Linda Pollard Lake: Dance is like catching a ghost

She wears a warm, friendly smile and like a bird ready to fly, she stretches her arms and turns around on her toes with such grace that she leaves onlookers speechless. Linda Pollard Lake has spent a lifetime dancing and teaching the art and is one of the most respected modern and ballet dancers.

Afraid to be called a “diva of dance”, Linda is modest when talking about her skill. “This country has too many qualified and celebrated dancers for me to take the name ‘diva’. I would prefer to be called a good dancer and an excellent tutor,” she said. Born at Maraval Road, Port-of-Spain, Linda says that although she looks British, she is a true Trini. “Maybe I am a white Trini, but I am a Trini to the bone. Make no mistake about that,” she said laughing. She comes from a lineage of Scottish and British grandparents but her father, Henry Pollard was a French Creole born in Trinidad. Her mom, Elsie Talma was also born in Trinidad of Scottish parents.

Although Linda is considered a “town girl” she has a yearning for the rich culture that comes from the rural areas where the African slaves and indentured labourers settled. She has been mixing her choreography with a lot of the styles from African and East Indian cultures. “In order to satisfy the local audience there is always a need to fuse the modern styles of dance with the traditional styles that carry African and East Indian origins. Of course there is an audience for pure modern dancing and pure ballet dancing, but what is interesting is the fact that an artiste dares to mix and experiment with the various art forms,” she said gesturing with her hands.

Having spent some 40 years as a dancer, mastering modern and ballet dance, Linda heads Danse Assemble institute of Maraval Road, Port-of-Spain. She is the mother of two, Adam, 24, and Kristel, 21, who are both studying at Toronto University, Canada. In recent years Linda has been able to do a lot more work in modern dance as her children are no longer with her. “I am living a life that is dance. Apart from doing some social activities for the communities in and around the Port-of-Spain area, my total concentration is choreographing and tutoring kids and adults,” she said.

At her studio she tutors students from age three to 42. She said more and more people are getting into dance. “There is a new awareness in dancing. Everywhere you go you’ll see young children ready to learn the art and this is a good sign. The art of dance really helps one to relax. “Both the physical body and the mind are made to relax. As a result of this there is no stress. Dancing strengthens the body and mind. This is important. Cause there is so much tension and stress coming from the workplace and the schools. The need for higher education and the need to excel in one’s job can be really stressful, therefore the art of dance is recommended to add balance to one’s monotonous routine,” she said.

Linda graduated from the Dorine Bird School of the Performing Arts in England. She later attended the Imperial Society for Teachers also in England where she attained her diploma in modern dance. For ballet she said there is a need to condition the body from a young age. “One has to begin ballet at the age of four or five in order to become a ballerina. The art is very structured in that one can study the art by reading the various steps from a text. Just as one can write music, one can write a recital for ballet. The technique is so well dictated that one can instruct the art from sitting on a chair. It is like the mathematics of the academic side of things,” she said.

“In ballet the stories are told of the kings and queens and their adventures. The act where the princess will fall in love with the prince charming and they venture out in the fields having fallen in love.” These stories and costuming are traditional. The long skirts are used for the romantic stories while the short, outstretched skirts called “putu” is used for the high jumps and intricate movements. In ballet the French shoes are used and this is a soft shoe with sliding a base that assists the dancer to move fluently on stage. The pointed shoe is used to get the professional dancer on the tip of the toe.  Because of this balance on the shoe tip, the dancer can do the turns and the other very difficult moves. “It is the dream of every ballerina to reach this standard where they can master the art,” she said.

In modern dance the soul can be set free for movement that relates to the different emotions. “One can take the modern steps and place them in dance that depicts sadness or in a dance that depicts joy and happiness. “One can take these same steps and alter them to suit the story that carries a patriotic message,” she noted. This is why the modern dance is so popular, she added. Referring to the limbo dance, she noted that it depicted death and carries a powerful message where those involved call on the gods to bless the soul of the family members who have passed away. Originally the dance, which is of African origin, was done the night following the death of a family member. However, today the dance is done at many public functions which highlight the culture of the African people. “This is good because we get an opportunity to learn about the African people and how they deal with certain situations,” she said.

Linda said that while dance is used to complement many performances on its own it is “illusion”. “It is like catching a ghost. Once a recital is done, it is gone forever. To create this moment again is like an impossible task,” she explained. The dancer has to keep creating new styles that would go with the beat of the day, she said. “For example if an artiste would create a song about an old lady who wanted to learn about the city, then the dancer has to create the movement that would depict the scenes of this song.”

One of her cherised memories is working with the late Andre Tanker in a recital called Marina Osha, in which she played the role of a Caribbean black woman. This performance was one of the more popular pieces in 1992 and they were asked to do it time and time again. “It was a sensual piece. A piece that depicted the real woman in all her sexiness. In all her glory as she walks to fetch water. Although she was doing labour, having to fetch water from the well, she showed her womanhood in the way she walked and the way she smiled,” she said, describing the dance with much passion. Linda remembered Tanker as he sang the song and for her, it was as if he was singing for her alone. This, she says, was one of her best moments as a performer. She thanks God for the mercy bestowed on her and believes in praying each day before leaving her home. “I feel better when I know I have God’s blessings.”