Wolmer’s Dance Troupe celebrates silver anniversary
WOLMER’S Dance Troupe is currently in the middle of their three-performance season at the Little Theatre in St Andrew.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the troupe which was founded by Barbara McDaniel, who currently serves as artistic director.
One of the features of this year’s season, which began last night and culminates tomorrow, is the remounting of works drawn from over the past 25 years.
“This year’s theme is Rites of Passage and we just wanted to showcase our growth and development of the past 25 years. So we have chosen some of the favourites from the past seasons to highlight the work of the troupe,” McDaniel told the Jamaica Observer yesterday.
Her dancers range in age from three to 17 years. The younger students, up to age 12 are from the Wolmer’s Preparatory School, while the older cohort of dancers may come in from any school, but the majority are taken from the Wolmer’s schools.
One of the special features is a piece entitled 25 Strong. Twenty-five previous dancers with the troupe have been invited back to perform for this silver anniversary.
McDaniel has invited a number of guest choreographers this year, to assist with remounting their work.
Among the choreographers this year are, Onaje, Stephanie Smith, Amnyea Stines, Nicholas McPherson, David Blake and Jair Jones.
Among the works being showcased over the three performances are Fever, The Year 3000, and the ever-popular folk section featuring the tiny tots.
McDaniel is insistent that the Wolmer’s Dance Troupe is more that a dance company: It is a family. And therefore, one of the things she hopes audiences will walk away feeling is the sense of family, continuity and nostalgia from the 25th anniversary season of dance.
