Part 2: In Tribute to Reggae Month
1988 saw the creation of Rex Nettleford's Dis Poem resorting to the dub poetry of Mutabaruka. The programme note read:
Of life and living and the efforts to deny its essence. “Dis Poem is to be continued in your mind, in your mind, in your mind...”
Original Dancers (Dis Poem): Judith Wedderburn, Andrea Douglas, Sita Littlewood, Nadia Williams, Charmaine Warren, Glen Brown, Wayne Daniels, John Hunt/Mark Ramsay, Eisenhower Williams, Milton Sterling
The reggae-Rasta-riddim complex expanded to full-blown dub poetry, which inspired Tony Wilson's to create a sequence to Mikey Smith's "Roots” for his dance-work Dance Jamaica (1988).
Original Dancers (Dance Jamaica): Arlene Richards, Carol Murdock, Jacquie Smith, Alaine Grant, Monica Lawrence, Andrea Douglas, Delroy Rose, Wayne Daniels, Glen Brown, Adrian Fletcher, Milton Sterling, Mark Ramsay, John Hunt
The NDTC Cuban-Connection continued with the creation of Eduardo Rivero-Walker's Tribute (1995) to music of reggae icons Bob Marley and Jimmy Cliff. The programme note read:
Reggae is a music of profound significance to Caribbean peoples. In particular, it is the youth of the Caribbean who see in reggae their reason for living, their happiness and their frustrations. Born in Jamaica, this rhythm is an element of cohesion and cultural identification between the peoples of the English-speaking Caribbean. The most representative author and singer was Bob Marley who is seen as the most prestigious in the Caribbean, Africa and Europe.
Original Dancers (Tribute): Melanie Graham Arlene Richards, Denise Robinson, Alaine Grant, Alison Symes, Carole Orane, Monica Lawrence, Staci-Lee Hassan, Karyn Johnson, Natalie Chung, Andrea Lloyd, Kerry-Ann Henry, Atiye Stewart, Kayla Scrivener, Delroy Rose, Milton Sterling, Gene Carson, Eisenhower Williams, David Browne, Arsenio Andrade, Abeldo Gonzalez, Franklyn Bryson
NDTC kept abreast with the ever-changing landscape of Jamaican contemporary popular music, which led to the making of Bujurama (1996). This was a natural occurrence for Nettleford, who pioneered works to reggae music from the 70s inspired by Jimmy Cliff (Tribute to Cliff), Bob Marley (Court of Jah) and Toots Hibbert (Backlash). In Bujurama, he revisited his contemporary ‘roots’ being inspired by the conscious lyrics of reggae/dancehall frontliner Buju Banton. The work made use of Banton's “Untold Stories”, “Not An Easy Road” and “Champion". Jamaica Gleaner writer Justin Whyte wrote:
It was not a transformation of the dancehall, instead it was a skillful re-enactment of the beauty there is in our music and carefully contrived movements. Therefore, it was of little wonder that the audience interrupted intermittently with wild applause, suggesting satisfaction and approval.
Original Dancers (Bujurama): Melanie Graham, Arlene Richards, Denise Robinson, Alaine Grant, Alison Symes, Carole Orane, Monica Lawrence, Karyn Johnson, Staci-Lee Hassan, Natalie Chung, Andrea Lloyd, Kerry-Ann Henry, Rolande Pryce, Delroy Rose, Milton Sterling, Gene Carson, Arsenio Andrade, Abeldo Gonzalez, Franklyn Bryson, Keith Fagan
