Seanique’s dancing dreams

After winning three gold medals in the recently concluded National San Fernando Arts Festival, including Best Dancer (Female) Seanique Alexander’s career path has been sealed.

The nine-year-old has big dreams of being on the world stage as a dancer and a choreographer. Seanique wants to see her name in lights in TT and across the globe to just like her favourite dancer, Madison Nicole Zeigler of Dance Moms.

“I want to dance like her. I would also like to meet her one day,” Seanique told Newsday Kids. She also wants to be a teacher, not only to teach dance, but academics as well. She said she wants to share with others the joy she experiences from dancing and also to share her knowledge with other students, so they can excel academically.

Naturally gifted, Seanique has been dancing ever since she was a toddler, when her mother, Alana Alexander, enrolled them in a Mommy and Me programme offered by Atrawets in her home town of Couva. She has not stopped dancing since. Seanique’s grandfather, Ronald David, who does ballroom dancing for pleasure said she has also mastered the Electric Slide, Cha Cha and Conga line routines.

When she entered St Gabriel’s Girls RC Primary School, San Fernando at age five and auditions for dance was held, she naturally gravitated to try out. Before she could do so, however, her dance teacher Denicia Smith-Braithwaite observed her gliding across the room while auditions were going on.

“I loved her vibes and I kept her,” Smith-Braithwaite said.

Seanique was selected to dance with the school’s team and for a duet with Pui-Jin Assiu for San Fest 2016 and 2017. On both occasions the St Gabriel’s dancers received certificates of merit

In 2018, when Smith-Braithwaite offered her a solo role at the festival, in addition to the duet with Pui-Jin and with the school’s dance troupe, she embraced the opportunity, “because I always wanted to dance on a big stage.” The result was first place in all three categories, and a bonus - Best Dancer (Female).

At her début solo performance, Seanique recalled she was a little apprehensive but her vision to dance on a big stage boosted her confidence as she danced her way to winners’ row.

“Dance is my passion. I love to kick off my shoe and dance. It gives me freedom, it relaxes me, and it gives me joy. I really love modern dance and African dance. I want to learn to do other dances, but modern dance is really what my dance teacher is concentrating on at the moment.

An A student who has been receiving a trophy annually since Second Year for attaining over 90 per cent in her end of term exams, Seanique recalled her chest swelling with pride when her principal Colene Voisin announced over the school’s PA system that she was voted Best Dancer.

“It was euphoric. Hearing the screams of my classmates and the rest of the school made me feel really good and encouraged me to want to be a dancer.”