Enigma Entertainment Group has been around for almost a decade having been founded in 2009 by director Lynn Medford-Ronnkvist. Enigma Dance Studio, a section of the group, has taken its talents countrywide and beyond Guyana also. Come April 7, Lynn, along with four of her students, will be participating in the World of Dance in Trinidad in the hope of making it to the competitions slated for mid-July in the US, a TV series hosted by Jenna Dewan Tatum with Jennifer Lopez as Executive Producer.
When founding her group, Lynn wanted a name that would be out-of-the-box, mind boggling, peculiar, special and futuristic and so Enigma was born.
Enigma Entertainment Group was founded specifically as a community awareness project in West Ruimveldt but as the years went by it grew bigger and eventually moved to the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) at Bourda. It was founded around the same time as the Guyana Youth Arts Festival and is directly linked to the original Youth Arts Festival in England.
“We first began by collaborating with the [then] Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports at the time and visited a number of schools totalling 50 schools to be exact, where we spread awareness on issues affecting youths. We started with 65 members including ten coordinators. By 2013, we grew to a number of 672 members,” Lynn said.
The group, she said, has been to Bartica, Linden, Berbice and around Georgetown. Nothing materialized from the visit to Bartica, but plans are in place already to ensure that programmes and activities are done through Make A Move Dance Guyana. This is another of Lynn’s organizations that she formed locally and regionally with the focus of using dance as a tool for youth development.
To date the dance group has 63 dancers in categories from beginners to professionals. The five dancers who will be accompanying Lynn to the World of Dance in Trinidad are professionals Ronessa Baird, Jahdiel Harry and Latoya Etkins, as well as beginners Priya Seepaul and Renuka Ramcharran. They are currently seeking funding as their tickets and other expenses will cost more than $1 million.
Lynn noted also that the group is also keen on participating at the International Youth Arts Festival in Brixton, London. If this is realized, the group will be the first participants from the West Indies.
Reflecting on her own life, Lynn said that she began dancing 15 years ago. Although she began with basic classes at Crystallite in Georgetown, Lynn is basically a self-taught dancer. Twelve of her 15 years have seen her teaching the art. She was always passionate about this art form and during her years as teacher, she has trained and put on workshops in Trinidad, England and Dominica. Her choreography skills were lent to the London Olympic Games in 2012 and in that same year at the Liverpool Carnival in England.
“Dance to me is a way of life. It’s a tool I use to share experiences and try to transform people’s lives. My aim is to help young people who suffer from difficulties and personal issues. Dance heals and is certainly an expression,” she said.
Lynn, who is also the manager of El Dorado Tours, Realty and Travel Service, said that in August of last year Enigma hosted its very first production ‘Wild Things’ at the Theatre Guild, which was well received. They used the opportunity to highlight issues faced by teenagers and possible solutions. Enigma has also done another production called ‘FOC’ (Fusion of Culture) which was done and recorded locally and can be found on YouTube.
Enigma offers Cultural (Afro-Caribbean, Latin and Modern India), Modern Contemporary, Ballet, Jazz, Hip Hop and Commercial dance classes. Lynn is looking to do more with dance and has her eye on ballet. “The aim for the school is to offer professional ballet which we plan on doing through the Ballet Academy in Sweden. Once this is acquired, students can certainly have certificates,” she said.
Lynn, on behalf of Enigma, is inviting sponsors to get on board to make representing Guyana a reality.
Enigma has classes seven days a week for all ages starting at two years old at flexible times. The group can be contacted on 600-0762 or 226-0012.
