La Gracia wows with Ekoosah

Kaywne Goodgie is the dancer who best reflects the ideals of La Gracia Dance Company.{{more}}

The graceful, expressive dancer received her award last Sunday evening at the dance company’s awards ceremony, which took place on the second night of performance of “Ekoosah – the way we do it”, the group’s 2011 presentation.

The show, which coincides with the group’s ninth anniversary, took place at the Peace Memorial Hall in Kingstown, to sold out audiences on both evenings, Saturday, February 26 and Sunday, February 27.

Goodgie received other awards, including for being the most versatile dancer in the senior category of the dance group, which has over 90 members.

Goodgie’s awards were among the over forty awards presented by the group’s Director Maxine Mavorn Browne to the most determined dancers, most improved dancers, most promising dancers, most versatile dancers, most helpful dancers, most creative dancers, most disciplined dancers, most enthusiastic dancers and the most organized dancers in the Junior Level 1, Junior Level 2, Intermediate and Senior categories.

The 2011 repertoire was performed in four segments: ‘Glorious Praises’, ‘Weather or Not’, ‘Festival Glitz’ and ‘A Timely Reflex-shon’. There was also a modelling section, featuring the La Gracia modelling team.

Last weekend’s presentation, which was La Gracia’s fifth season of dance, also featured Dancin’ Africa, a twenty-strong dance troupe from Barbados, which performed three movements during the eighteen-movement show. The troupe, which was founded in 1992, is said to be one of the “strongest community-based dance troupes in the Caribbean”. Jennifer Sealey and Beverley Gaskin, the group’s Artistic Director and Assistant Director respectively, were presented with a placque of appreciation during the awards ceremony.

Sealey said that her association with La Gracia only goes back just about one year, and came about by chance, when she was on a visit to St. Vincent and the Grenadines and happened to observe the members of La Gracia dancing. She thanked La Gracia for their hospitality and expressed the group’s pleasure at being in St. Vincent.

Special tribute was also paid to two young male guest dancers Kyle Henry and Walden Charles, who, according to Browne, “not only add their talent to our performances, but they truly represent the males on stage”.

The ebullient Browne, who is a Dance Officer in the Ministry of Culture, disclosed on Sunday evening that she had been awarded a Fullbright Scholarship to pursue a Master of Arts degree in Arts Management in the United States. Browne, who is a certified teacher, also holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in Dance from the University of the West Indies.

Besides Browne, Olivia Hall and Keisha Dowridge choreographed La Gracia’s movements.