The year 2008 has been wonderful for LDT. In March the company performed at the Pearl Studio on 35th Street and 8th Avenue. The performance was a combination of the Women’s History Month celebration, honoring women around the world and also celebrating African- American and African-Caribbean history and culture. The evening was named “MUHE” (WOMAN in Papiamentu).
We were chosen by the Mayor’s Office for Immigrant Affairs to perform during the Immigrant Heritage Week Celebration. Rehearsal and performance space was donated to us by the 1199 Union in the M’C Graw-Hill building on 42nd Street in Midtown Manhattan. We performed “PAPIAMENTU”, a dance/drama of pain, struggle, adaptation, triumph and healing. We collaborated with two Caribbean organizations, the Antillean Aruban Cultural Affairs Association (AACAA) and Banana Boat Productions.
We had two well-attended performances culminating with question and answer sessions and parties afterwards, sweetened by “Not For The Faint Of Heart” brownies donated by Danielle DePasquale, a loyal friend and supporter of LDT. We also received other donations from the following companies and individuals: wine from 34th Street Winery, Amy’s Bread and beautiful, colorful material from Cherry Hughes. We got wonderful feedback, compliments, suggestions and encouragement from our audiences, either verbally, emails or through written feedback forms. This last was a requirement from the Mayor’s office.
During July and August, the artistic director and treasurer celebrated the official formation of the Liberata Dance Theatre Curacao Connection (LDTCC). The current company became a foundation with their own board members and International Advisors and performers.
LDT collaborated with LDTCC teaching its annual dance/theater workshops. With the support and some guidance of acting instructor and director Laura Quast, we rehearsed and performed two dance/theater pieces. Rehearsal space was donated by Kolegio Chaya Willems and the performance venue by Sentro Kultural Korsou. This is the second year consequently that this last venue was partly donated to LDTCC. Two board meetings were held planning future collaborations including classes, workshops and performances, both in Curacao, New York City, with future performances on the other Caribbean islands, and elsewhere. We also met with Dino Daal, Director of CuracaoTourist Board, to discuss support LDT could possibly receive, to bring the company to Curacao and some future projects we could collaborate on.
The two dance/theater pieces we presented “KONSTRUKSHON” (CONSTRUCTION), depicting the effects of construction with its counter part destruction on Curacao, the Caribbean and the rest of the world and “ELOGIO” (HONOR). Both are works in progress. In the last work we honored a few artists of different genre, the hardworking common men, everyday heroes and sheroes and the ancestors, who trailed the way, the role models who taught Myrena Sint Jago a lot of the history and culture of Bonaire and Curacao, her islands of birth and upbringing. As she puts it “they made me, my today” The performers ranged from age 9 to 62. LDT plans to do a longer version of ELOGIO during the summer of 2009, honoring more people.
In Curacao too we had great support from enthusiastic parents and audience. Ms. Sint Jago also taught dance workshops at a teachers’ academy, at an advanced college preparatory school and children summer camp. She was also interviewed in a television program 'Trai Merdia', in which was she able to share with the viewers information about both LDT and LDTCC and invited them to see our performance the following day at Sentro Kultural Korsou.
During September and October LDT started rehearsing for her fall performances of “PAPIAMENTU” with some new cast members. LDT received a grant from the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC), sponsored by the Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA) and administered by the Manhattan Community Arts Fund (MCAF). Performances were held on two freezing evenings in November at the Joria Productions Theater in Midtown Manhattan. Again we had two well-attended shows with enthusiastic crowds. As is customary to our shows, we had a question and answer session, raffles and a party afterwards. We also had a wonderful group of volunteers coordinated by one of our board members.
Ebony Joann, a well-known Broadway performer, attended the last evening of the shows at the invitation of the light designer, Elliott Lanes. She sent LDT a wonderful email with her congratulations and a promise to contact us with different colleges and universities in the hope that we will be able to perform there. For these last performances we again received different in kind and some monetary donations.
Throughout 2008 Ward Nixon, actor, acting coach and director, skillfully directed our shows.
With great sadness LDT received the sudden and unexpected death from our wonderful friend, cousin and treasurer Hubert (Jubi) Sint Jago in October 2008.
In December Myrena Sint Jago and Samuel Sherrod, LDT’s president/choreographer and secretary/treasurer, visited Curacao for 9 days and met with LDTCC’s board members and International advisors once and discussed the possibility of performing during 2009, the year proclaimed “ANA DI KULTURA” (YEAR OF CULTURE), in Curacao and/or during 2010. Myrena also rehearsed with a few dancers of LDTCC
Myrena Sint Jago and Samuel Sherrod want to thank all its board members, international and national advisors, performers, donors, supporters, volunteers and friends for your continuous support and encouragement.
A special thanks to Material for The Arts, for their continuous support.
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