Eight-year-old dancer wins Africa Meets India pageant

TYRELL GITTENS

Syriah Villafana was born to dance.

The eight-year-old from Manzanilla used it to her advantage when she entered the celebration of culture and unity that was the Africa Meets India pageant, hosted by Zena's Creative Dance Academy, in September, and was crowned the winner. She has been a member of the academy for about one year and is learning East Indian, African and Spanish dances.

"I felt fabulous when I won," Syriah told Newsday Kids during an interview at the Santa Rosa First Peoples Community Centre in Arima.

But although she is a natural dancer, her win didn't come without much effort. With the pageant incorporating dancing and modelling, Syriah said she and the other participants rehearsed the dance routines continuously. "We practised for a month," the student of Arima Girls' RC Primary School said, adding that it cut into her free time after school and on weekends.

In the spirit of the pageant's aim to celebrate culture, participants performed a dance tribute to Denyse Plummer's 1989 calypso, Right Here. The tribute incorporated East Indian, African and Spanish styles of dancing.

Through the academy, and under the guidance of her dance instructor, Zinora Jattan, Syriah said she has had the opportunity to perform throughout the country, with the most recent being at the Carifesta celebrations in Valencia.

When Syriah is not dancing she loves to study. "I love mathematics and language," she said, and wants to learn to speak Spanish. Her mother has helped by getting her a few Spanish books which she goes through from time to time. "I want to be able to speak different languages."

Ultimately, Syriah wants to be a dentist when she grows up. "I want to be a dentist because I get to help people," she said, and is inspired by her mother who is a nurse.

As any typical child, Syriah also likes having fun, and growing up in Manzanilla provides her with many opportunities to do so, because she loves being around water and swimming.

"I like to visit Harry's Water Park and Trini River Lime," she said.

Her favourite food is macaroni and cheese, and her favourite type of music is soca. On Saturdays, she looks forward to watching episodes of The Loud House and Paw Patrol.