Cheryl Mclean Photography

NDTC endures

Chester Francis-Jackson, Outlook Writer

In a country branded 'a land of samples', in that very few things ever survive the initial fanfare of its presentation, sometimes it's quite difficult to appreciate those things that have survived the 'sample' stage. When that thing is a product that requires the input and cooperation of several others to ensure its survival, the task becomes even more onerous.

By nature, generally we are a people given to individualistic pursuits. Arguably, this accounts for and contributes to the successes Jamaicans have racked up in individual disciplines on the international stage over the years, as, given the opportunity, the natural competitive nature of our people rises to the fore and so we shine!

Well, imagine the Herculean task of not just forging an idea that required the synergy of different components and individuals, but the harnessing of the talent of those individuals, and then channelling it into a national institution. Such was the monumental task and achievement of the late Professor Nettleford on the eve of Jamaica's independence, that he set out on the arduous task to form the National Dance Theatre Company (NDTC).

Cultural references

At the outset, precious few thought the idea of a wholly Jamaican company, using the folk music, oral storytelling, and earthy traditions could be anything but a failure. For these critics, their cultural references was to ape the ballet and other classical pretensions of their former colonial oppressors. Nettleford, though, belonged to that very rare breed of early Jamaicans, who, in fighting for independence, sought to set up Jamaican institutions to capture and celebrate the uniqueness of the Jamaican spirit and experience. And in this respect, like Norman Manley, his wife, Edna, son Michael, and Edward Seaga, Nettleford proved a true champion in helping to forge the new Jamaican identity in arts institution building and the empowerment of the majority, regarded as the underclass. To his credit, he did so unflinchingly, and from a position of disadvantage, as he was an outsider!

Well, two Fridays ago, the NDTC opened its 49th season of dance, with a spectacular mix of the old and new, at its 'home', the Little Theatre, on Tom Redcam Avenue. Dears, it was a night of which Jamaicans can be truly proud.

Creative Arts for Community + Cultural Change: "Travelling"... A ...

"I “performed” these conversations while walking barefoot out through snow to the Toronto International Airport, standing on wet North London streets, wading in the Bloomfield Mill Pond, and hiking at the edge of a cliff in Newfoundland. As I was the photographer and the subject was me, the only part of me that I could consistently see to photograph was my feet. So the images used in the web flash exhibit are of my feet in these various settings. What is not visible though is the pain in my limbs and the exhaustion on my face. The conversations, the frustrations, and the elations are also not recorded. But, could Travelling allow for another way of reading performances of pain, suffering, and disability? Not everyone can see performances. Many are site specific and budget limitations can make touring difficult. Videos can be easily distributed and on-line images and sites provide greater access. Can these images recall the performance and/or enrich our understanding? " She has, for 25 years, been active in the art and women’s communities. Her research, performance and teaching have focused on embodiment in art practice, the body in art, disability studies, women & gender studies, and feminist art education with publications in journals such as: Studies in Art Education, Resources for Feminist Research, Matriart: A Canadian Feminist Art Journal, FUSE, Fibrearts, Parachute and presentations in conferences such as: the Feminism and Art Conference (Toronto), History of Art Education Symposium (Penn State), and Moving Bodies, Embodying Movement: Exploring the Rhetoric of the Body (State University of New York, Brockport). She has taught for various institutions such as: Sheridan College, George Brown College, Ryerson Polytechnical University and the University of Toronto. As a performance and visual artist she was a founding member of FADO Performance and ARTIFACTS and has exhibited and performed internationally. For 2008/10, she presented a new exhibition/performance work, A Cellu(h)er Resistance: A Body with/out Organs? in a residency for FADO at XPACE Cultural Centre, Toronto, exhibited Travelling a digital exhibition for the Centre for Canadian Contemporary Art (CCCA), Fleishman Gallery and Art Seen (Educational Insights), and performed and exhibited Lighthousekeeping for ACEART INC. & Plug In Institute for Contemporary Art (Winnipeg). "Creative Arts in Research for Community and Cultural Change" (Editor, Cheryl L. McLean, Associate Editor Robert Kelly) publisher Detselig Temeron Press is the second book in the CAIP, Creative Arts in Interdisciplinary Practice Research Series. This ambitious publishing project has been launched by The International Journal of The Creative Arts in Interdisciplinary Practice .

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