Showcase — St. Thomas
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Students of Caribbean Dance School Showcase Talent at Reichhold
Tiny tots move fluidly in a single line, their steps in sync with each other and the music. School-aged kids clad in multicolor costumes leap, pirouette and sashay across the stage in a kaleidoscope of motion. Teens and adults employ body movement, mannerisms and music to tell a story and entertain.
This is the performance you’ll be treated to during the 19th annual recital of the Caribbean Dance School’s (CDS) students on St. Thomas, at 7 p.m. on Saturday, June 11, at Reichhold Center.
“In the midst of the challenges and stress of our daily lives, we are surrounded by the wellsprings of hope and joy: our children. Our students, through lively expression, are gaining a legacy of responsibility, cooperation and health for now and in the future,” says Monty Thompson, artistic director and one of the founders of the CDS and the Caribbean Dance Company.
Thompson, a native of Trinidad; Jill Thompson, a long time St. Croix resident; and Curliss Solomon-John, a native-born Crucian, formed the dance company on St. Croix in 1977 and the St. Thomas branch of the school in 1993.
CDS is the official school of the Caribbean Dance Company of the Virgin Islands and is one of the largest youth service organizations, one of the oldest surviving non-profits, and the only independent cultural agency in the territory devoted to traditional Caribbean cultural performances at home and abroad.
Over the years, the CDS has taught hundreds of young people, who in turn have enrolled second and even third generation students. Currently, there are 450 students enrolled in the school both on St. Thomas and St. Croix. Some students have eventually become part of the company. Over the last 12 years, it has performed in 56 states and countries ranging from the United State’s Mid-Atlantic region, to Europe, Israel and Africa.
Tickets for the performance are available from CDS students or at the door at Reichhold Center for $15 per person. For more information, call 778-8824.
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