Freelance Writer
Long before African slaves were allowed to speak to each other, their stories were shared via song and dance with dance rituals being learnt, performed, understood and shared among tribes and communities throughout the New World and, of course, here in Trinidad.
Over time, the stories shared by the chantwell orators gained more prominence and the dancers became more supplementary and even complementary, and were eventually just featured to enhance the musical presentations.
In 2024, Hamid Rahman and the Xtreme Dance Academy have started bringing dance back to the forefront with a presentation titled Timeless, which took centre stage at Queen’s Hall, St Ann’s, last weekend.
It showcased the power of dance as the main expression and component.
“Dance is a powerful, expressive art form that has the potential to inspire change and make a difference in society,” said Rahman following the event.
“We are celebrating our jubilee anniversary this year and decided to show all the different types and styles of dance, while also showcasing the artform as a different medium to express all the passion, creativity, colour, love and light that T&T has grown and is growing by way of our young people,” the director of the company added.
Determined to be a positive influence on the next generations of artisans, Rahman has evolved from a dancer on the popular 90s TV series known as Party Time and a World Dance champion with the group Ecclectic, to a much sought-after choreographer, company director, teacher and mentor.
He said, “I was once one of those young people searching for an identity and a way to channel my energy and my passion.”
Rahman added, “So I would never give up on them, no matter what the statistics and the reports say—I believe that once we talk and listen to them, establish trust and then steer them in positive directions, that will build their confidence, teach them the value of discipline, hard work and perseverance, they will then be armed with the right information and be able to make positive and more productive choices going forward.”
Dancers of all ages showcased their moves on stage at the show, performing 23 different dance segments from Party Time moves to Afro Niceness, a Yara Tribute akin to Best Village stylings and then on to more instructive concepts, complete with mini-acting performances such as Love Yourself, Day Dream, School In Session, Barbie, Kids Finesse, Legacy and, of course, the overall theme of Timeless.
Powered by corporate partners such as Guardian Media Limited, KFC, Coca Cola, Hennessy Cognac and Veev Now among others, the full concept will soon be presented and a repeat showing of the indoor segments is already being requested by parents, teachers, students, dancers and industry supporters alike. The possibility of doing this soon is being considered and explored.