At the present time in Guyana, among the most anticipated annual dance productions on stage is Greens & Golds, produced by Kreative Arts and directed by Jonathan and Esther Hamer. The other of major note is Naya Zamana produced by the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha. True to expectation, Greens & Golds 6: The Choreographer and Blockbuster was performed on November 2, at the rebuilt St Rose’s High School Hall.
The brief history of these productions may be summarised as follows. Of all the performing arts in Guyana dance is the discipline that has benefitted from the most formal training and the most institutional support from different sources. The Government of Guyana, inspired by Carifesta 1972 and in partnership with Haiti and Cuba, started public formal training for dancers in 1974 and established a dance school and a national company immediately after. Thousands of mostly youth have thereafter been trained continuously. Additionally, dance has always been supported by the Hindu religion, which traditionally produces dance performances.
