CELEBRATING 65 YEARS OF THE ARAWAKS DANCE GROUP by Godfrey Martin

Post date: Jan 06, 2021 2:40:23 AM

Given the current pandemic situation, we in the Diaspora cannot be physically with you for your celebration of the 65th anniversary of the Arawaks Dance Group. You are all in our thoughts and we feel honoured to be able to share some comments on this important celebration. EARLY FORMATION - LINEAGE: First of all, we are thankful that our first lady of Dance, the late Dr. Beryl McBurnie T.C. took up the mantle given to her by a visionary Anglican Priest, the late Canon Max E. Farquhar of the St. Paul’s Anglican Church, to set up a branch of the “Little Carib” in San Fernando in 1955.

The Arawaks Dance group emerged from these early foundation sessions given by Beryl who initially travelled twice per week from Port of Spain to San Fernando and then the baton was passed to Kelvin Rotardier who kept it together for a short while until he migrated. Beryl noted in her 1965 greetings to the group: “The Arawak stranded, without teacher and guardian, were now left to their own resources. Fate can be kind in many strange ways, because out of this plight emerged Torrance Mohammed.”

We do not need language to understand and appreciate dance. It is indeed an expressive form of creative communication that provides its own syntax with the movements of bodies. Here is Master Dancer, Choreographer Torrance talking about Dance as the outer physical expression of the inner being, disciplined by rhythm.

He explained: "The word dance came from an old German word 'danso' means stretching and relaxing. Choreography, which is the art of making dances, or the planning of dance movement, came from the Greek words 'khoros' means (dancing) and 'graphic' means (writing). Dance is the mother of the Art forms." He notes that “Music and poetry exist in time. Painting and Architecture exist in space, but the dance lives in time and space. The Art Form of dance most vividly dramatizes the emotions and passions of a people, and the study of dance can shed new light upon the historical, sociological and ethnological development of a country.

Dance affords opportunities to meet and work with people of varying characters and characteristics and helps to foster togetherness of the group, team spirit, co-operation, and healthy competition. One develops a better understanding of human nature and human relationship, respect for others, and above all, enables the individual to develop a sense of self-discipline. " "It promotes beneficial physiological effects by stimulating the various organs of the body. It helps develop balance, poise, body control and awareness, the grace of movement, proper carriage, and deportment, sharpens one’s reaction time, develops a sense of community of effort in movement, by moving in rhythmic patterns, and generally affords the opportunity to respond to music and other rhythmic stimuli through movement.” (Quotes Reproduced from Pamela Bain’s undated paper on Torrance Mohammed).

There are important lessons from the endurance of Arawaks Dance Group for the national community. Survival through adaptability to the times, ensuring that the group continues to be grounded in communities, building co-operation and seeking to help communities express their inner feelings. We need to ensure that the Dance adds its input to the challenging issues of our times. For instance, UK-based Terrence Wendell Brathwaite, a famous international concert dancer and Dance Movement Psychotherapist initially emerging out of Arawaks, has written extensively on the psychotherapeutic healing potential of Dance and the importance of this medium for the nation, especially within the context of Trinidad Carnival as a foundation of self/communal therapy.

We thus look forward to future anniversary celebrations of the Arawaks Dance Group and we hope it will persist and remain an important institution for San Fernando and the national community.

We congratulate Torrance Iqbal Mohammed, who at 89 still exudes a vibrant, energetic and creative mind. He has done so much to keep the group alive. We thank him for his service.