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“This is the most important show we’ve ever done,” said Dr Sade Bully-Bell, artistic director of the Company Dance Theatre (CDT), on Friday. She was speaking to The Sunday Gleaner just hours before the dance company, along with others, staged a special celebration at the Little Theatre on Tom Redcam Drive in St Andrew.
It took the form of a joyful, three-and-a-half-hour-long word, dance and music tribute to the life and legacy of Tony Wilson. The founder and artistic director of both The Company Dance Theatre and The Tony Wilson School of Modern Dance, and an internationally acclaimed dancer and choreographer, died on October 17 after a long illness. Four of his alumni came together to form CDT Arts after his stroke.
Collaborating with CDT for the production were the National Dance Theatre Company (NDTC), L’Acadco: A United Caribbean Dance Force, Stella Maris Dance Ensemble (SMDE), Movements Dance Company, Dance Theatre Xaymaca, the Jamaica Musical Theatre Company and its junior group, Jamaica Junior Theatre. All performed pieces were in some way connected to Wilson.
“We’ll have about 40 dancers on stage,” Bully-Bell said. “Many are returning dancers, including some principal dancers who were trained by Wilson. They felt they had to perform on this special occasion. On the other hand, we have many new dancers who never met Sir (Wilson), but because of what they heard of him and because he’s been to nearly every show, they feel like they know him.” She added that some persons have come from abroad to pay their respects.
While the dances varied in quality, they were all thoroughly enjoyable. The applause and screams that filled the theatre throughout the evening were as often in appreciation of an item as “shout outs” to performing friends of members of the audience. The mood of the show was as upbeat as the famously effervescent Wilson could’ve desired.
For two reasons, there were nearly as many speeches as there were dances: the audience was told that the show was put together on “short notice” and perhaps for that reason an itemised programme was not available and we needed to hear the names of the items being staged. Besides, Wilson’s friends felt they had to express their feelings in words, as well as in music and dance.
Among the speakers were CDT’s Executive Director Colin Blackwood, Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Alando Terrelonge, NDTC Artistic Director Marlon Simms, Founder-Artistic Director of L’Acadco Dr L’Antoinette Stines, Co-founder-Artistic Director of Movements Dance Company Monica Campbell-McFarlane, and Joan Belfon, who spoke on behalf of the SMDE.
All had high praise for Wilson, who, while being a firm, disciplined visionary, was also humorous and compassionate. The tribute showed how much he was loved.
Some of the dances staged were ‘Dream on Squatters Mountain’ (NDTC), ‘Tribute to Cliff’ (SMDE), ‘In the Clouds’ (CDT), ‘Searchlight’ (Movements Dance Company), ‘Ascension’ (L’Acadco), ‘Motherland’ (Xaymaca), and ‘His Eye is on the Sparrow’ (danced by CDT’s Bully-Bell).
As the final item, Wilson’s ‘Calabash’ drew to a close, a picture of the choreographer was projected onto the backdrop. It might’ve been commenting on the evening’s production with one of Wilson’s favourite praise words, “Fabulous!”
The CDT‘s 2024 season, proper, opened last night and closes tonight.
English (US) ·