Moed School of Dance to showcase Enter In at Central Bank Auditorium

CHERYL METIVIER

Moed, a Hebrew word that means "appointed time and season, place of meeting" is a word that Ayanna Joseph first encountered while attending a church conference in 2015. Both the word and its meaning resonated deeply with her, and she kept it in mind for three years until she used it as the registered name of her dance company in 2018. The Moed School of Dance was officially opened in 2021.

Joseph has been dancing and teaching dance for over 15 years. Her preferred disciplines have been and continue to be modern and contemporary.

“I graduated from the Dance Education programme at the University of the West Indies, and participated in numerous international courses, workshops and seminars," Joseph told Newsday.

“I continue to keep abreast of what is happening in the dance industry, ensuring that my training and techniques continue to be fresh and relevant, so that I offer the best to my students,” and by extension, her community.

On August 6 Moed will showcase a production titled Enter In, at the Central Bank Auditorium. The messages will be delivered using folk, modern and contemporary dance, and the selection of music that will accompany the cast of 45 has been meticulously selected and compiled. The repertoire includes African drums and the steelpan.

“There will be two performances. A matinee at 2 pm and an evening show at 7 pm. The matinee is already sold out,” she said, adding that this is a reason for much celebration because the school is officially just two years old.

“This is the first time that we will be attempting to do two shows on the same day.”

Her previous shows, Mela in July 2022 and Stillness in October 2022 were presented over a two-day period – Friday and Saturday evenings. For this year’s production, the Moed troupe will be joined by Shema Dance and Performing Arts Ministries; based in Laventille, and led by Rickisha Thomas-Alexander; as well as two spoken word artistes, Keffi Rosita and Shenice Thornhill.

Joseph said she has been collaborating with these performers for the last few productions.

“Patrons can expect seamless transitions between performances, given the history and chemistry we have developed over the last few years. The offerings from our guests are expected to synchronise with the theme, and offer the audience an experience and an invitation to enter in and take a closer look at the heart of God, and His love for His creation.’”

Joseph describes herself as a believer, who is a “very value-based” person and who is heavily involved in her church and wider community. Both her love of dance and community, she said, are easily traced to her childhood. Her earliest memory of feeling passionate about dancing was as a child when she regularly accompanied her mother to dance rehearsals at the Julia Edwards Dance Company. Her mother’s involvement with dance meant that she travelled extensively, but when she returned from her assignments she spent a significant amount of time investing in her community of Dibe, St James.

Joseph, a wife and mother of two sons said she was thrust into making Moed a full-time endeavour when she “fortunately” lost her job in sales and marketing at the Arthur Lok Jack Global School of business during a downsizing exercise at the height of the covid19 pandemic.

“Like many creatives who had their alternative occupations on hold, I was forced to re-prioritise, and when I formalised my dance school, I was pleasantly surprised, that even during the pandemic it expanded and flourished.” She has managed to add value to it by adopting and integrating much of what she had learnt during her 13 years at Lok Jack.

Operating in the St James and Arima communities, Joseph has found herself connected to a number of organisations with whom she has established symbiotic networks. For the upcoming shows she has donated tickets to youths in the La Horquetta community, where the school was originally housed, as well as to a few orphanages. She recounted that in her earlier days she also worked with the young women at the St Jude’s Home for Girls in Belmont.

She is always hopeful that more young people will be drawn to Moed, and she wants to expand the company so that it will be able to reach out to underprivileged youths on a more consistent basis. The troupe’s dancers are from as young as four years old, all the way up to adults.

“The talent from the full spectrum will be on show for the audience on August 6. The programme will comprise approximately 15 items; 11 of which will be dance, and the others comprising spoken word.”

Joseph insists that anyone can be taught to dance. She said different people join dance classes for different reasons – some to make it their careers and others just for relaxation and to be in an environment where they can let loose, build new relationships and have fun.

“The full range of options is available at the Moed School of Dance…it is a space full of life, it’s a sanctuary, it’s a space where, when we meet, we don’t just dance, we dialogue, we talk and we build; we help one another and we sharpen one another, so the focus really is not just dance, it’s much more…So Moed is not just for dance and movement, but for a whole message that uses different medium to communicate that there is a space created for light to flow.”

She said many people who have left corporate environments to venture into the creative sector have lamented the challenge of securing corporate support and sponsorship. But Joseph said Moed appears to have been especially blessed in this regard – something for which she continues to be grateful to all her sponsors.

She believes securing sponsorship is about timing, planning and being organised. “My sponsorship letters were sent out months in advance of the event, and consistent follow-up has yielded the required result.”

She is also grateful to her patrons from whom she has garnered a lot of support during her company’s young life.

For further info and tickets call 290-6588 or 795-1926.