NDTC honours Nanny with ‘spiritual’ tribute

Imagine this picture - you're sitting in the top section of the famous Little Theatre in Kingston when the auditorium becomes filled with smoke and chanting in a language unfamiliar to untrained ears.

As you fight through the assault on your senses, you notice what appears to be a woman, clad in all white, dancing in a ritualistic manner among a group of onlookers.

'She must be the reason Valiant drove all the way to St Mary', I thought to myself. But no, it was the National Dance Theatre Company (NDTC) bringing to life Jamaica's only heroine, Nanny of the Maroons.

In a conversation with THE WEEKEND STAR, the NDTC's artistic director Marlon Simms explained the piece was in no way obeah related, but a callback to Jamaica's African heritage.

"The piece was inspired by Nanny, and so we wanted to make it very ancestral in terms of the vocation of ancestral spirits that would drive her to mobilise her people and fight the British," he said.

Dr Kathy Brown, who is the company's musical director, concurred with Simms, and added that the "mystique" of foreign religions is often misinterpreted by those who don't practise them.

Brown was responsible for the auditory choices in the Nanny tribute and explained that the African language of Swahili played a big role in the execution.

"I cannot tell you what happened, but I literally went and looked for the Swahili word for freedom and up came freedom fighters, which is what the group is chanting. So the chanting lets one know that a soul is here and soul has an understanding of what is needed to be done," she said.

As for the dance aspect of the piece, well-known choreographer Renee McDonald explained that while she loves how it turned out, she was at first nervous to showcase her modern take on the "strategic" Maroon queen.

"I committed to my vision, did some research and focused my energy on creating a folk-modern fusion solo with live music, inspired by our Queen Nanny. Given that I was so far out of my comfort zone with this work, I truly felt anxious and vulnerable but I am proud of the work," she said.

The current NDTC season ends on Sunday.