Dance festival opens this week
After a two-year suspension, the National Dance Company is preparing for the 2nd International Dance Belize Festival and Forum. The effects of recent hurricanes on Belize have delayed the event normally held every two years. Now that the dust has settled, the show promises to be worth the wait.
Marion Ali, Reporting
Dance Belize features dance groups from countries as near as Mexico and as far away as Zimbabwe. Belize Dance Company Dance Coordinator, Greg Vernon, says these artists represent the best in the industry:
Greg Vernon, Dance Coordinator, Belize Dance Company
“We are looking at international groups who are very much professional. For example, Forces of Nature, if we ever had to book them to come to Belize, it would have been something like forty thousand U.S. dollars that we would have to pay to get them into Belize and the conditions that they would come along with. So thanks to the United States Embassy, they are putting up the costs to have this group coming into Belize. If you’re looking at Costa Rica, they are touring Europe right now and taking time off to come to Belize, so we find ourselves very fortunate. The National Dance Company is an amateur dance company, meaning that we all work during the day and we work during the night, and of course we do two hours rather than six hours at day. But looking at the international festivals that we have attended I think the National Company can hold its own.”
Holding its own is what our local dancers will be doing with Garifuna and Creole, as well as modern and liturgical performances. Also here to make a statement is a nine-member delegation with the Caribbean Dance Theater Company of Cuba. We caught up with them this morning, rehearsing under the stewardship of Eduardo Rivero.
Rivero says the Cubans have a treat for Belizeans, featuring a variety of modern dances.
Eduardo Rivero, Dir. Caribbean Dance Theater Co., Cuba
“I believe in two kinds of dances: the good and the bad dances. So I try to do good, try to do the best dances. So I hope Belizeans will enjoy the same as before, these pieces. These dances that we bring, the majority of them are the best of our company. There’s a new member that just arrived from the school of dance. He’s just graduated from school, but he’s very good. Also we bring the best of our company, like Yamila, she was here already three year ago, as well as Barbara Ramos, Maritza Hernandez, all of them have been here before and Reynaldo…all of them are leader dancers.”
The dancers will showcase their talent beginning Wednesday during an all-day Kulcha Fest at the Memorial Park in Belize City. Arts and crafts, music and food from participating countries will be displayed and schools are encouraged to take part in workshops. Dance Belize officially opens at 8:00 p.m. at the park, while nightly performances will begin at 8:00 Thursday at the Bliss. Performances are also planned for Orange Walk, Belmopan, San Ignacio and Dangriga. Reporting for News 5, Marion Ali.
The festival ends on Monday with a dance forum at the Bliss Institute.
