GREETINGS FROM THE DIRECTOR The University of the West Indies (UWI) Cave Hill Campus is pleased to collaborate with the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) for the inaugural colloquium on issues of pedagogy and research in teaching CSEC and CAPE Creative Arts. Our partnership is indeed significant for several reasons. In the spirit of the Caribbean Community, we are two indigenous Caribbean institutions dedicated to fostering regionalism and providing educational leadership to address our development needs. Our focus on the Creative Sector recognises the importance of diversifying the region’s economy and workforce emphasising cultural goods and services. The University seeks to advance education and create knowledge through excellence in teaching, research and innovation to support the inclusive economic, political, and cultural development of the region. The UWI joins with CXC to promote excellence in examinations standards.
Gladstone Yearwood
Our focus on the creative sector is timely in that it is viewed as a promising growth area in the international economy and the Caribbean is moving to grow its creative economy to become competitive in this global trade. These challenges bring new opportunities for the creative arts to transform our communities, define and celebrate our cultural identity, and contribute to international economic positioning and success. Successful transformation of the region’s economy in response to these international developments requires infrastructural and human resource development that foregrounds research, creativity, innovation and artistic skill. The Errol Barrow Centre for Creative Imagination (EBCCI) was established at Cave Hill in 2007 to nurture and promote the making, study and appreciation of the creative arts in Barbados and the region. It aims to foster Caribbean integration, Caribbean culture and identity through the creation, exhibition and performance, study and research of the arts. This arts education conference brings together teachers, arts educators, administrators, cultural officers, researchers and policy makers for three days to discuss a range of issues, which include Caribbean traditional cultural forms; arts history; creativity and education; arts business. It features bold themes such as transforming society through the arts; mapping the future of arts education in the Caribbean; and issues related to CSEC and CAPE arts examinations. Conference workshops focus on current developments in dance, music, theatre and digital media. The conference is further intended to build synergies and forge dialogue on how Caribbean artists and arts educators can explore questions of cultural identity in a globalizing world and create wealth from Caribbean art. We extend a warm welcome to everyone to this inaugural colloquium and trust that you will enjoy the planned events and activities as the EBCCI continues its mission to foster and promote excellence in Caribbean creative expression, education and research in the creative arts.
REMARKS FROM THE CARIBBEAN EXAMINATIONS COUNCIL The Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) is extremely pleased to support this inaugural Performing Arts Conference hosted by the Errol Barrow Centre for Creative Imagination at The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus. The UWI and CXC have had a long history of collaboration and this conference continues that tradition and takes our common interest in the performing arts further. The emphasis of the conference on CSEC and CAPE performing arts subjects, makes it a natural synergy for CXC’s involvement and collaboration. CSEC Music and Theatre Arts, and CAPE Performing Arts are subjects that CXC would like to see become more wide-spread across the education. At CAPE candidates can further their studies and competencies in art and design, music, drama, dance and film production. These programmes are designed to prepare those who pursue them to go on to university, seek employment or start their own business. Glenroy Cumberbatch – Registrar
With so much emphasis being placed on the cultural industries by national governments and at the regional level, these subjects provide a strong foundation for young cultural practitioners to enter the cultural industries and make a contribution in a variety of roles, including as entrepreneurs. I am assured that during the two day conference, attendees will among other things have the opportunity examine in an in-depth way, the challenges encountered in delivery of the performing arts syllabuses and devise possible solutions. Therefore, Caribbean learners taking these subjects will ultimately be the beneficiaries of this conference. CXC extends special welcome to all participants in this inaugural conference and congratulates the EBCCI and UWI for hosting what could become a game changer in the performing arts industry in the Caribbean. As we cue up for the first staging of this conference, I trust that it is a dress rehearsal for the spot light that brings performing arts from the backstage to the centre stage in the regional education system.
REMARKS FROM THE CONFERENCE CHAIR Ladies and gentlemen, it gives me great pleasure to extend a very warm welcome to all of you to this unique gathering which brings together Caribbean teachers of Music, Dance, Drama, Cinematic Arts, educators and policy makers, Arts researchers and academics, for the inaugural Conference of CSEC and CAPE Performing Arts; “Transforming Society through the Arts: Pedagogy and Research”, here at the Errol Barrow Centre for Creative Imagination (EBCCI), at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus. That we join together for the first time under the joint partnership of the EBCCI, the Caribbean Examinations Council and the Barbados Community College with esteemed colleagues from secondary and tertiary institutions in Barbados and the Caribbean is particularly appropriate. Firstly, we are all in the business of Arts education. Secondly, the theme of this inaugural event reflects the growing recognition of the power and influence of the Arts in shaping out
Yvonne Weekes – Conference Chair
societies and the vital role that all these partners must play in ensuring that our teachers are equipped with the pedagogical strategies required to make teachers effective in the classroom rooted in practice and research within the Caribbean context. Indeed, EBCCI hopes to improve its visibility through its strategic partnerships with other arts education stakeholders across the Caribbean and right here in Barbados. I want to thank our partners, the Caribbean Examinations Council and the Barbados Community College for coming on board and offering their financial, human and technical resources in order to ensure the success of this inaugural Conference. I also want to thank the Principal of the Edna Manley College and Visual of Performing Arts, Dr. Nicholeen DeGrasse-Johnson, my colleague and friend for agreeing to deliver the keynote address. Thanks also to the delegates who came from across the region to be here with us. We hope you enjoy your short stay with us and use this opportunity to learn, network and enjoy what we have to offer. Thanks also to my Committee, Faculty members and technical staff of the EBCCI who worked to ensure the success of the Conference. It is our intention here at the EBCCI to continue these collaborations in order to ensure that Arts Education is on a clear trajectory for the 21st century.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER Nicholeen DeGrasse-Johnson is a Dance Educator by profession, and perhaps by destiny. DeGrasse-Johnson has a love and passion for dance and education, and is an advocate for learning in, about, and through the arts in Jamaica and the Caribbean. DeGrasse- Johnson in the Principal of the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts (EMCVPA), Jamaica, where she also lectures in Methods for Teaching Studio Dance and Applied Movement Technique for the Classroom. She was previously the director of the School of Dance, at the institution, where she continues to lecture in pedagogy, practicum and applied movement techniques for classroom.
Nicholeen DeGrasse-Johnson
Since 1992, DeGrasse-Johnson has worked with the School of Dance’s Junior Department (youths 13 to 18 years old) as a teacher and choreographer and was the Department’s Coordinator between 1995 and 2012. DeGrasse-Johnson and her Junior Department team have performed locally and internationally, and have participated in the Dance and the Child International (daCi) for six (6) World Conferences and was the Chair of the 11th World Conference held in Jamaica, August 2009. DeGrasse-Johnson’s work with youth and membership in organizations like Dance and the Child International (daCi) and the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO) reinforces her conviction in the transformative power of dance and by extension the arts in education. DeGrasse-Johnson is a recipient of the LASPAU/OASFellowship 20022004. She holds a Ph.D in Dance from Temple University and Master of Arts in Dance Education and a Bachelor of Science in Dance from the State University of New York (SUNY) College at Brockport, as well as a Diploma in Teacher Education from the Cultural Training Centre (now EMCVPA), School of Dance.
CSEC AND CAPE PERFORMING ARTS CONFERENCE DAY ONE - MONDAY 4TH APRIL TIME
ACTIVITY
9:30a.m. – 12:30p.m. GLPC Conference Room
Registration
11:00a.m. – 12:30p.m. Dance Studio
Overview and physical dance comparison of Dunham, Rivero, L’Antech and the Cuban Moderna Technical Master Dance Class - Dr. Stines
1:30p.m. – 3:00p.m. Off-site location
Pre-Conference Tour (Walk through historic Bridgetown with historian Trevor Marshall. Fee: BD$40.00. Bus takes participants to Independence Square and returns to the hotel)
6:00p.m. – 9:00p.m. Walcott Warner Theatre
Opening Ceremony/Keynote Speaker Dr. Nicholeen DeGrasse-Johnson, Principal of the Edna Manley College for Visual and Performing Arts
DAY TWO - TUESDAY 5TH APRIL TIME AND VENUE
PRESENTATION
PRESENTERS
9:00a.m – 1:00p.m (Registration continues) GLPC Conference Room WELCOME 8:45a.m. – 9:00a.m. Walcott Warner Theatre
PANEL (1) 9:00a.m. - 10:30a.m. Walcott Warner Theatre TRANSFORMING SOCIETY THROUGH THE ARTS Moderator – Travis Weekes
10:30a.m. - 11:00a.m.
Welcome, House Keeping and Logistics Programme Organisers
Utilising the Arts and Arts related strategies to Promote Positive Behaviours: Barbadian Students’ Perspectives Understanding the fundamentals of the Creative Industry ecosystem: Investigating its relevance in preparing Artists for careers in the Arts
Yvonne Weekes De Carla Applewhaite
Yvonne Weekes
Pearl-Ann Hinds
Museum Theatre: A Pedagogical Tool
Michelle Cox
Creative Arts Education in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM)
Prof. Gladstone Yearwood
COFFEE BREAK
TIME AND VENUE PANEL (2) 11:00a.m. – 12:30p.m. Walcott Warner Theatre MAPPING THE FUTURE OF ARTS EDUCATION IN THE CARIBBEAN: CHALLENGES FOR THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY Moderator – Shama Harding 12:30p.m. – 1:30p.m. WORKSHOP 1:45p.m. – 3:15p.m. Dance Studio LANDSHIP: AN EMERGING TECHNIQUE AND BARBADIAN IDENTITY
WORKSHOP 1:45p.m. – 3:15p.m. Performance Studio DEVISING THEATRE
STUDENT FILM SCREENINGS 1:45p.m. – 3:15p.m. Pedagogical Centre 3:15p.m. – 3:50p.m.
PRESENTATION The History of Dance Education in Barbados: Implications for future development The Cuban Model: The Self, Identity and the polyglot corporeality in Dance Creativity and Education: The Digital Film Image and what it means for the future of Learning Communities The Changing Face of Theatre in Barbados – Finding a Space: Some Observations for Educators
PRESENTERS
John Hunte Neri Torres Andrew Millington
Michelle Cox
LUNCH BREAK Supported by elements of the indigenous Caribbean dance forms by the late American anthropologist Katherine Dunham and the manoeuvres and Military Drills of Barbados’ Landship dance, this workshop investigates a model for working towards a Barbadian Dance Technique.
Gene Carson
This workshop focuses on devising a dramatic work in response to a specific social or communal issue, using the ensemble device of the chorus as character, and uses a variety of techniques including, improvisation, voice, movement gest as well as using the face and body as mask.
Alan Springer
A series of films produced by the EBCCI film students. Delegates get an opportunity to talk to young film makers about their process, their product and their dreams.
Andrew Millington
COFFEE BREAK
TIME AND VENUE WORKSHOP 3:50p.m. – 5:00p.m. Rehearsal Room/Cinematheque MUSIC COMPOSITION
WORKSHOP 3:50p.m. – 5:00p.m. Performance Studio
WORKSHOP 3:50p.m. – 5:00p.m. Dance Studio DANCE -L’ANTECH
PRESENTATION
PRESENTERS
Write me a Tune: composing music for CSEC and CAPE. A discussion on composition concepts and techniques for fledgling musicians
Roger Gittens
La Rose and La Marguerite are the names given to the two rival Flower Societies of St. Lucia. These societies provide an example of how African descendants in the Caribbean used their ancestral traditions to consolidate group identity by developing festivals that lent them a level of agency within post-colonial society. This workshop identifies those elements and leads participants through exercises that demonstrate the potential for creating exciting theatre!
Travis Weekes
Choreography and Innovation as it relates to Caribbean Contemporary Dance and dance internationally
L’Antoinette Stines
DAY THREE – WEDNESDAY 6TH APRIL TIME AND VENUE
PRESENTATION
PRESENTERS
9:00a.m. – 1:00p.m. (Registration continues) GLPC Conference Room PANEL (3) 9:00a.m. – 10:30a.m. Walcott Warner Theatre
CSEC and CAPE Performing Arts: A Pathway to Unlocking the Cultural and Creative Industries
CSEC AND CAPE ARTS EXAMS: ISSUES, IMPLICATIONS & IDEAS FOR TEACHERS
The “Arts” through the Years: Candidates’ Performance in CSEC and CAPE ‘Arts’ Examinations
Moderator – Kerry Ann Henry 10:30a.m. - 10:50a.m.
Understanding Module 1 of the CAPE Performing Arts: Business for the Creative Arts COFFEE BREAK
Dorraine Reid James Young, Suzanne Boodoo-Murray & Alton MacPherson Yvonne Weekes
TIME AND VENUE
PANEL (4) 11:00.a.m. – 12:30p.m. Walcott Warner Theatre ART IS MY BUSINESS Moderator – Yvonne Weekes
PRESENTATION Championing a business perspective for performance art in Barbados
CREATING THE DRAMA PERFORMER WORKSHOP 1:45p.m. – 3:15p.m. Dance Studio
Alan Springer
Business of the Arts: Key Elements of a Successful Production
Carla Springer Hunte
Why We Dance: Barbadian Dance Students Speak
Shama Harding
The Performing Arts Curriculum: Catalyst for establishing the Creative Industry
De Carla Applewhaite
12:30p.m. – 1:30p.m. WORKSHOP 1:45p.m. – 3:15p.m. Performance Studio
PRESENTERS
LUNCH
Develop characterisation for a play that was studied in Module 1 – “Moon on a Rainbow Shawl”.
Alan Springer
Choreography and Innovation: The Traditional Folk Form
L’Antoinette Stines
CSEC & CAPE DANCE WORKSHOP 1:45p.m. – 3:15p.m. Cinematheque MUSIC ARRANGEMENT
ARRANGING – Something borrowed, something blue, something new Developing the arranging skills in our students COFFEE BREAK
3:15p.m.- 3:30p.m. ITEM WRITING WORKSHOP 3:45p.m. – 5:00p.m. Walcott Warner Theatre
OPEN MIC & CLOSING 5:30p.m. – 7:00p.m. Walcott Warner Theatre
Roger Gittens
CXC answers teachers’ questions and conducts an item writing workshop for Theatre and Music Open Mic Performances by all delegates. Delegates are encouraged to do 3- 5minute performances and to say their farewells in dance, music, drama and poetry. Vote of Thanks
James Young Suzanne Boodoo-Murray Alton MacPherson
Yvonne Weekes
PANELONE Yvonne Weekes won the prestigious Frank Collymore Literary Endowment award in 2004 with Volcano (Peepal Tree Press). Her work has appeared in anthologies and her full length play Blue Soap was published in 2010. Yvonne is an actress, published writer, former Director of Culture (Montserrat), and Theatre Director for 40 years. She has performed in London, Trinidad, Tobago, Grenada, Dominica, Nevis, Antigua, St. Thomas US Virgin Islands and Barbados with some leading theatre, film directors and choreographers. An accomplished theatre director, her productions have been seen in a number of Caribbean islands. She started teaching drama in London in 1980 and is presently a lecturer in Theatre at the Errol Barrow Centre for Creative Imagination. She sat on the Committee responsible for the design of the Caribbean Examination Council CSEC Theatre Arts syllabus. In that regard, she has run training workshops for CSEC Theatre Arts teachers across the region. Yvonne is a trained graduate teacher with a BA Hons. (English and Drama); a Certificate in Speech & Drama in Education; a Master in Education and recently submitted her PhD in Education and awaits her oral examination. She has received awards for her outstanding contribution to both culture and education from her home – Montserrat.
Pearl-Ann Hinds is the founder & director of Pearls Dance Academy Inc. a multifaceted dance-arts company in Barbados. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Arts Administration with an emphasis in dance from Belhaven University, MS, USA and an Associate degree in Dance from the Barbados Community College. She also holds several distinctions in ballet with the Royal Academy of Dance and over 10 years’ experience in the arts having worked with the National Cultural Foundation, International Ballet Competition and Mississippi Arts Commission. Pearl-Ann is an American Ballet Theatre certified teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in PrePrimary through Level 3 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum. Ms. Hinds is currently a part-time tutor in modern dance at the Barbados Community College.
#1 - Utilising the Arts and Arts related strategies to Promote Positive Behaviours: Barbadian Students’ Perspectives by Yvonne Weekes As Caribbean governments set out to implement reforms in education, there remains a growing concern about the impact that poor students’ behaviour has on their economic investments and the effective implementation of these initiatives. Underscored by the critical theorist, concern about the exclusion of student perspectives in educational research, this paper from a doctoral study captures the perspective of 86 students from four secondary schools in Barbados. The empirical question guiding the research, is what kind of Curriculum strategies secondary schools should implement in order to promote positive behaviours. Data were collected through a qualitative approach which included seven student focus groups, aged 13 to 15, from the four targeted schools. The audio-recorded focus groups included students who were perceived by school administration to be either exemplary students or students who were identified as exhibiting poor behaviours. The results showed that students from all four schools identified the need for schools to utilise, in order of importance, visiting theatre groups, improvisation, journaling and role play, film and video as well as music in order to improve students’ behaviours. Students also expressed the views for the need for students’ themselves to be able to identify themes which teachers should address in their creative work such as rape, sexual abuse and substance abuse. However, the students suggested that teachers were either not ‘cool’ or ‘experienced’ enough to effectively use the strategies and would need training. This study contributes to the growing research in which students’ voice is recognised and suggests the importance of the Arts in providing alternative strategies for school administrators in dealing with students’ behaviour.
#2 - Understanding the fundamentals of the Creative Industry ecosystem: Investigating its relevance in preparing artists for careers in the Arts by Pearl-Ann Hinds The creative industry is a growing pathway to economic prosperity in the Caribbean. Some stakeholders have observed this growth and considered it meagre when compared to other developing countries. Based on a practical approach to these observations, understanding the ecosystem of the creative industries and, investigating the relevance of the ecosystem in preparing artists for careers, is critical in detecting the possible cause and cure of the deficiencies. This study was based on the hypothesis that artists are often unaware of the broad ecosystem in which they endeavour to work, especially within the Caribbean context. Designed with a mixed method, this study identified, the courses students were exposed to in pursuit of arts careers, student understanding of the creative industry and the cultural practitioner’s perspective on the benefits
of the ecosystem. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and questionnaires. Students and cultural industry practitioners noted that innovative educational mechanisms should be implemented to address the functions of the creative economy. The findings indicated that artists should be equipped for careers in a chosen discipline but moreover undergirded with a robust foundation that directs some attention to the broader industry in which the discipline resides. Finally, the study pointed to the need to explore the dynamics of the creative economy in relationship to the success of an arts career to reduce the comparative deficiencies observed.
Teacher, consultant, researcher, actress and director, Michelle Cox holds a Master’s degree in Applied Drama: Theatre in Educational, Community and Social Contexts from Goldsmiths, University of London and a 1st Class Honours in Theatre Arts from the University of the West Indies (St Augustine Campus). She is also a graduate of the Barbados Community College’s Performing Arts programme and, over the last 25 years, has gained experience in the performing arts as well as in technical theatre, arts-education and event management in Barbados, Trinidad and London. Michelle now specialises in arts and heritage education; Theatre for Development and Drama/ Theatre-in-Education. She is the founder of Rhema Artistic Consultants & Theatre Services (Rhema ACTS); President of the Caribbean Network of Art Presenters (CaribNet) and the Coordinator for the Associate Degree in Theatre Arts at the Barbados Community College.
#3 - Museum Theatre: A pedagogical tool by Michelle Cox “One area of contemporary educational theatre that has received relatively little attention… is the use of theatre in museums and heritage sites” (Jackson). Anthony Jackson defined museum theatre as being “…the use of theatre and theatrical techniques as a means of mediating knowledge and understanding in the context of museum and heritage education” (Jackson, 2007). This form of working is participatory in nature because it pushes its actors to engage with history while, in some cases, encouraging its audience-participants to become involved in the action. Such interaction has proven to be an effective learning tool which can help actors and audience alike to remember, understand and/ or interpret history (Prendergast & Saxton, 2009). This paper will seek to investigate the application of the principles of museum theatre at the secondary and tertiary levels, specifically with reference to the study and/or discovery of both oral and curated narratives. It will draw on international examples and will also make reference to the researcher’s work with the Barbados Museum and Historical Society (BMHS), the National Cultural Foundation of Barbados (NCF) and the Barbados Community College (BCC). Through this paper, the researcher will show how principles of museum theatre can be used to enhance the learning and discovery of history while creating an avenue through which such narratives can be preserved. Works Cited Jackson, Anthony. Theatre, Education and the Making of Meanings: Art or Instrument? Manchester: Manchester, 2007. Print. Prendergast, Monica and Juliana Saxton. Applied Theatre: International Case Studies and Challenges for Practice. Bristol: Intellect, 2009. Print.
#4 - Creative Arts Education in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Professor Gladstone Yearwood holds the Ph. D. and M.A. from Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, and the B.F.A from New York University Film School. He has taught at universities in the Caribbean, Africa, Canada and the USA. Film scholars describe his book Black Cinema Aesthetics: Issues in Black Independent Filmmaking as an ‘important work’ that helped to establish the black independent film movement. His book Black Film as a Signifying Practice examines signifying practices and narration in independent cinema. His films include Rum Shop, which won the Gold Medal at NIFCA, Chattel House, which won a UNESCO/Caribbean Media Cultural Heritage Award, Fielding Babb: Portrait of an Artist and Dame Nita Barrow: A Biography. He is the writer/director of the feature film Sweet Bottom.
by Prof. Gladstone Yearwood This paper reviews policy issues relating to Creative Arts Education in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and examines the goals of Arts Education policies in the region. It considers developments in the region’s cultural sector paying particular attention to cultural policy in Jamaica and Barbados. This presentation examines training in Creative Arts programmes at the secondary and tertiary education levels with a view to explore opportunities for strengthening the training capacities of the cultural sector of the CARICOM region and problems in the delivery of Creative Arts Education. This research paper argues that it is important for contemporary arts education in the Caribbean to move beyond the stigmatization of Artists and Arts careers by bridging the gap between business, medical and engineering. It argues that Creative Arts curricula need to examine the human aspect of education especially as it pertains to the arts and humanities. Furthermore, it holds the view that there is a complementary role for creative knowledge based on art-making in the development of the Caribbean person, which provides unique insights anchored in the creative processes that artists utilise. Increasingly, new technologies require students to think critically, express themselves and tell stories using basic production tools, for example, in the way that journalists or teachers may use digital tools or movement artists in dance and theatre may bring into play forms of embodied knowledge to communicate their ideas.
PANELTWO John Hunte is an accomplished performer and arts activist, arts manager, choreographer, teacher, and consultant. Hunte gained an MFA in Performing Arts Management from CUNY, Brooklyn College in 2003, and a PhD in Cultural Studies from the University of the West Indies (UWI) Cave Hill Campus in 2014. His thesis, Beyond the Silence: Men, Dance and Masculinity in the Caribbean, the Case of Barbados interrogates male dancers’ lived experiences. John Hunte is general m anager/producer of the Barbados Dance Project. This initiative, that provides affordable training and performance opportunities for pre-professional dancers, is about to launch its third summer edition. A former Cultural Officer – Dance at the National Cultural Foundation and Community Dance Fest’s artistic director/ coordinator for 2015-2016, Hunte presently tutors in dance part-time at the Barbados Community College, occasionally lectures in dance, gender and cultural studies at UWI, and recently taught CAPE’s Performing Arts Syllabus: Business for the Arts Unit.
#5 - The History of Dance Education in Barbados: Implications for future development by John Hunte An examination of dance and dance practices in Barbados reveals unwritten cultural policies that informed the development of dance groups. Examining these dance practices unravels “specific shifts” that affect how dance in Barbados is experienced, perceived and produced, foregrounding the location and status of the national narratives of dance. Concert dance (dance that is created and produced for the appreciation of an audience and that is usually performed from a proscenium arch) entertains, educates and stretches perceptions of what exists in the world, locally, regionally and internationally. Preparation and training for performances happen in formal and informal ways. Analysing these practices unravels factors that affect the development of dance nationwide. In the meantime, dance practices continue to be configured and ranked in Barbados through a discourse of decency and experienced in ways that resonate with elitist customs and traditions. Such customs and traditions need intervention if a viable and relevant cultural industry is to be nurtured and developed.
Born in Havana, Cuba, Neri Torres is a choreographer, performer, artistic director and arts administrator. She holds an MFA in dance with a minor in film from the University of Colorado at Boulder and studies at the Instituto Superior de Artes in Havana, Cuba. Her training has been equally devoted to modern dance, ballet and Afro-Cuban dance; and her studies in dance technique include renowned teachers such as Eduardo Rivero, Manolo Vazquez, Arnaldo Patterson, Victor Cuellar, Laura Alonso and Nada Diachenko among other. She is the founder and artistic director of IFE-ILE Afro-Cuban Dance Company, based in Miami, which repertoire combines traditional and contemporary fusions dance pieces. The company founded in 1996 has performed extensively in tours worldwide, commercials and films. In addition, Torres produces the IFE-ILE Afro-Cuban Dance Festival every summer in Miami, FL, since its creation in 1998, which attracts national and international participants and scholars to the workshops and discussions related to the dances of the African-Diaspora. In 2013, Neri received the State of Florida Folk Heritage Award for significant contributions to Florida’s cultural heritage through outstanding achievements as a performer, teacher and advocate of Afro-Cuban traditional dance. Neri is the conference chair for the International Dance Conference: Season of Dance, which first started in 2014, at the EBCCI where she currently teaches.
#6 - The Cuban Model: The Self, Identity and the polyglot corporeality in Dance by Neri Torres Upon the triumph of the revolution, it is stated that the aim of art schools in Cuba was to train artists to respond to the principles advocated by the formation of the “new man” to meet the demands of modern society. The profound pedagogical and political thought of Jose Marti, which made him the apostle of the revolutionary movement, provided the platform for the educational reform: “…the carefree and serene employment of mind in the investigation of everything that jumps to it... it stimulates the mind and gives the man lifestyles; this full and balanced exercise, so he can be as himself can be, and not as others were.” To achieve this premise the artist must acquire different skills that will enable him to approach the performing and creative process from various angles intertwining the performative and the cognitive, theory and practice. Echoing those principles, a dance methodology was developed based on the rich cultural heritage of the Cuban people while connecting gestural diversity from across cultures and stage dance traditions namely Ballet and Modern Dance. The result is versatile artists whose ductile and multiarticulated bodies adapt to various movement languages and dance genres, but without losing their own Caribbean identity, which places them at a competitive level worldwide. At present, the impact of the global economic crisis together with new trends in pedagogy, have affected the curriculum and artistic design, which in some instances, appear to contradict the original model in terms of reinforcing the national identity. This presentation will examine the strengths and current challenges faced by the school of arts and recognized contemporary dance companies.
#7 - The Changing Face of Theatre in Barbados Finding a Space: Some Observations for Educators by Michelle Cox One of the challenges which faces theatre practitioners in 21st century Barbados is the issue of space. There are venues such as the Walcott Warner Theatre at UWI’s Errol Barrow Centre for Creative Imagination (EBCCI), the Performing Hall at the Barbados Community College (BCC), other school halls and auditoriums, the Frank Collymore Hall and the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre. While productions are stages in these spaces, none of them is dedicated to theatre performance as a first priority. This poses a challenge since it means that, in the most idealistic situation, theatre artists would have to spend a significant amount of money to rent rehearsal space along with the already prohibitive cost of renting the venue during the technical week and run of the show. As an alternative to conventional theatre spaces, practitioners have been seeking out alternative performance spaces. The Gap Theatre has now made
its home in The Cove (formerly Reggae Lounge) and the theatre department at BCC has been formalising relationships with the Barbados Museum and Historical Society (BMHS) while experimenting with outdoor locations. Collaborations with institutions such as these have forced theatre practitioners to reimagine their concept of ‘space’ and embrace the potential for site-specific work in non-conventional theatre spaces. This paper will take the form of a practitioner’s report and will seek to further investigate the relationship, if any, between the space and the performance, and how the narrative of one could potentially affect the other.
Andrew Millington is an independent filmmaker and educator. He is currently Senior Lecturer in Motion Picture Arts at the Errol Barrow Center for the Creative Imagination, University of the West Indies in Barbados. He holds an undergraduate degree in History and English from that institution and graduate degrees in Film and Mass Communication from Howard University in Washington, DC. As an educator, he has taught film production and film studies at Emerson College in Boston and served as Coordinator of Howard University’s Film School in Washington, DC. His research interests include film, digital media and the intersections with culture, creativity and education. He is a former founding member of The Creative Edge in Maryland (USA), an initiative designed to support viable and sustainable creative spaces within communities with a specific focus on developing digital media industries. He is the writer, director and editor of the narrative feature film Zora’s Dream scheduled for release in the Fall through his company Shango Films LLC.
#8 - Creativity and Education: The Digital Film Image and what it means for the future of eLearning Communities by Andrew Millington Recent developments in technology have occasioned the emergence of the digital film image changing the way in which images are produced and distributed. Curricula in film programs worldwide have been greatly enhanced with the use of digital cameras, non-linear editing systems with support from internet sites like youtube and vimeo that provide visual media for critique and analysis. Across global communities, the proliferation of i-pads, tablets and educational apps have had a great impact on education in general. Digital storytelling is now recognized as a critical tool for creative expression. Further integration with other digital tools in photography, animation, gaming and robotics has the potential to transform the landscape of education in the 21st century. If the Caribbean is to remain globally competitive and guarantee the success of a larger percentage of its students, it will need to take advantage of the new technologies and begin the dismantling of an archaic colonial educational paradigm that is proving irrelevant by modern standards. Its restriction of critical and diverse approaches to learning and will be replaced with a new age of educational reform, where self-discipline, deep learning and the ability to reason takes precedence. Educators must prepare for changes in the thinking and conception of creativity and education, adopt new strategies in pedagogy, assessment and evaluation of student work and ensure teacher professional development is available to successfully manage the cultural change.
PANELTHREE Dorraine Reid - an excellent educator - has a Diploma in Drama in Education from the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts; a B.Sc degree with Honours in Education Administration from the Western Carolina University and an M.Sc in Government from U.W.I Mona. Dorraine has served in the capacity of Classroom Manager, Resource Person for Drama/Theatre Arts for the Ministry of Education, and as External Examiner of CSEC Theatre Arts. She has excellent knowledge of curriculum design and writing, garnered from her extensive work with the Ministry of Education’s Core Curriculum Unit in the re-drafting of the National Revised Curriculum. A member of the five times International Theatre Institute Actor Boy nominee and award winning Independent Actor’s Movement Theatre Company, she is known in the Jamaican theatre industry for strong performances and technical competencies. Dorraine Reid is a lecturer at Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts.
Alton McPherson is a Jamaican. He received his Bachelor of Science in Economics and Statistics and a Master in Education from the University of the West Indies before joining CXC in 2013. Mr McPherson has over 20 years of experience as a teacher of Mathematics, Information Technology and Physics. During the period 2014-2015, Mr McPherson assumed responsibility for CSEC Theatre Arts Suzan Mala Boodoo-Murray is a Trinidadian. She has worked as a Library Assistant for six years and as a Teacher of English for nine years. She also taught Foundation English courses at UWI- St Augustine as a Part-time Lecturer. She possesses a Bachelor of Arts in English, a Diploma in Education in the Teaching of English and a Masters of Education in Curriculum Development and Measurement and Evaluation, all from the University of the West Indies. She has been the officer responsible for Theatre Arts from 2007 until 2014 and is currently entrusted with Performing Arts at the CAPE level.
#9 - CSEC and CAPE Performing Arts: A Pathway to Unlocking the Cultural and Creative Industries by Dorraine Reid The Cultural and Creative Industries have been lauded as a viable economic growth engine. Several studies show how the economy of many countries have benefited from same. Currently, Jamaica and other Caribbean territories are working towards building a strong policy framework to formally position the Cultural and Creative Industries as a major economic growth driver. Against this background, the teaching of CSEC and CAPE Performing Arts in schools has been given further validity as it further cements the need to provide individuals with viable alternative career options while at the same time, equipping students with the required skills to drive development in this area. The performing arts not only serves as an important avenue of diversified employment but its inclusion in the secondary curriculum provides opportunities for students to unearth talent early and launch careers even while engaging in formal education. This paper will highlight how students can participate and benefit from the Cultural and Creative Industries by their involvement in the CSEC and CAPE performing arts. Its preparation will be informed by the researcher’s experience of over ten years teaching CSEC theatre arts and as a practicing theatre practitioner over a similar period. It will also attempt to track the progress of success stories of individuals who have participated in the CSEC/CAPE programme and have now become practitioners in the related field. It will also highlight the evolution from introduction to the cultural arts at the secondary level to the development of careers and enterprises in the creative industries as areas for future research.
#10 - The ‘Arts’ through the Years: Candidate Performance in CSEC and CAPE ‘Arts’ Examinations by James E.J. Young, Susan Boodoo-Murray & Alton McPherson The ‘Arts’ have become an integral part of the Caribbean Examination Council’s (CXC) cadre of offerings at the Caribbean Secondary Examination Certificate (CSEC) and the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) levels. The range of competencies such as critical thinking and problemsolving skills that these subjects intend to develop have been aligned with the attributes of the ‘Ideal Caribbean Person’ as outlined by the CARICOM Heads of Government as well as UNESCO’s ‘pillars of learning’ (CXC 1). These competencies are an integral part of, and are assessed in, the profiles within the examinations. This paper reports on trends in candidate registration and performance in three subjects: Music and Theatre Arts (CSEC), and Performing Arts (CAPE).
James Young is the newest addition to the CXC team and is the newly appointed officer responsible for Theatre Arts. He has taught Chemistry and Physics for nine years and is a former lecturer of Science Education at the T.A.Marryshow Community College in Grenada. He holds a Master of Education in Testing, Measurement and Evaluation from the University of the West Indies and is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in the same area of expertise.
This quantitative study analyses candidate registration and performance data for the period 2005–2015. The questions guiding this investigation are: • What proportion of the candidate population registered and sat the ‘Arts’ examinations? • How are candidates who registered for the ‘Arts’ distributed according to territory? • How are candidates who registered for the ‘Arts’ distributed according to gender? • What is the grade distribution of candidate performance for the period 2005–2015? • What is the nature and form of the performance of candidates on the profile dimensions? This analysis is intended to inform strategic thrusts relating to syllabus development, marketing and training drives in order to enhance the usefulness and economic benefits that may be derived from the delivery of the ‘Arts’ syllabuses.
#11 - Understanding Module 1 of the CAPE
Suzanne Burke is a Lecturer in Cultural Studies attached to the Department of Literary, Communication and Cultural Studies, UWI, St. Augustine. Her research focuses on Caribbean culture, cultural industries and creative entrepreneurship as these relate to the development and evaluation of cultural policies and programmes. She was formally trained in the areas of Psychology (B.A. - York University, Canada), Development Studies (M.A. Cum Laude - ISS, Netherlands), and Sociology (PhD - Essex University, UK). She has worked extensively with a wide cross section of public sector enterprises, civil society organisations and private agencies in the areas of strategic planning, policy analysis, cultural industry development and audience research within and outside of the Caribbean. In 2014 she conducted the first Cultural Mapping Exercise of Trinidad and Tobago for the Ministry of Arts and Multiculturalism that is currently being used to develop programming and policy in the sector.
Alan Springer - BA (HONS), MBA and PGCE Alan is a Theatre Arts and Education specialist with twenty years’ teaching experience at senior teacher level, including a particular expertise in motivating young people through theatre arts. He has also worked as a professional musician and a stage writer and director, with credits including artistic director of his own theatre company, writing and directing in London’s West End theatre, delivering commissions for BBC Radio and
Performing Arts: Business for the Creative Arts by Dr. Suzanne Burke & Presented by Yvonne Weekes The objective of this presentation is to help teachers of the CAPE Performing Arts syllabus – Module 1 to understand the main goals of the module. This presentation discusses the blending of art business with the business of art. It sets out to help teachers identify and understand the internal processes involved in the creative process and enterprise development. It describes how creativity and creative individuals must come to terms with how their own creativity affects business feasibility and understand the meaning of the creative economy. It also highlights the importance of understanding the operating environment in order to successfully communicate a creative business idea. To conclude, it provides teachers with a number of teaching and learning activities designed to assist students understand elements of creativity; the potential of the arts as business; as well as activities which will help students understand the key elements of a creative enterprise.
#12 - The Business of Art– Championing a business perspective for performance art in Barbados by Alan Springer This paper introduces the overall image of Performance Arts in Barbados as one of underemployment and commercial underachievement. It hypothesises that performance in Barbados provides a service mainly for an audience of inbound tourists and that change is needed to position performance as an investible business product. The objective was to identify what changes to the
acting in an award-winning play at the Edinburgh International Festival. He has authored two books on Internet safety and founded his education consultancy eCES, to support schools in developing pupils as successful learners. His work in schools with eCES includes delivering e-safety programmes, a scheme to enhance learning in mathematics and championing theatre arts as a holistic behavior and learning device. Alan relocated home to Barbados from the UK in August 2015 and plans to further the work of eCES in Barbados and the Caribbean.
PANELFOUR Carla W. Springer Hunte is the Manager of the Errol Barrow Centre for Creative Imagination, The University of the West Indies (UWI), Cave Hill Campus in Barbados. She has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from UWI, and a Master of Arts in Arts Management from City University, London. She is a founder and former CEO of seaspring inc., providers of cultural development services, entertainment consulting and management. She is also a founding member of SAYGE Theatre Productions, where the main objective is to make a significant contribution to the growth of theatre arts in Barbados by delivering productions that are socially relevant and intellectually challenging. This talented actress, producer, writer, arts manager and cultural consultant, has over 30 years of theatre experience on and off stage, and on television and radio, in Barbados and the Caribbean, and has performed in major cities like New York, Boston, London and Toronto. Carla has been a Judge for NIFCA Drama/Speech for the past eight years.
arts infrastructure in Barbados, including education, would enable performance artists to behave more like entrepreneurial champions in a global arts industry. The method analysed some of the key literature and major literary works on business practice were sourced. Reference was made to contexts in America and Britain and two theatre arts students, past and present were interviewed. The results highlight the arts infrastructure in Barbados as overly focused on festivals and seasonal capital projects, with insufficient attention paid to overall strategy and guidance. As a result, artists over-rely on employee status rather than championing their cause as arts entrepreneurs. This paper concludes that for growth, sustainability and profitability, performance arts in Barbados can learn from the US and Britain, shifting to a product-led approach for a stable home-spun audience, yet able to embrace tourism. Crucially, from the start there must be a vision of arts as an export opportunity that adds to the economy. The results demonstrate cause for a rethink of the vision, strategy and direction concerning the future of performing arts, and therefore suggest some broad implications for education in Barbados at both the level of pedagogy and content.
#13 - Business of the Arts: Key elements of a successful production by Carla W. Springer Hunte Every year, students from the Errol Barrow Centre for Creative Imagination, Barbados Community College, and several of –Barbados’ secondary schools graduate with the brave notion of becoming their own boss. They have already decided that they do not want to work for anyone, and they want to create, write, choreograph, and rehearse, own their ideas, intellectual property, and businesses; but are they prepared for the business community? They know that they want to produce, and get their creativity in the public domain, but do they know or have they been taught the basics for producing events for the Performance Arts? The following questions must be asked: How do you create a feasible business project? What are the objectives for your production, that is, what do you hope to achieve? Who are you catering to, that is, who is your audience? Which businesses/individuals can you approach for funding? How do you design your budget? What are your sources of income? What will your production expenses be? Who will be on your team? If some or all of these questions are on your mind, you are on your way to understanding and developing the key elements involved in coordinating a production and/or producing works for public appreciation. These elements pertain to the pre-, during-, and post-production phases, and are very important to the viability and sustainability of your business. Success does not always mean breaking even or making a profit every time, but having a well-produced event on which your reputation and/or business can build.
Shama Harding has performed both locally and internationally with the Barbados Dance Centre, Dance Strides Barbados, University Dance Society (Cave Hill Campus), DanceWorks, Sankofa, The National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica, Jamaica Musical Theatre Company, and The Walt Disney World Company. Shama holds a Diploma in Dance education from Edna Manley College in Jamaica, and a Master of Arts in Dance Studies from the State University of New York College at Brockport. She has also received level 1 certification in Reinforced Motor Function and MT Modern technique from The New York Institute of Dance and Education, Modern Theatre Advanced 1 and Imperial Ballet Intermediate Vocational Graded Exams through the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance, and is currently one of the 2015 cohorts for certification in the Dunham Dance Technique. At present Ms. Harding is the Coordinator of the dance program at Barbados Community College Division of Visual and Performing Arts.
De Carla Applewhaite has been an arts administrator for over ten years. Since starting her career as a teacher in the arts at the secondary and primary School, she has worked extensively with arts development in young people at the community and educational level. Actively involved in Barbados’ Cultural Network, she is a member of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth’s Barbados World Heritage Sub Committee for Public Education & Awareness and is a member of the prestigious Frank Collymore Literary Endowment Committee of the Central Bank of Barbados. A Former Cultural Officer of Barbados’ National Cultural Foundation, she is currently the Producer at the Errol Barrow Centre for Creative Imagination at UWI, Cave Hill Campus. De Carla is the holder of a BA Hons (UWI, Cave Hill Campus), a National Development Scholar, she also holds a MA International Business and Management from the University of Bradford.
#14 - Why we Dance: Barbadian Dance Students Speak by Shama Harding & BCC Dance Students As students we have had to defend our choice of dance on a daily basis, often the questions are asked why dance and what will you do with it? This presentation seeks to highlight why we consider dance to be an important part of the education of the nation’s youth. By showing the importance of dance in education we seek to highlight the benefits of the inclusion of the arts, but specifically dance in the formal curriculum of Barbados. By viewing dance as a creative art experience, the process of all students would be one of developing creativity and allowing self-expression, not developing technical dancers. How therefore can we create the environment for the development of the arts within our schools, also creating jobs to the graduates of the programs of Barbados Community College (BCC) and Errol Barrow Centre for Creative Imagination (EBCCI)? First there must be a curriculum that can be adopted by all schools that focuses on the holistic development of all participants, their creative imagination, and movement appreciation. Through this presentation we hope that we can answer the question of why.
#15 - The Performing Arts Curriculum: Catalyst for establishing the Creative Industry by De Carla Applewhaite This paper posits that in order for the Caribbean Creative Sector to develop, a culture of creativity, creative consumers and creative entrepreneurship must be cultivated. Barbados currently leads the way with its recently proclaimed Cultural Industries Act, proclaimed February 1 2015. This paper argues that while the Act attempts to validate the creative worker it must also extend to embrace the CSEC & CAPE Arts focussed Syllabi – indeed all institutions which provide arts education and arts in education training. For the creative economy to become developed and nationally financially viable, the cultural policy must understand the role that such syllabi have on critical thinking, problem solving, communication and collaboration (Vincent-Lancrin & Winner, 2013). This comprehension suggests that in fact these skills are essential to driving innovation within our global economy. It is therefore critical for policies to include the training of teachers; the development of technical and physical infrastructures coupled with the development of a registry which will give access to funding, incentives, grants and loans to the creative entrepreneurs and connect benefactors with entrepreneurs. This paper hopes to provide a model by which such synergies can be clearly established to the benefit of all stakeholders.
L’Antoinette Osun Ide Stines, PhD, artistic director/ choreographer, possessing the experience that comes from many years and many lives, Dr. Stines has a long and varied performing history ranging from classical ballet to Yoruba “Orisha” dance. Her company “L’Acadco: A United Caribbean Dance Force” is regarded as one of Jamaica’s leading contemporary dance companies. She is regarded as one of the experts in the development of contemporary technique as well as popular and traditional Jamaican dance. She has lectured in North and South America, Europe, Africa, and The Caribbean. In 1994, Dr. Stines unveiled a new modern Caribbean Dance Technique called L’Anyah Reggae Technique later known as L’ANTECH. Culminating from over eighteen years of research, this innovative technique is a blend of classical ballet and several Caribbean folklore forms. Regarded as one of the three pure modern dance technique to develop out of the Caribbean, L’ANTECH, the language, gives the audience Choreography embodying a wholeness of Body, Mind, and Soul. The technique is now included on the CAPE level examinations. Her PhD focuses on dance in cultural studies. She is the author of SOUL CASINGS: A Journey from Classical Ballet to the CARIMOD DAAANCE Technique and Does the Caribbean Body Daunce or Daaance? An exploration of Modern Contemporary Dance from Caribbean Perspective among others.
Gene Carson Cumberbatch-Lynch, professionally known as Gene Carson began his formal study of dance in 1974 with the Barbados Dance Theatre Company. Gene became the first male Artistic Director and Principal Choreographer of the Barbados Dance Theatre Company from 1988 – 1993. As a graduate of the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts, he holds a Diploma-Dance in Education. He is also a graduate of the State University of New York, College at Brockport where he completed both of the degrees for his Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Fine Arts in dance with special emphasis on choreography and performing. He is a former member of the National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica and has performed and toured with this Company as a Principal dancer and choreographer an association which began in 1979 and continues to the present. He is currently doing a PhD in Cultural Studies.
DANCE WORKSHOPS
by Dr. L’Antoinette Stines
These three dance workshops will be fully accomplished through the dancing body executing the techniques and the skills required for CAPE Performing Arts examination. The skills and abilities that students are expected to develop on completion of this Option have been grouped under four headings: (a) Enquiry and Critical Thinking; (b) Technique; (c) Choreography and Innovation; (d) Performance. The participants will be looking at the work of Dunham, Cuban Moderna Technica, L’Antech, The Eduardo Rivero Technique, Techni’ka from Guadeloupe.
Workshop 1:
Overview and physical dance comparison of Dunham, Rivero, L’Antech and the Cuban Moderna Technica
Workshop 2:
Choreography and Innovation as it relates to Caribbean Contemporary Dance and dance internationally
Workshop 3:
Choreography and innovation as it relates to traditional folk form
LANDSHIP DANCE WORKSHOP by Gene Cumberbatch-Lynch
This workshop highlights the importance and indigenous nature of the Barbados Landship Association (BLA). I have had the opportunity during my dance career to have been invited to participate as a dancer and choreographer in events celebrating various activities of the Barbados Landship. Through these encounters and seeing the potential of the Landship dance as the National Dance of Barbados, I officially joined the Barbados Landship Association in June 2013, at “The Dock” in My Lords Hill, St. Michael, Barbados. It is through this union with the BLA that I am able to recognize the need for the preservation of this art form as Caribbean dance. The Landship dance although unique to Barbados is uncommon in the Caribbean region, and it is hoped that this project will bring recognition to the Association as an indigenous entity alongside the other traditional dance forms that exist in the Caribbean. Supported by elements of the Katherine Dunham Technique created out of the indigenous dance forms of the Caribbean by the late American Anthropologist Katherine Dunham and the manoeuvres and Military Drills of Barbados Landship dance, features prominently in this research project and will be used as a model for working towards a Barbadian Dance Technique. Landship dance will be examined to shed light on its African retentions.
DRAMA WORKSHOPS Travis Weekes is a St. Lucian actor, poet, playwright and cultural critic. He studied Literature at the Mona Campus of the UWI, theatre at the Jamaica School of Drama and is a PhD candidate in Cultural Studies with UWI, Cave Hill. As a researcher, Weekes focuses on the impact of creole raditions/discourse on the theatre of Derek Walcott and other Caribbean dramatists. He uses this research to develop innovative, dramaturgical approaches to his own theatre teaching and practice. Weekes has written several plays including Jazz Country; performed at CARIFESTA 2013, and “The Field of Power”; staged in Saint Lucia to mark Nobel Laureate Week, 2015. Currently a Lecturer in Caribbean Studies, and Drama at the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College in St. Lucia, Weekes has also worked as the Cultural Education Officer at the Folk Research Centre and as Lecturer in French Lexicon Creole at the U.W.I Cave Hill, Barbados.
THE SAINT LUCIAN FLOWER FESTIVALS AND THE MAKING OF CARIBBEAN THEATRE by Travis Weekes La Rose and La Marguerite are the names given to the two rival Flower Societies of Saint Lucia. These societies provide another example of how descendants of Africans in the Caribbean used their ancestral traditions to consolidate group identity by developing festivals that lent them a level of agency within postcolonial society. Saint Lucian dramatists, in particular, Roderick Walcott, recognized the theatrical elements in Flower Festivals and used those elements to provide a pathway for creolizing the theatre of the Caribbean. In this workshop I will identify the elements of theatre in the Flower Festivals and lead participants through exercises that demonstrate potential of the Flower Festivals for creating exciting theatre!
GROUP COMMUNITY PERFORMANCE by Alan Springer Errol John looked at the harshness of life in Port-of-Spain and in his character Ephraim, explored the communal wish for a life away from the Trinidad backyard. In this workshop we will come together as an ensemble with the benefit of hindsight, to ask some questions about our communities as an alternative to looking away across the ocean. How can the modern performer, and indeed a modern audience, set about interpreting the drama of push-and-pull with the benefit of what we now know about life in the UK in those cold, dark days? Importantly, how does/should a community with a wanting away from our island shores feel about that perpetual flight? Using the ensemble device of the chorus as character, through a variety of techniques including, improvisation, voice, movement gest and using the face and body as mask, we will try to answer some of those questions.
FORMING THE PERFORMER by Alan Springer In this workshop we want to get into the heads of both Ephraim and Rosa his love interest, to find out what makes them tick as characters, as people and as male and female. This will take us through a variety of explorative strategies from freeze frame, sculpting, thought-tracking, decision-alleys, role-play, cross-cutting and hot-seating. From exploration comes exposition, through a number of formats such as movement, mime, gesture, narrating, marking the movement and forum theatre. The goal is to move the drama through from person to performer to product via the specific techniques available to the actor. Both Ephraim and Rosa as specific character studies are ideal devices for the intending performer. Is Ephraim single-mindedly ambitious, or simply a callous selfish male? Does Rosa show strength of character in pursuing the desire of her heart, or is she simply a weak-minded female? How do these two stand in light of today’s gender typology?
MUSIC WORKSHOPS Roger Gittens is a music teacher, a composer, an arranger and a pianist. He has a Bachelor in Music Education from Berklee College of Music and a Masters in Music Education from the University of North Texas. He co-wrote the Associate Degree in Music syllabus at the Barbados Community College and has headed the Performing Arts Department at BCC since 1997. He is a co-writer of the CAPE Performing Arts syllabus. He is well known for his social commentary arrangements having done winning songs for calypso monarchs John King, Adrian Clarke and Ian Webster.
WRITE ME A TUNE by Roger Gittens Composing music for CSEC and CAPE - A discussion on composition concepts and techniques for fledgling musicians
ARRANGING by Roger Gittens Something borrowed, something blue, something new - Developing the arranging skills in our students
CXC ITEM WRITING WORKSHOP FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS: THEATRE ARTS AND MUSIC by Suzan Boodoo-Murray, Alton McPherson & James Young The structure of the majority of examinations produced by the Caribbean Examinations Council is: Paper 01 which is a Multiple Choice, Paper 02 an essay paper, and Paper 03 the School-Based Assessment, a project. The Caribbean Examinations Council has taken the decision, given the strategic direction to improve the efficiency and accuracy of assessment in the region, to bring all subjects, as far as possible, in line with this structure. Hence, consideration is being given to the conversion of the essay paper within Theatre Arts and the structured paper within Music to multiple choice format. The Caribbean Examinations Council is in the process of building a cadre of item writers for these subjects. We welcomed the opportunity to provide training to the participants of this “CSEC and CAPE Theatre & Performing Arts Conference 2016” to become item writers for these new papers. The objectives of the workshop are to: • Provide training to educators in the principles and practices of good item writing. • Promote an understanding of the CSEC Theatre Arts and Music Syllabuses given the amendments to be made • Encourage persons to seek a contractual agreement with CXC to become item writers for the subjects after the workshop. Workshop facilitators will introduce specific principles for writing multiple choice items and provide examples to demonstrate the principles in operation. Common errors in writing multiple choice items and how to ensure they are avoided will also be covered. Additionally, as a result of increasing technology, the use of digital media as stimulus will be explored and discussed. Participants will benefit from the discourse by leaving with better skills for writing multiple choice items for Theatre Arts and Music, as well as an appreciation for the syllabus, its contribution to the development of our citizens and the value of assessing candidates with well-developed multiple choice items. The presenters are all current Assistant Registrars (Measurement and Evaluation) in the Examination Development and Production Division at the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC).
Notes
Notes
CONFERENCE COMMITTEE
Yvonne Weekes: Conference Chair De Carla Applewhaite- Producer, EBCCI Frances Hinds-Griffith - Administrative Assistant, EBCCI Roger Gittens - Barbados Community College Shama Harding- Barbados Community College Cleveland Sam - Caribbean Examinations Council Suzanne Boodoo-Murray - Caribbean Examinations Council
SPECIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Carla Springer Hunte - Manager, EBCCI Paula Mascoll - Senior Technical Officer, EBCCI Nicole Pinder - Hospitality and Registration Jason Russell - Technical Officer (Film), EBCCI Ron Farley - Technical Officer (Sound), EBCCI Franchero Ellis - Technical Officer, EBCCI Chris Griffith - Technical Officer (Lighting), EBCCI Shani Bannister - Conference Intern, EBCCI Kerry-Lyn Coppin - Conference Intern, EBCCI Ashley Rocke - Technical Intern, EBCCI Mia Clarke - Student Assistant Melanie Grant - Student Assistant Stefan Forde - Student Assistant
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Caribbean Examinations Council Barbados Community College Edna Manley College of Visual and Performing Arts Hotel Pommarine Merville Lynch Productions Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. West India Biscuit Company Caribbean Confectionary Company The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, Bursary Dr. Grace-Anne Jackman, School of Education, University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus The University of the West Indies Bookshop Infinity on the Beach Dancin’ Africa and Jennifer Sealy Romario Hunte, EBCCI Myekelti Clarke, EBCCI Ever Jamming - Barbados Community College Paula Mascoll - Programme Design and Layout
The University of The West Indies, Cave Hill Campus | P.O. Box 64, Bridgetown BB11000, Barbados Errol Barrow Centre For Creative Imagination | Telephone (246)417-4776 | Fax: (246)417-8903 | Email: ebcci@cavehill.uwi.edu.