Trinity Dance Theatre show to highlight sex trafficking

THE Trinity Dance Theatre's 2024 dance season will feature a piece that highlights the troubling issues of human trafficking and gender-based violence.

Artistic director Allan Balfour said the concept of the piece came from his work with victims of human trafficking.

“About eight years ago there was a spate of girls being taken from Trinidad, and one of them was close to someone I knew, and so it just became a reality. You would see this happening on TV about people being taken and sex trafficked abroad, in another country, and you would think it would be something far away, but then seeing it happen here it really brought the reality home.”

“When we had the Venezuelan influx, a lot of them were being sex trafficked in Trinidad, and we needed to do some aftercare for some of them. I saw some of them grow up, I was like a father figure to some of them and that reality of 14-year-olds being trafficked and pregnant really impacted me."

He said many times people see it as not their problem because they think it only applies to immigrants.

“I find it’s a social ill we have in the country that’s not very highlighted. It’s definitely our problem as well, as our girls can be trafficked outside, just as people are being trafficked in Trinidad. It means that local people are supporting it, supporting that industry, so it’s a big problem from that perspective as well. Because of that connection with the girls and stuff, I really felt I wanted to do something to sensitise people to this social ill.”

Balfour said part proceeds from the show will go towards an agency that helps with human trafficking.

“Our patron is Senator Donna Cox, Minister of Social Development and Family Services, and part of the ministry’s remit is to do aftercare with victims. Our other parter is the Counter-Trafficking Unit, and they are the ones who deal with a very important chain of the human trafficking, which is the rescue of victims and prosecution of perpetrators. They will point us towards where the victim care and the proceeds will go.”

Balfour said the overall theme of the show was Alpha, as the pieces looked at the beginnings of different things.

“It’s the first time we’re having a full-length season in a long time, the company hasn’t toured before previously, it’s toying with the number of different things that remain first, basically. So that’s one of the main themes for the show.”

Balfour said one of the firsts that would be toyed with was the inclusion of spoken work and vocals.

“I’m quite Christian-based so that first we’ll be toying with will, and it will also feature two other artistes, Renaldo Mohammed who was a finalist in the First Citizens National Poetry Slam and well-renowned vocalist Margaret Alexis.

“The piece explores how in life we’re taught to try to be first in everything, in tests, in your job, in sport, which is great, it advances us individually and together as a community, but sometimes in order to be first, you have to put yourself last, and in one of the Biblical principles it says put God first and put yourself last and then he will promote you and make you first.

“So it’s sort of playing out from that perspective of sometimes you have to exercise humility, sometimes we have to put our brother in front of us at certain times, not only just be first and mash down everybody, that is going into that rat race mode. But kind of just relax, be humble, and put God first and he will advance you, so it’s playing on that notion of firsts.

He said the proceeds would also support young, promising dancers from marginalized areas or circumstances, by sponsored attendance to the shows and participation in a technique-based workshop.

“We’re hoping individuals or sponsors will pay for tickets for these marginalised youths. In paying for them, they would be able to come and see the show and will also take part in a workshop where we will teach them dance techniques and how to advance themselves, that sort of thing.

“We’re trying to play a part to bring those who are inclined to broaden their perspective and to move up higher in dance, from small groups, we want to give them that so it will be like a boost for them.

“A lot of my peers who have gone on internationally, all it took was for them to come out of what was like a Best Village group and be exposed to another dance culture that might be at another level like at Queen’s Hall or something like that, and that inspired them and they had the natural talent, so they trained and trained and trained and dominated internationally now.

“Sometimes people just need that exposure and guidance and we hope to provide that by this youth empowerment workshop. Once we get the sponsorship for it, it should take place a week after the show.”

Balfour said Trinity Dance Theatre’s mandate was not only to entertain but to help people.

“We try to portray something in our pieces that will make a statement, so it might be on a social problem, or it might be a principle. I use principles from the Bible a lot, because of my Christian background, togetherness, unity, that sort of thing. So I think it’s important not only to entertain but really share something people can learn from and can be inspired by, and it can touch the community in a way that it can move something for us to grow as a community.”

He said there would be 15 dancers, Alexis and Mohammed, as well as others.

“We have four drummers, led by Everald “Redman” Watson. He’s one of the top drummers and we’ve worked with him for many years. We also have our rehearsal director, one of the top choreographers, Terry Springer.

“We have the Cascade Festival Ballet as guest artistes. One of the dances is going to be en pointe, it will incorporate pointe work from those girls at the Cascade Festival Ballet. It’s a piece I did with many years ago with the National Ballet Company of Puerto Rico, so I’m revising it here as a piece that merges Caribbean culture with pointe work, it will be very interesting.

Balfour said there were different styles of dance in different pieces.

“There will be something for everyone. I want to encourage people to broaden their horizons. If they haven’t tried dance shows, this is one that has a very unique message and it has a benefit attached to it, so I think they will totally enjoy the show and they’re coming to see the cream of the crop.”

Alpha will take place at Queen’s Hall, St Ann’s, on June 8 and 9. For more information, go to Trinity Dance Theatre on Facebook.

People interested in donating can call Balfour at 1 (868) 744-2380 or deposit at Trinity Artiste Management and Consulting Ltd, RBC # 100094110142527 (chequing).