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

We Gatherin’ Activities Launched In Boston Over The Weekend

The spirit of Barbados was alive last Saturday, March 22, as the Consulate General of Barbados in New York, in partnership with the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI), officially launched the ‘We Gatherin’ 2025 series in Boston.

According to Consul General Lorenzo Harewood, the event, held at the Sorrel and Lime place, was a spectacular showcase of Barbadian culture, bringing together scores of Barbadians and friends of Barbados for an unforgettable experience.

“Attendees were immersed in the rich sights, sounds, and flavours of the island, enjoying pulsating local music, mouthwatering Bajan cuisine, and a vibrant marketplace filled with stalls owned by Barbadian entrepreneurs,” he said.

He noted that from handcrafted souvenirs to locally made products, the event provided a platform for businesses to connect with the diaspora and promote authentic Barbadian goods.

The Consul General said that the energy in the room was electric as Barbadians, young and old, reunited with friends, made new connections, and celebrated their shared heritage.

A major highlight of the evening was the exciting giveaways, including exclusive discounted travel packages and the grand prize won by Carson Straughn – a trip for two to Barbados. The winners were thrilled at the chance to visit their homeland and immerse themselves in all that the island has to offer.

Mr. Harewood stated that the successful launch marked the beginning of what promises to be an exhilarating ‘We Gatherin’ 2025’ series.

“With overwhelming support and enthusiasm from attendees, the celebrations are set to continue in Connecticut, and Philadelphia, and culminate in a grand finale in New York throughout April and May. Many attendees have pledged to follow the journey, eager to experience more of the warmth, culture, and togetherness that define the Barbadian spirit,” he remarked.

The Consul General added: “The partnership between the Consulate and BTMI underscores a shared commitment to strengthening connections between Barbados and its diaspora while promoting the island as a premier destination for both leisure and business.

“As the excitement builds, Barbadians across generations are encouraged to join the movement, return home, and take part in the national festivals and activities happening throughout 2025.”

During the event, a brief intermission provided an opportunity to recognise outstanding professional achievements. Mr. Harewood took to the stage to present the prestigious Professional Achievement Award to Professor Cardinal Warde, a distinguished faculty member at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

Professor Warde is widely regarded as a leading expert in optical information processing and display technologies. His extensive contributions to the field include over 150 technical papers, co-editorship of a book, and co-authorship of three book chapters on optical materials and devices.

Beyond academia, his innovative work is reflected in 12 patents related to spatial light modulators, displays, and optical information processing systems, solidifying his influence in advancing cutting-edge optical technologies. (PR/GIS)

Culture

Season Of Emancipation Must Grow Beyond “A Set Date Of Activities”

Minister with responsibility for Culture, Senator Dr. Shantal Munro-Knight, is suggesting that the Season of Emancipation (SOE) moves beyond the commemoration of a “set of dates of activities”.

In fact, she believes that the time has come for the successes of the celebrations to be consolidated to create a larger footprint that resonates with Barbadians on a larger scale.

Senator Munro-Knight expressed this view during the 2025 Season of Emancipation media launch at the Rock Hall Freedom Village, St. Thomas.

The Minister told the gathering that the Ministry engaged in “a period of reflection” after the hosting of each Season of Emancipation activities through the lens of the Ministry’s internal critique, public opinion where applicable, and that of its stakeholders.

“And that reflection has said a couple of things to us, one, that the Season of Emancipation needs to move beyond a commemoration of a set of dates of activities to grounding that understanding of that intersection again with the past, now and future within communities and within the wider Barbadian psyche…. We need to move beyond the chorus of those of us who understand, those of us who are enthused, those of us who have already embraced the notion of emancipation and that journey and what it means…. Like I said before, embracing the wider Barbadian [public] and bringing them into the discourse and to the full understanding,” Senator Munro-Knight proffered.

She continued: “Our reflection on the Season of Emancipation also says to us that we need to create scale, that while we have done a number of things that have been good on their own, a number of activities that have been good on their own, that we need to make sure that we can now consolidate on those efforts that have been successful by creating a larger footprint, and then again, as I said, engaging more Barbadians.”

The Minister maintained that this year’s activities would see a “more concentrated effort and not just public relations” but educational awareness that involved a mix of competitions, docudramas, and other activities to lift the Season of Emancipation to a higher level of engagement.

A highlight of this year’s activities Dr. Munro-Knight said will be a partnership with Duke University in the United States of America on a project to immerse the bust of King Cuffie at sea in Speightstown, St. Peter. The bust will be removed one year later from the date, as an act of reconnecting with the past.

Meanwhile, Programme Advisor for Reparations and Economic Enfranchisement in the Prime Minister’s Office, Rodney Grant, gave an overview of the activities for the season, which runs from April 14 to August 27.

Mr. Grant said the public must never take the sacrifices of our ancestors for granted as we reflect on our journey to emancipation.

“Our ancestors never had free will. They could not choose when they wanted to eat, when they wanted to work, when they wanted to get up, when they wanted to go sleep, and we now, today, take this free will for granted. They died, suffered; they were burnt to death because they fought for us today to have freedom to do the things that we see are necessary and the things that we enjoy…. We should not take freedom for granted.”

Mr. Grant noted that emancipation and freedom were processes that were not yet over and it was “incumbent on all of us to continue to fight for emancipation”. (PR/GIS)

Culture

Online Theatre Repository Launch

The National Cultural Foundation (NCF) through the Theatre Arts desk is launching our Online Theatre Repository featuring the Poetry Project Showcase. This Drama-in-Education initiative directed by theatre stalwart Icil Phillips dramatises select poems on the CXC syllabus for English B (Literature) using improvisation.

Ms. Phillips has championed the Poetry Project in Secondary Schools across the island for over a decade with a team of four actors, traveling to schools at their request. The project was halted due to the COVID -19 pandemic. Nonetheless, the NCF saw it necessary to revive the project and partnered with Ms. Phillips to produce the Poetry Project as a showcase in April 2024. The recorded series of dramatized poems featuring actors Tiffani Williams, Addis Ayele Matthias, Asiah Shepherd and Kraigg Carrington will now be made available to the region’s English Literature and Theatre Arts students as a study companion.

This engaging video series will bring new and exciting delivery of poetry via the art form of theatre, enhance the examination preparation of CSEC English B students, continue to fuel the development of culture while bridging the gap between literature and theatre.

The Cultural Officer – Theatre Arts (NCF), Ms. Janelle Mitchell, is extremely proud to have produced the Poetry Project first as a showcase and now a digital resource for Caribbean students. “As one of the former actors in the Poetry Project in 2014, I have firsthand insight to the impact it had on students and teachers as they moved into exam preparation, and the development it provided for the actors during this project. I believe that it is essential to carry the mantle on behalf of Ms. Phillips through the provision of this online repository for students and teachers as a drama-in-education resource as part of their classroom activities.”

We invite all CSEC English B/Theatre Arts students and teachers to log onto www.ncf.bb and enroll in the free drama content to assist them with the opportunity to grasp new interpretations of the poetry, build their critical thinking and understanding, as they prepare for the upcoming examinations. (PR)