NDDC puts ‘Woman’ in focus

“From sugar and spice and all that’s nice, a little girl grows up to be, Woman. Here the journey of adult female begins. The struggles and realities of life reveal themselves and you can choose to become either bitter or better,” the NDDC said in a media release.

Artistic director Noble Douglas has propelled NDDC into the fore as one of the premier contemporary modern dance companies with a rich history of teaching dance for over 30 years. Some of the nation’s most talented dancers such as Leah Weller, Jenia Cunningham, Tene Nkhosi, T’shaun Billouin, Aliya Ross-Dick and Alexis Joseph have recently graduated to join the other long-standing company members.

The production will begin with “Passage” which, first choreographed by Douglas in 1988, was about the journey of migrants from Africa and India to the New World. This traumatic journey is still relevant today; it’s happening with the mass migration of refugees from the Middle East to Europe, all seeking a better quality of life, the NDDC said.

The production continues with many exciting and colourful pieces from its varied choreographers including Allan Balfour, the longest standing member of the company who will deliver “Threshold”.

Other pieces include “Echoes of Lyfe” choreographed Delton Frank; Megan Rose Navarro’s “Surge” and Kevin Jack will showcase his “3 women”. The show’s signature piece titled “Woman” is choreographed by Heather Henderson- Gordon and promises to be breathtaking. “Woman was born, to illustrate the evolution of the black person and struggles therein from the perspective of women. The piece is inspired by the journey of slaves from Africa to the Caribbean and looks at some of the hardships of the journey. Some strong issues such as rape, death and bondage experienced while travelling on the ship to a new land are explored,” the NDCC said.

The dancers will enact the journey through movement that symbolises the rolling of the slaves and bodies being stacked on the ship for transport and other contemporary techniques.

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