Celebrated dancer, actor Christian Holder dies

DANCER, choreographer, actor and writer Christian Holder – son of painter and dancer Boscoe Holder – has died. He was in his mid-70s.

A family member told Newsday Holder was late for a rehearsal on Tuesday, which his colleagues found strange as he was always on time.

However, they later learnt that he had died at his home in England.

Holder’s last Facebook post was on February 11, when  he promoted his April 27 show, Christian Holder: Songs and Stories. It was set to be held in New York.

He worked with many dance groups over the years, notably the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago.

The dance group posted a tribute to the “celebrated artist” on Facebook: “May his memory live on the stage and in the hearts of all who cherish dance. His artistry and passion will forever inspire us.”

British TV and film producer Esta Charkham posted on Facebook that Holder was “a giant of the dance and art worlds and, more recently, a successful director of film and theatre. A life well lived and loved.”

Several UK and US performing artists also shared their memories of him on social media.

Patricia Bissessar, administrator of the Angelo Bissessarsingh Virtual Museum of TT, said her family was saddened by the news.

She, too, said he was a “wonderful artist.”

She said her family recently bought Holder’s father’s home on Woodford Street, Port of Spain, to preserve it, and he had said: "My father would be so touched and proud!”

On Facebook, she wrote: "The Bissessarsingh family joins with the rest of the world in mourning the loss of a talented son of the soil in the fields of dance, theatre and the visual arts…May his soul rest in eternal peace.”