The Keen Dance Theater (KDT) is visiting from New York to share in a cultural exchange with its artistic counterpart, the Classique Dance Company (CDC).
They were slated to perform together at the National Cultural Centre last night.
In a meeting on Thursday at the US Embassy, United States Ambassador D Brent Hardt told the group that cultural exchanges build long lasting connections between people that foster understanding and innovation, the US Embassy said in a press release.
Ambassador Hardt emphasized that the embassy is eager to support the creative arts and to help build these vital people-to-people linkages.
As they introduced themselves to Ambassador Hardt and shared their individual life stories, many of the dancers from each company explained that dancing is their passion.
The dancers also admitted that it was a hard decision to pursue dancing as a profession, but they felt they made the right career choice.
In 2008, John Keen formed Keen Dance Theatre in New York because he believed there were not enough stories being told by African-American choreographers.
KDT has social activism as one of its main focuses, and it seeks to perform works that challenge stereotypes and break social barriers through artistic storytelling, the release stated.
The Classique Dance Company was founded by dancer and choreographer Clive Prowell, a former member of Guyana’s National School of Dance and the Dance Company of Guyana. He started the group because he felt there was a need to bring quality dance presentations to the stage.
Classique’s mission is to empower youths through dance and creative collaboration in the performing arts.
It has performed in the Caribbean as well as in the United States.
The school is trained in Afro-Caribbean, modern and contemporary dance, but stays within the Caribbean genre to maintain its identity.
