philosophy, that is, strengthening the capacity of youth to effectively manage their programmes. "It is a whole piece on self esteem. Gabriel uses the metaphor of an angel to celebrate and enforce self-esteem in young people" Herrera explained. This very week-end, with the support of the Tobago House of Assembly, the Ministry of Education and the IADB, Gabriel has been aired in Tobago.
Mystic Forest, another piece by the Artistic Director for the whole company, uses moving and living scenery of moko jumbies. Although the foundation of the dancers' technique is classical ballet , Herrera has experimented using ballet to traditional African drums and the music of the sitar in Mystic Forest and Chrysalis. "You could say both pieces are folk ballet. But then none of the choreographers is doing pure anything, everybody is being influenced by this place in the year 2000. Much of what you see happening, like in music, is what you would call crossover, in dance the word is a 'meld' of styles" . Choreographer, Carol Yip Choy's "Duality" highlights Beharry and Seebreth.
The entire Metamorphosis company and its supporters are excited. "As a company we know how to make Queen's Hall work, actually the company has experience with making all sorts of spaces work, and so going to St James is a challenge but not impossible. A great idea like this just galvanizes people, the electricians who installed all the cables in the space are so excited they want to be a part of the show, they want to help us to get it right. Lasheras, designer of this wonderful space, is working in the trenches to see that it works. Pat Bishop will do anything to see us succeed so she is there for us too. People have come out of the woodwork because they are excited and are looking to see things work" says Herrera.
Tickets for Dance Spirit costing $25 are available at the Caribbean School, Rhyner's Records on Prince Street, Ate Logo at West Mall and Long Circular Mall, with an additional word of caution: "bring a cushion and an umbrella."