Bowman sisters host dance workshop with Arabesque Dance Company

With their roots deeply embedded in the Vincentian culture, dancers Rhenice and Rhea Bowman have, for the last few years, been hosting dance workshops across the island.

Rhenice, 21, and Rhea Bowman, 26, who reside in Toronto, Canada, are the daughters of well-known entertainer Ricky Bowman and his wife Rosalie, née Bailey.

The sisters held a dance workshop with the Arabesque Dance Company at their studio at New Montrose on Tuesday.

Rhea, a full time professional dancer, told SEARCHLIGHT that she and her sister have been dancing since the tender age of three.

“We started training in ballet, jazz and lyrical and as we got older, we got into other genres, such as acro, hip-hop, tap. Our first form is actually Afro-Caribbean, which was taught to us by our mom and then we just continued and we started competing in dance competitions all over Canada and the States and then we grew into teachers,” she stated.

Rhea further added that she has studied dance and has managed many dance studios and taught workshops in many places.

Rhenice, who works in broadcasting, stated that while she no longer dances full-time, she still teaches dance for persons between the ages of three and 20.

Rhenice explained that whenever they visit St Vincent and the Grenadines, they host dance workshops, because they have always wanted to help the local dance community grow and expand.

“…So we thought it would be good idea, since we are here for such a length of time, to pass on what we’ve been training and doing for all these years…,” she said.

She disclosed that it was after seeing the Arabesque Dance Company perform at the national Nine Mornings celebrations and seeing their potential and talent, they decided to connect and pass on their knowledge.

Rhenice noted that there is potential for Vincentian dancers to go abroad with their talent and build and expand into something great.

“…It just doesn’t have to be a hobby. It can be expanded into something else, because we built our whole lives off of dance, or I have. So, I wanted them to see that someone cares and I wanted them to take away… experiences and show them that it’s possible that dance can take them other places.”

Juanita Phillips, the head choreographer at the Arabesque Dance Company, which has been in existence for about eight years, said that she likes her dancers to experience different choreographers and different styles of dance.

“The thing with my dancers is that I like them to experience a different type of teacher, because …, I think they have grown accustomed to my style of teaching. A different style of teaching is always an advantage.”

Phillips, who has been dancing for over 20 years, explained that while the dancers perform a variety of genres, the technique they were taught by the Bowman sisters is a bit different than what she usually teaches.

“We don’t do a lot of jazz dancing and they are gonna mix it up with some Afro-Caribbean jazz dance. So, I am guessing we could just use what we …learn here to incorporate into our own dance pieces.” (CM)