Canadian-Caribbean Artists Heading to Carifesta XIV

By Neil Armstrong

Photo contributed    Daniel Jelani Ellis will be performing 'Speaking of Sneaking'  in Trinidad at Carifesta XIV, August 16-25, 2019.

A contingent of 49 artists working in music, dance, theatre and carnival arts will participate in the Caribbean's foremost festival of arts and culture, Carifesta XIV, in Trinidad and Tobago in August under the theme “Connect. Share. Invest.”

There are both junior and senior members in the dance and music contingent. KasheDance, founded by choreographer and artistic director, Kevin Ormsby, will provide the senior dance participation while the juniors are the Children Youth Dance Theatre Toronto and Roots and Branches Dance.

This will be the KasheDance’s second time attending the annual Caribbean arts festival which the company participated in for the first time in 2017 in Barbados.

The Canadian-Caribbean Arts Network (C-CAN), which is the brainchild of Trinidad-born artistic director, writer and actor, Rhoma Spencer, is charged with organizing and planning the Canada participation at Carifesta.

C-CAN’s involvement in 2017 marked the first time since its inception in 1972 that Carifesta agreed to the participation of a delegation of artists from the Caribbean Diaspora.

“In music, we have the leading Caribbean jazz ensemble, Kalabash, and The Melisizwe Brothers representing both in the junior and senior music category. Our theatre participant is Jamaican performing arts royalty, Daniel Ellis, the son of Blakka Ellis,” says Spencer, artistic director and co-founder of C-CAN.

The Canadian-Caribbean contingent includes artists with heritage from Jamaica, Trinidad, St Vincent, St Lucia, Dominica, Barbados, Guyana, Cuba and Haiti.

They expect “to make an impact with our performances first and foremost and to make connections for artistic collaborations between Canadian-Caribbean artists with their Caribbean counterparts and to return to the region for further performances and professional development. We expect our visit to be reciprocal so that we too are on the lookout for cutting edge work to invite for performances and workshops in Toronto,” says Spencer.

The group will depart Toronto for Port of Spain on August 14 for the 10-day festival running from August 16-25. A couple days before leaving they will present a showcase of the works to be presented on August 12.

Photo contributed  Rhoma Spencer, artistic director and co-founder of the Canadian-Caribbean Arts Network (C-CAN)

Speaking of C-CAN’s participation in Carifesta in Barbados in 2017, Spencer said it was well received.

“Our youth contingent was oftentimes requested when other countries were a no-show. Our theatre presentation was the second best theatre production after Jamaica and Kashedance production of ‘Facing Home’ provoked many discussions on social media mainly with the Jamaican audience,” said Spencer.

 “Our Calypso Monarch performed in St Kitts upon invitation by their director of the Carnival Commission while the Children Youth Dance Theatre were invited to perform at an International Dance Festival in Antigua. Our objectives at that first CARIFESTA outing were achieved and we expect even more this time around.”

Meanwhile, Daniel Ellis is preparing to take his production, “Speaking of Sneaking,” the original Anansi tale about displacement and desperation, to the festival and has organized a fundraiser in June.

“It is a tremendous honour to be invited by the C-CAN as their theatre representative at Carifesta XIV. In 1981 my father travelled with a contingent of Jamaican artists to Barbados for Carifesta IV. He was one of the theatre artists who performed in “Dog” by Dennis Scott, directed by Rawle Gibbons, a production my father still considers his favourite,” says Ellis.

He said 38 years later he has been gifted this opportunity to represent Canada – “my home where I’ve had outstanding training and found endlessly nourishing community and love.”

“My artistic practice was born in Jamaica and nurtured by a village of poets and theatre artists and educators. I am an artist today because of their influence and inspiration - this is an incredible moment to honour them and carry their creative legacy forward,” says Ellis.

This will be his first time in Trinidad.  “I'm looking forward to being back in the Caribbean. It has been 15 years since I've moved to Canada and over 7 years since I've visited Jamaica - this comes in good time.”

Samson Brown will join him as stage manager and travel partner to Trinidad.

“We need some support as we travel to yard so here we present a weekend of bunununnus and brawta,” says Ellis.

He has planned a two-day showcase of his works at Black Artists Network Dialogue (BAND) in Toronto to raise funds for the upcoming trip.

Ellis will present ‘Speaking of Sneaking’ on June 8 which is a “journey with ginnal as he does all that he can to send that barrel back to yard - tricking, picking, and even, dicking. This is speaking of sneaking, a multidisciplinary mash-up where the archetypal Jamaican Ginnal meets the African Anansi.”

He is the playwright and performer with dramaturgy / direction by Jamaican-Canadian d'bi.young anitafrika, choreography by Brian Solomon, props, set, and costume design by Rachel Forbes, and sound design by his brother, Jesse Ellis.

On June 9, Ellis will present ‘Sinkle Bible Stall’ which is the laboratory of the supernatural and spellbinding Enigma Mahogany Shadu.

 “This performance art installation invites you to sit privately with the High Priestess of Hobeah for a reading and healing in her meeting place of myth, mystery and magic,” he says.

Carifesta Warm-Up Weekend will be held at Black Artists’ Network in Dialogue (BAND), 19 Brock Avenue, Toronto. ‘Speaking of Sneaking’ will be on Saturday, June 8, 7:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m., Ticket: $15

‘Sinkle Bible Stall’ will be held on Sunday, June 9, 12:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.

Double bill: $20 (Saturday and Sunday, plus brawta)