St George’s College shines at international dance competition

STUDENTS and staff at St George’s College are beaming with pride after the school’s dance group copped three trophies at the All Dance America competition, even winning one of the categories.

Hosted by All Dance International, the competition was held in Panama from September 19-22.

To qualify for this, separate competitions were held in different countries.

All Dance TT was held in April and St George’s was one of 15 local dance groups to qualify to compete in Panama. Two other secondary schools – Malick Secondary School and St Joseph’s Convent, Port of Spain – also qualified.

In Panama, St George’s competed in two open dance categories and the modern/contemporary category. An open category means there is no restriction on genre or style. They won the modern/contemporary category and placed second and third in the others.

Anna Roberts, the music teacher at St George’s, told Newsday that she and the team’s dance coach Kenson Laudat learnt about the competition online and felt it was a good opportunity for the students.

Roberts said some of the girls had previous dance experience while others were completely new to the art form.

The team included captain Jelecia Silpa, vice-captain Thessaly Harper, Samantha Herbert, Majesty Williams, Destan Henry, Kayla Phillip and Sariya Wilson. They were accompanied by drummers from the Chaguanas Women and Youth Group.

Harper’s mother Cecily Maynard-James said the students worked very hard, often rehearsing just after school was dismissed, straight up to 8pm. Some of them even rehearsed during CXC exams and their vacation.

Roberts added that she saw “a different level of perseverance and discipline” from the girls.

For the team’s captain, the entire experience – from rehearsal to execution – was one of personal growth. Silpa, 19, told Newsday it “really brought (her) out of (her) comfort zone.”

She has been dancing for 13 years.

“In leadership, you have to remember that everyone is looking up to you and you have a certain level of responsibility. So even if I may be dealing with (any personal issues), when I’m there with them, the aim is to make sure the team is one.”

She added, “The girls were very respectful of me and very co-operative as well.”

Her vice-captain shared similar views, saying it “felt good to experience that level of teamwork.”

Harper, 18, told Newsday, “We worked really hard and the hard work paid off. She has been dancing since age 12.

The team performed their winning dance to Stand Up by Cynthia Arevo, their second-placed dance to Jesus Walks by Kanye West, and third to a folk musical arrangement.

For all three dances, the girls wore Afro-centric outfits.

They received loud cheers from the audience for each performance.

Both captain and vice-captain said while they were proud of all their performances, they were shocked at which of the dances won.

Silpa said, “I remember Miss Roberts saying the dance was a very powerful dance because we did it in Sanfest, but I was honestly so shocked and really surprised. I was like, ‘We win with that dance?’ I couldn’t believe it.”

As for Harper, she had briefly let comparison get the better of her and doubted herself a bit.

“Before we performed that piece, there were other dancers and we were watching them and doubting ourselves. So the fact that we won was great.”

Laudat, who choreographed all the dances, said he, too, was shocked. Wanting to bring the vibrancy of TT’s folk music and dance to Latin America, it was with that performance he had hoped they would win.

“I think that’s part of why it was so shocking because there was so much emphasis on the other dance (Congo Steam) and not that one. We were really focused on portraying our culture.

“But nevertheless, we said although TT is not best known for contemporary, we were going to make it very hard for the judges to choose a winner. And with that, I don’t think they understood just how great of a performance they put on.”

He said preparation had its ups and downs but it was overall a great experience.

The students also had to raise funds during the vacation/exam period to be able to travel to Panama. Some had never been before, so they were excited.

The school has made recent headlines following infrastructural issues two weeks after it was reopened. In August, the Education Ministry officially reopened it after spending $10 million on repairs to the roof. For almost two years, the school operated from the UTT campus in Valsayn.

One of the parents said, “In light of everything going on in the school, the students still came through and made us proud.”