Come Downstage weekly blog by Jae
We all love to dance to many rhythms of the drums, but when it comes to paving a way for ourselves, it is only the inner riddims of your drum that you can dance to as you shape your story/journey.
My sister-friend, Carolyn Brathwaite, began dancing to many rhythms from a very young age with her sister in the Country Theatre Workshop. Her first drama teacher was theatre stalwart, Cecily Spencer-Cross. Little did she know that this introduction to the arts would be the catalyst for her chosen career path.
You see, Carol graced many stages as a dancer and model as she entertained tourists and many locals alike. None could compare to dancing to the rhythms of the African drums. As a member of Sankofa Productions under the direction of Master Dancer, Danny Diallo Hinds, the rhythms awakened her spirit and allowed her to be free. She longed for more.
That more came when she enrolled in the BFA programme at UWI. Carol was new to the theoretical aspect of theatre and had many moments of self-discovery. The names of many ‘white dead men’ as we referred to them were tongue twisters to her. Listen as she recounts one of these moments.
Carol found her creative voice as she learned more about theatre. As a dancer, her body lived and breathed great movement qualities, now coupled with acting, this gave her an advantage. Carol is now one of the sought-after actresses who doubles as a dancer. She treasured reciprocating this to the next generation as well.  Find out more about her journeys here.Â
The real question remains. How many times have you had that nagging in your spirit but didn’t answer the call? What I do know for sure, only you can dance to your inner riddims. So, the next time it comes calling, take a chance on yourself (like Carol did) and acknowledge the riddim, even if you don’t dance immediately.
~ Jae is a passionate Theatre Practitioner and Educator with a Masters in Arts – Creative Arts and the Creativist of Theatre Convos. Find her via @theatreconvos
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