Culture

“Work in Process” finds international success

In 2020, the National Cultural Foundation (NCF) assisted thousands of creatives with their projects through the COVID 19 Creatives Grant Fund. One of the projects made possible from this is the international award-winning film “Work in Process”.

Behind this film is dancer Stefanie Takei-Taylor. She is a Barbadian citizen who was born and raised in Los Angeles. She pursued her undergraduate education at NYU Tisch School of the Arts gaining her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance.

Thirteen years ago, she moved to Barbados and never left.

“I lived and worked and danced in New York City for a while before coming to Barbados for a Masters… I was only supposed to be here for two years and I ended up falling in love with the country,” she said.

Since then, Stefanie has worked and taught at many local dance schools. Her primary dance disciplines being ballet and modern. She has previously taught at the University of the West Indies and is the former associate director of Barbados Dance Project. Currently, she teaches ballet at Barbados Community College and is the owner and principal of Powerhouse Studios.

Her love for ballet started at a young age. From her mother’s explanation, as Stefanie was around two years old at the time, she saw the Nutcracker and decided she was going to become a ballerina. She enrolled in dance classes and her passion grew.

“From the time I was really little, it was only ballet. I was just ballet focused…and by the time I finished high school in the US, I was dancing 20 something hours a week,” she said.

In addition to ballet, Stefanie teaches and performs modern dance. Up until COVID, she was performing and teaching for Barbados Dance Project. She toured to various places including many times to the COCO Dance Festival in Trinidad. Her last international performance was at Jamaica Dance Umbrella in March 2020.

With travel not allowed, the COCO Dance Festival announced they were doing a dance film festival. Therefore, creating a piece for this show titled ‘Alien’ became her goal. This was the birth of “Work in Process”.

This led her to the NCF’sCOVID 19 Creatives Grant. Stefanie worked on a new vision and tried to get everything together for the piece but she was met with various challenges and setbacks due to lockdowns and the volcano incident.

“[We] couldn’t rehearse again so then it was crunch time because I really wanted to film it,” she said.

Stefanie wanted to make “Work in Process”, a site visited piece and found Jaryd Niles-Morris who was the director of photography, co-producer and co-editor of the film. They had a vision of making the piece mainly in St Lucy. However, after picking out the sites and creating some of the choreography for the landscapes, the aftermath of Hurricane Elsa forced the film to be postponed.

The project ended up being filmed at an indoor location. Each scene was picked within 15 minutes of its filming.

“Work in Process” was her first dance for camera project and it has garnered success internationally. It was viewed in various places, such as at MidWest RAD Fest and Dance Camera North, and has won awards over the past few years. In 2022, the film won Best Music Short at the 5^th Annual Nederland International Film Festival. A few months earlier, she also won at the Near Nazareth Festival.

Being selected for this Israeli film festival was one of her biggest thrills.

“I feel so honoured that my vision would have touched so many people,” she said with a smile.

Outside of being a grant recipient, Stefanie has worked with the NCF for a long time.

In 2022, she was part of NIFCA Rebirth of a Nation. She expressed her appreciation for NCF’s dance officer, Alicia Payne-Hurley and the overall support of the organisation.

“Alicia Hurley does a phenomenal job of really pushing… all forms of dance…she really works tirelessly and she makes sure that she tries to come to every show and be encouraging to all artistes.

She added: “Every project that I have ever tried to do, I usually reach out to NCF for support and they’re always so nice and so generous…whether it’s grant money, props, a facility or costume, they are always supporting local artists and I think in a small country that art is sometimes overlooked… it’s really heartwarming,” she said.

She was keen on encouraging others to seek assistance and use the opportunities available.

“You will never know unless you try, the worst somebody could say is no or better luck next time or rethink this a little bit more… NCF always has phenomenal opportunities out there and I think people should take advantage of it, they’re doing a great job,” she said.

Presently, Stefanie is putting on Powerhouse Studio’s end of term show, For The Love Of Dance, which will not only be a recital but will showcase more professional dance on the island as well. For those that missed it, her NIFCA piece, Spring, will also be redone for the show. This will take place on July 8^th at the EBCCI UWI Theatre.

Additionally, Barbados Dance Project and Powerhouse Studios are launching a choreographic incubator for young artists. This residency programme will give selected choreographers ages 18-30 studio space to create, mentorship from national and international artists, and performance opportunities to showcase their work. (PR)

Culture

BEADING WORKSHOP FINISHES TODAY

Bishop Tarambawamwe runs Master Wire and Beadcraft, a South African company specialising in providing high-quality bead and wire products to both the local and international market. From growing up in Zimbabwe playing with wire cars as a child, to taking inspiration from nature for his amazing designs, he now brings his expertise to Barbados. The workshop features an all female group who will benefit from hands on training while learning how to monetise their new skillset on the way to becoming entrepreneurs.

Culture

International Songwriting Camp

Twenty-eight cultural practitioners have reaped significant benefits from the International Songwriting Camp produced by the National Cultural Foundation (NCF).

Following intense practical, developmental and professional exercises facilitated by local and global premiers, the NCF-registered practitioners now have an increased understanding of the craft of global song writing, knowledge of publishing and songwriting, placements, licensing, and synching among other areas.

The sessions were held between September 30 and October 5, at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre where participants and producers had access to portable studios to turn penned lyrics into musical renditions of different beats and genres.

On Wednesday, the participants went on a field trip and were required to write a song for a commercial.

And on Saturday night, a listening session was held at the Sage Bar and Stage featuring the songs written and produced during the camp.

Singer and songwriter Casheda Dottin said she was grateful for the opportunity to participate in the comprehensive camp which has left her with a wealth of knowledge and skills which will take her career to another level.

“I am grateful to the NCF for bringing about this initiative to help creators improve their craft. It was such a phenomenal experience because not only were we able to do songwriting workrooms where we were working with different people, but every day we were able to experience working with different producers,” Dottin said.

She added: “And it was also interesting to see how I was able to gel with other writers and singers to create music. It was far from easy and sometimes it was very intense but we were all still able to work together to produce some wonderful music.”

Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Marley Kirton said it was an amazing experience obtaining advice and gaining knowledge from experienced professionals in the field.

“But at the same time it was so powerful to get to collaborate with local artistes who are established, growing, or trying to discover their careers. This camp is a reminder of the potential and talent among the younger generation here on the island. My biggest lesson is learning not to hide my talents and that you should share them with those around you,” Kirton said.

The NCF came in for high praise for hosting the first songwriters camp of its kind which supports the realistic execution to reach the global standard which lends to reciprocation to earning sustainable income and reaching international standards.

Grammy Award-winning producer and composer Che Pope commended the NCF for investing in its creators.

“I don’t know if you realise that this is luxury. Many countries don’t have a ministry of culture and an NCF. There are only so many countries that invest in and care about the talent and the arts in their country.

“The US [United States] does not have a ministry of culture, the US does not give grants like Canada and places like Barbados. I hope you guys understand the opportunity that’s at hand,” Pope advised.

Composer, songwriter and producer Henk Pool was also impressed that the Government is investing in its talented young people.

Pool said while he would have passed on knowledge to the participants, he also benefited from interacting with them.

“I think the openness, warmth and talent of people was amazing. I travel around the world facilitating song writers’ camps everywhere and I would love to see Barbados song writers travelling around the world because the talent is absolutely there. They just need the chance to network and that’s why I love the Barbados government for doing this,” Pool said.

United Kingdom songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Josh Wunderlich, signed to DWB Music, said this was his first time visiting Barbados and noted that working with the cultural practitioners during the camp helped him to gain a wealth of knowledge about the island’s culture.

“We have been sharing ideas and creating songs that are completely unique. No one has ever heard anything like the music created during the camp because this hasn’t been done before,” Wunderlich said.

Meanwhile, Business Development Officer, Music and Music for Film, at the NCF, Lisa Howell, said the successfully executed camp was well-received by the cultural practitioners who began reaping results from the first day.

Howell said the practitioners are now in a better position to write and produce internationally marketable songs.

“So I would say yes we met our goal for this round and hopefully we have the support to continue to facilitate programmes like this. Barbados rose to the occasion. I am really thankful that we had some of our local premier producers and songwriters facilitating. We had Dr Stedson ‘RPB’ Wiltshire who was so invested in showing up every day,” Howell said.

The business development officer added: “We had local producers like Dwain Antrobus, Peter Coppin, Darien Bailey and Simon Pipe who were also facilitators. So we not only brought in global experts in their field, but we also showed our own local premier practitioners in their respective fields and that made us feel good as the National Cultural Foundation.” (PR)

Caption: from left to right – Singer/Songwriter Munirah Nailah, Gospel Artiste/Songwriter/Producer James Cumberbatch, Singer/Songwriter Dania, DWB Songwriter/Producer Pete Barringer, Songwriter/Producer/ Gospel Art

Culture

BPS Crop Over Do-Flicky Costume Competition Winners Announced

Five winning teams have emerged from the recently held prize-giving ceremony of the inaugural ‘Barbados Postal Service (BPS) 2024 Crop Over Do-Flicky Costume Competition’.

The winners hail from the Post Offices of St. Joseph; St. George; Welches Road; St. Philip and the General Post Office in Cheapside.

The overall winner of the competition is the eight-member team of the General Post Office’s Accounts Section, who each received an Island Safari Tour. Second place went to the Welches Road Post Office, third was the St. Philip Post Office, fourth was the St. George Post Office and fifth place went to the St. Joseph Post Office.

Winning Teams (flanked by BPS management), of the inaugural ‘BPS Crop Over Do-Flicky Costume Competition’, from the GPO; Welches Road PO; St. Philip PO; St. George PO and the St. Joseph PO.

Postmaster General, Joann Busby, in her address to the winners, stated, “We look forward to many more events like this in the future, celebrating both our history and commitment to excellence.”

Concept Creator of the competition, BPS Marketing Officer Neiai Hall said, “This competition aims to showcase the creativity and cultural expression of our staff, through costume design and performance. The theme of the competition is rooted in our rich heritage and the vibrant spirit of Crop Over.

On left – ‘BPS Crop Over Do-Flicky Costume Competition’ 2nd Place Winning Costume, On right – ‘BPS Crop Over Do-FFlicky Costume Competition’ 3rd Place Winning Costume.

“We have encouraged participants to design costumes that not only display their creativity but also incorporate elements that represent the services offered by the BPS”.

The judging criteria consisted of Sustainability; Creativity; Depiction of a BPS Service; Originality; Portrayal; Video Creativity and Originality; Practicality and Inclusivity and Descriptive Write-Up.

Plaques were presented to each of the winning teams and the St. Joseph Post Office also received the Postmaster General’s special award for Outstanding Advertising Video in the competition. (PR/GIS)