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“It’s phenomenal... I’m very emotional. There’s nothing like this in the world,” declared world-leading composer, Professor Shirley Thompson, after experiencing the National Dance Theatre Company (NDTC) and the University Singers in tribute to Rex Nettleford last Tuesday at the Little Theatre in St Andrew.
Thompson, who shared that she was taught by Nettleford, also stated that she has worked with numerous dance companies around the world, including the Sydney Opera House, St Petersburg, Champs-Élysées, English National Ballet, and reiterated that “you’re not going to find anything like that anywhere in the world”.
“I’m a director for the International Ballet, so I deal with dance all the time ... and this brings me to tears. You can feel the ancestors from Africa ... I’m an Ibo ... and to think that that link comes because of the dance, it is very emotional,” said Thompson, who wrote the music for the coronation of the United Kingdom’s King Charles III. Born to Jamaican parents in England, Thompson is one of the first people of African heritage to do anything like that for a royal family.
Staged by the Rex Nettleford Foundation, Remembering Rex is the annual tribute to the NDTC co-founder and former artistic director, and the singers and dancers, some of whom he tutored – and all of whom he inspired – gathered to hail the man. The Little Theatre bulged at the seams, and the capacity audience couldn’t have been more receptive to the excellence on show as the dancers and musicians traversed through 10 pieces, starting with ‘Spirits at a Gathering’ (1995) and ending with the showpiece, ‘Kumina’, both of which were choreographed by Nettleford. Quite appropriately, the man who now holds the treasured baton, Marlon D. Simms, plays the king, a role which Nettleford himself defined and first played in 1971.
Described as “the quintessential Caribbean man, grounded in his culture and history, rejoicing in its richness and texture, astute to its frailties and passionate about its preservation and celebration,” Nettleford was a power on the world stage and the recipient of countless accolades. In a post-event interview with The Sunday Gleaner, Simms was reflective and summed up the remembrance in one word: “bittersweet”.
“It’s always a bittersweet moment. Every time I go on stage, I remember Professor Nettleford, particularly in ‘Kumina’ , because I had the pleasure and the distinct honour of learning the work from him directly. I was performing the work while he was alive. So for me, it was almost a special gift of passing it on to me, and now I have the honour of passing it on to someone else when that time comes,” Simms said.
He continued, “I feel like I’m the holder of a great tradition, and I’m humbled by it. It’s a great weight to carry, a great legacy to pass on, but I do so with pride. I use every opportunity to share with the community, with everyone, how great this tradition and this legacy is ... about how wonderful Professor Nettleford was, how selflessly he gave of himself to everyone who knew him, to country, to the region, to the world.
And so every time it comes around to Remembering Rex, it is really bittersweet. We do miss him. He was our uncle, our friend, our mentor, our guide. And every time we do the show, we say ‘Bwoy, 16 years ago, it seems like we lost him just yesterday.”
In the house also was the consul general to Miami, Oliver Mair, who is a former member of The University Singers, during which time he “learned the moves from Prof”.
“I really believe that Professor Nettleford is in the category of legend, and I’m happy that the foundation is celebrating him on an annual basis. All the pieces were great... not a dull moment from start to finish. But, for me, ‘Kumina’ is a masterpiece. It’s always good to see it in action,” Mair told The Sunday Gleaner.
Mair disclosed that he will be the patron for the NDTC when The Company travels to Florida in April, and noted that “this is a celebration of the culture and another slice of Jamaican life of which we can be extremely proud”.
Tuesday evening also saw the Rex Nettleford Distinguished Award presented to principal dancer and ballet mistress, the superbly talented dancer, Kerry Ann-Henry, who was guided and moulded by Nettleford and “is carrying forward his influence, philosophy and tradition with unwavering fidelity”.
On the list of awardees were Tajay Grant, an undergrad at The University of the West Indies, who resides at the Rex Nettleford Hall, and serves as the president of the hall’s choir; choreographer, educator, and member of the NDTC, Shavaughn Byndloss, whose critically acclaimed works have been staged by leading companies; and an upper sixth-form student at Cornwall College – Nettleford’s alma mater – who has distinguished himself through his academic discipline and principled leadership.
yasmine.peru@gleanerjm.com
English (US) ·