Dance with a message

A story of conflict, greed, pain, passion and love opens this year’s Contemporary Choreographers' Collective (Coco) dance festival at Queen's Hall, St Ann's.

The festival begins on October 25 with a reprise of the dramatic dance work titled Me, by the Ibis TT Performers, which has previously played to sold-out audiences.

With a combination of contemporary dance and compelling storytelling, Me examines the empowerment of women and the choices they make. It features leading dancers, singers and musicians, including Karline Brathwaite who won a spot in the TT leg of Jennifer Lopez's World of Dance preliminaries in 2018; Vaughnette Bigford, Collis Durante and the Jeunes Agape choir backed by a live band. Choreography is by Sherma Burke.

Ibis TT's director Arthur Lewis said in a media release, “Adults often despair of young people and their choices, but we wanted to show that they can do positive things. We strive to produce work that supports young people and addresses some of the issues they face. This is dance with a message.

“The restaging of Me is an opportunity to revisit the dilemma of the main character, seven years later. How differently will we view her choices? Are her challenges still relevant today? If we had an opportunity to send a message to our future selves, seven years from now, what would we say? We aim to recapture the highs and lows of this story, using a 2019 lens.”

The festival continues October 26-27 with performances that feature a mix of international and local works from leading and emerging choreographers, with dance companies from Barbados and the USA, as well as TT.

The festival also includes workshops, masterclasses and auditions for elite US dance schools.

Now in its 11th year, the Contemporary Choreographers’ Collective (Coco) Dance Festival showcases the work of prominent local choreographers, and partners with regional and international choreographers and dancers. Coco also works to bring dance to children and young people who would not ordinarily have access to the arts in a sustained way, while hosting programmes and initiatives that nurture young choreographers and dancers. Coco said it is committed to enriching the dance community through multidisciplinary and culturally diverse programmes, establishing a contemporary artist network and enlivening the human spirit.