A fabulous celebration.

 Multi-talented Jamaican Colin Smith CD, deserves every honor in this life, not only for preserving and highlighting the rich Jamaican culture in his adopted home (Florida), but also in his homeland as well.

Smith taking a moment to pose with patron, Camille.

Because for years through his band Tallawah, he has not only highlighted the importance of Mento music in the development of every internationally recognized genre of Jamaican music, but also, he has ensured that Mento lives on, by lecturing students at the Edna Manley School of Visual and Performing Arts in Jamaica in the subject.

Last night, Tallawah even went a step further, by bringing the famous National Dance Theatre Company (NDTC) to perform at the Miramar Cultural Center in Florida on this their 54th Anniversary. 

The title of the celebration was "Rise" depicting though music and dance, the ability of the Jamaican people to rise and shine after every form of natural disaster or tribulation, the most recent being hurricane Melissa, the third most devasting hurricane ever recorded.

And boy, did they ever deliver!

My scrabble partner Camille and I enjoyed every minute.

Every item was high energy, superbly choreographed and interpreted, maintaing the high standard set by the late, great Professor Rex Nettleford, founder of the celebrated NDTC movement.

It was another great performance which will remain vivid in our memories for decades to come.

Lobby at the Center teeming with attendees.

T'was a lovely entertainment package and enjoyed by all.

N.D.T.C.

The NDTC performance was superb, and in fact they seem to have soared to new heights. 

The costumes were attractive and super-creative, the choreography magnificent, the music well-chosen and the energy contagious.

For the benefit of those not up to date on Jamaican culture, the NDTC (National Dance Theatre Company) is a real Jamaican institution, having been formed in 1962, the same year we became an independent nation.

 It was founded by the late Professor Rex Nettleford and late renowned dancer Eddy Thomas, and their excellence has earned them international acclaim over the past six decades.

South-Miami-Dade Cultural Center

Congratulations to the Louise Bennett-Coverley Heritage Council which brought them back to Florida after the terrible hiatus caused by the awful covid. This was part of the Council’s fund-raising thrust to provide scholarships to the Edna Manley College of Visual and Performing Arts, which plays a critical role in preserving and disseminating Jamaican culture. 

Joan, Camille and Carol, drove an hour and half one way, to attend the performance

This performance was so highly anticipated, that the tickets for the performance in nearby Miramar, were sold out with the blink of an eye. So, my friends and I had to travel almost an hour and a half down to South Miami-Dade Cultural Center in Cutler Bay, to take it in.

But the performance was more than worth the long trip.

       

Rita in wheel chair. At extreme right, Colin Smith, President of Louise Bennett-Coverly Heritage Council and beside him, Donisha.

A welcome surprise too was the honoring of the Marley matriarch, Rita. She was accompanied by her accomplished granddaughter Donisha Prendergast, who is an actress, model, dancer and poet. 

She expressed her thanks to the Louise Bennett-Coverley Council on behalf of the Marley family.